Victorious Living (Philippians 2:1-4 John Lasken)

Good morning everybody. If everyone could find their seats and we're going to get started. We're glad you're here this morning and we're just here to rejoice with you in the Lord Jesus Christ. Lift up his holy name today.

I want to start by reading a couple of verses and the Lord laid this on my heart this morning. Jesus in John chapter 17 says this,. These things Jesus spoke and lifting up his eyes to heaven he said, Father the hour has come glorify thy son that the son may glorify thee even as thou gavest him authority over all mankind to that all whom thou hast given him he may give eternal life and this is eternal life that they may know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.

Love those words and I love the fact that Christianity is not a set of rules and regulations that we follow in order to get to God. God gave his son to us so by which we can have a relationship with him we can know him it says and by knowing him we have eternal life.

So this morning I hope you're thinking well gosh I've heard about Jesus but do I know him and if you know him you can rejoice in him but think about that do you know him or do you know about him this morning because there's a big difference.

So think about those things and we are going to exalt Jesus in our worship and in our prayer time we will have in a minute and also the teaching of the word of God but before that let's have some announcements we'll exalt the Lord that too.

First off I want to let everyone know that Pastor Jeff's mom as many of you heard she did take ill when she was in the hospital. Jeff did have to pop down to Florida to see how she was doing and she is recovering somewhat now so we thank you for all your prayers.

Please keep praying for the family and for Jeff's mom in Florida but also the whole family too and I want to let everyone know that the March 2nd couples dinner next Saturday night this is a big time of fellowship we're going to have but also a time of couples getting together.

It's already full but for those of you who are signed up it's six o 'clock here and if you're going to bring a hot dish there are tin pans kind of serving pans in the foyer so that you could fill them up and bring your dish and please bring enough for like 10 or 12 people.

There's going to be a big gathering here next Saturday night and then the next day March 3rd which is Sunday morning after the second service we are going to have a luncheon here at the church and it's a very special luncheon because we're going to be celebrating and thanking the Stockland family all the Lord has done through them in the ministry here over the years and we're going to get a chance to just rejoice with them in the new calling that the Lord has for them to go to Rock Church and from what I understand it's kind of going to be a Michael Stockland roast day.

Maybe maybe we'll see about that. No I don't think Mike's going to let roast. Okay yeah we might have a roast. Yeah but we're really looking for just rejoicing in that. So next Sunday after the second service we're going to have a luncheon here now a lot of folks ask me it's like well gosh you guys don't take collection you know past the plates we used to do that there is a box in the back if anyone's new to the church that's actually where the collections go.

A lot of folks have asked me that. So that's good to know. Also the service right now this second service has been really packed for a while. I can still see there's some chairs now but people are still coming in.

The parking lot however gets filled very quickly for the second service. And for those folks who are parking across the street I want to say thank you very much. We would ask maybe some of the younger folks folks that don't have little children or who aren't older could park across the street.

We're very grateful that the school allows us to do that. That's a big help to allow young families and the older folks or folks who are handicapped to park on this side. So thank you very much for all doing that.

And if you're not doing it and you might think about that. Thank you. Also next week is going to be our first budget review. This is a review of the budget we're going to vote on at our congregational meeting coming up and this is for an opportunity to kind of like do a detailed discussion with the treasurer about what's changing in the budget.

So if you're interested in that we're going to do that next Sunday after the second service and also the following Sunday March 10th after the second service if you're interested so that's for mostly members.

So if you'd like to do that and then on the 11th which is Monday night seven o 'clock that is our congregational meeting and that's the big meeting for the year. That's that's the one where we vote in our church officers and we also approve the budget for the next year.

So please keep that in prayer but also members make sure you write that down and say March 11th seven o 'clock if you can make that and the folks will be voting on very important new officers in the church.

We have up for election one elder his name is Phil DeMoss and he's right there so please keep him in prayer. We have two deacons. One name is Ron Longard. He was in the first service. Yeah we'll put that for Ronto and also this young man over here Tom Ward is up also for a deacon election.

So please keep those folks in prayer and we'll be voting on them on March 11th. And we also have I just want to make sure I mention again the retreats they're coming up in April April 12th through the 14th the guys and if you have younger guys you know children boys that want to come and be with dad you know make your best judgment if if they you know are mature enough to sit through a time you know a fellowship with men and with the Lord that's a really a great time to build relationships with the young men in the church.

And then the ladies are going to be April 26th to 28th but if you're interested in signing up for those and really now is the time it's getting a little late in the game for that. So now's the time to sign up.

There's many ways to do it. You can do the church app the website the pastor gram comes out with a link on it so there's many ways to sign up so please avail yourself to all those things and I think the last thing I have is a young adults meeting tonight.

We're going to have prayer time at six o 'clock tonight after prayer time at 7 15 the young adults are going to get together. This is the 20s to 30 somethings and they're going to get together for fellowship prayer and bible study.

So if you're a young adult please consider coming back tonight. Some of us still think we're young adults and so there's no age cut off on that. You know I say 30 something but you know you can make your best judgments on that.

So let's go to the word in prayer now father we thank you for the joy of being here lord under under this house under this roof house that you've given to us to worship your holy name and lord. We know that this place isn't special in a sense that it's just four walls and a roof.

But father we are grateful father to be able to be here this morning under this in this place gathered together and it's a special time when corporately we can come together and worship you lord in song and in prayer and announcements.

We just lift you up lord you are great and greatly to be praised father your greatness is unsearchable and we pray that we would give you uh what you were worth in the praise we offer this morning father we thank you in jesus name amen.

Good morning will you stand with me as we sing together. Next week or the week after jeff will be starting a series in genesis you can see these banners up here. Um just giving us our focus on the beginning of of that book i encourage you to begin reading in genesis and this morning we're going to focus on god's glory and all the earth.

Let's sing together all creation water earth and sky all your tabernacle to the lord of galaxy majesty. You are heaven and earth lord of heaven and earth. We'll celebrate the light stumble in the darkness all your name.

Galaxy.

You are holy. The universe declares your majesty heaven and earth. You are holy. Oh lord we are worthy of your praise. Let's sing about our god. Holy is he who can light the thousand burning fires of a thousand burning suns blazing in the heavens.

There is only one he is our nations. There is is our he is our. There is only one to the lamb who was slain be the throne who was and is to come was slain. Be lord jesus that you and you alone are to be glorified be exalted.

Oh god above the the heavens let your glory be all over all the earth. Glory. Do his name together as we sing the glory. Great things he has done. So loved he the world that he gave us his son in his life and atonement for sin.

Open the life gate. Praise the lord. Praise the lord. Hear his voice. Praise the lord. Praise the lord. Let the people rejoin through jesus. The son of glory has done a purchase of blood to every. Praise the lord.

Rejoicing through jesus the son will be. And jesus we see. Praise the lord. Son michael. What an amazing.

Transition to the time of the word. Give him the glory. Great things he has done. We as believers have this ability to hear the word of god. To allow the word of god to be in our hearts. To transform us.

Great things he has done. I i appreciated. I think michael you mentioned that next week. Uh pastor jeff thank you for being here this morning. Uh we continue to pray for you and for your family. He's going to be starting in genesis and so we have two banners up right now.

Uh it's out of genesis 131 he created everything through him everything was made and he looked and behold it was very good. Now this is our lord this is the god of all creation this is Yahweh. It took him six days and on each day by his sovereign will and by his sovereign word part of creation came to be.

And he would at the end of each day look and he would say this is good. And on the sixth day when he had made man and then woman and he looked and he said that this is very good to know that what we have around us is a handiwork of the creator of all of our lord god.

And as he looks at it he says this is good. This is very good. But not everybody has that perspective. Now we know in the book of isaiah lucifer was one of the high exalted angels in heaven but he wasn't satisfied and he makes a proclamation that ends by saying i will make myself like the most high god.

And that blasphemy brings god to casting lucifer down to the earth. And lucifer does not look around at god's handiwork and say this is very good because for lucifer he wants to be like the most high god and for all of humanity in history lucifer has been working to eliminate what he knows is the inevitable coming of the messiah.

And we can read the accounts through history of how satan has worked through various means to try to end the march of what would be the eventual coming of messiah. And that hatred continues even today.

And too often the world looks around at what is and perhaps attempts to explain it away but can't give god the credit or sees fault in things and can't accept that god is the sovereign the god of all creation.

You see our god created in six days out of nothing ex nihilo. And each day he looked and he said it is good and then eventually he said it is very good. But the world has an agenda under satan. In the 15th century in germany as within much of europe civilization was under the thumb of the roman catholic church.

They told what was to be the pope who was infallible the priests who were the intermediary between the people and god. The people were not given the ability to go directly to god. The sacraments which were performed and they were proofs of your worthiness before god and in fact as individuals would pass from this life to the next.

For the people of that time they knew that their loved ones were going to purgatory because they were not yet worthy of heaven. And so the introduced and and and brought about indulgences where people wanting their beloved one to be transformed from purgatory into heaven sooner giving money to the church and indulgences and the thumb of the holy roman empire was heavy upon them.

In the town of lippendorf germany lived the the von gore family. I got to get that right. They were in part of the church they were part of that culture. In 1599 1499 excuse me catherine was born to that family and so she was raised in a catholic church seeing the world through the eyes of the catholic church.

Five years later catherine's mother passed away. Her father not ready not prepared to be a single parent did what he thought he had to do and he sent catherine to live in a catholic boarding school. So for the next 11 years catherine was taught instructed in the ways of the catholic church until in in 1515 she took the vows of celibacy.

She became a nun and she was known as being married to christ. And so her life was one organized as the church would have it and quite frankly under the tutelage of satan she did things to prove her value so that she might please god.

Two years later 95 theses were nailed to the doors of the church in wittenberg by martin luther and so began what we know as the reformation. And this teaching spread through even to catherine who heard the truth and she surrendered she bowed the knee.

She became a believer as a nun. Now at that time it was very dangerous for priests for nuns who accepted the message of the reformation and many not wanting to stay under the monastery or the covenant ways of life attempted to leave but were caught brought back and punished.

So it was a dangerous time for nuns for priests to accept the truth of salvation. In 9 in 1523 there were 12 barrels that were loaded with young women in each barrel placed on the back of a wagon cart that went away from that covenant covenant.

Catherine was one of them in there three of the young ladies were returned to their families and the other nine were taken to wittenberg where they would meet young men get married and where catherine met martin luther and became his wife her life starts to transform.

She had heard the message of the reformation of the true gospel no longer needing to do works to prove her rightness in front of god. She now was right in front of god because she had bowed the knee. And so as martin luther's wife she did the works that were done because of her love for god and her love for her husband and she participated in the ministry.

History records the glorious fact that the marriage not only succeeded but set a high standard for christian family life. She was a young man a young woman who is no longer married to christ. She had a relationship with christ.

And so when she saw the world she could see it through the eyes of the creator who on each of those six days looked and said it was good and it was very good. And for catherine now the things that had been under the heavy heavy hand of the roman catholic church were now beautiful because they were seen through the eyes.

Grace had changed her heart and through faith she became a follower. And this transition just emphasizes the truth of john 112. But as many as received him to them he gave the right to become children of god even to those who believe on his name.

And so fortunately at the age of 24 when she left that convent as a believer and met martin luther her life of transformation took place in a beautiful way. Paul in his letter to philippi is going to give us some aspects of what it means to live a victorious life transformed by god.

And i would like to read out of philippians 2 the first four verses. 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 on his own interests but also the interests of others. Let's pray lord god we come to you as your creation.

We come to you as children who were fallen as children who were in sin. But by the love of god by by the grace by the bloodshed on that cross you have led us to faith that we could become your children we could live a victorious life that the world cannot understand.

Through these words i pray lord that you would encourage us on the way and the path you would have us walk in jesus name amen. Victorious living. Each one of us who have bowed the knee victorious living.

My thought when life is transformed the believer is set free from the bondage of the flesh. Let me get that again. When life is transformed this is the moment of salvation. When life is transformed you are set free from the bondage of the flesh.

The world celebrates control. The world teaches control and self-control. The world teaches that you are to be gathering getting all you can get in life. The world does not want to be controlled by god.

The girl finds that to be a weakness to say i am controlled by god. But here's the thing that the world does not understand. They are being controlled. They think they are in control in their own master.

They think that god is irrelevant. But the world is being controlled. And that is by satan. Now for those of you who have bowed the knee and if you not if you have not yet bowed the knee perhaps this message is the right time for you to understand that there is a difference between life without christ trying to prove and satisfy god and a life with christ that is now victorious.

And i would i would pray that that would be for you today. But for those who have already done that satan is still going to be attack. He is still in attack mode but he can't control you. For those who are believers in christ true joy the victorious living replaces the frustrations of never experiencing life as god intends.

I i make the emphasis that for each one of us there is a life that in his sovereign will he intends for you and the earth. The world's path will not get you there. True joy victorious living replaces frustrations because you cannot experience god's joy without him.

I wanted to highlight some some realities in scripture about what this transition actually looks like. And the first one it comes out of ezekiel 36. You see we are born in sin. We are born with a heart of stone that cannot even respond to god.

But by his grace he replaces that heart of stone with a heart of flesh. When when when adam and eve were created they walked in the cool of the day with god in pure fellowship until that horrible day when satan deceived eve and eve got adam just to go right along with it.

And they ate of the forbidden fruit. And when god comes down to walk with them what did they do. They go up to him and say lord you said we shouldn't please forgive us. That's not what they did. They were embarrassed because they knew they were naked and they couldn't face their lord.

Their heart had become a heart of stone. God promises he will give you the grace. And at that moment of grace when you respond by the faith that he even gives you he replaces that heart of stone with a heart of flesh that is soft for him.

He gives you the ability to enjoy his creation to enjoy him. The second transition is that we are no longer a slave to sin. And i want to emphasize that word slave because all mankind without god without the holy spirit doesn't have a chance doesn't have a chance.

Sin will come and you can't stop it. But we know as bad as ephesians chapter 2 1 and 2 and 3 are in describing how despicable we were. That verse 4 starts with the words. But god in his great love wherewith he loved us.

We don't be. We don't we don't. We don't have a problem anymore where we can't say no to sin because of him because of what he does for us. Even to the point where when temptation comes we're no longer having to address that temptation to walk away from that temptation to overcome that temptation by our own strength.

It's not your own strength because it says in first corinthians 10 13. And i will give you the way of escape that you may be able to endure it. This is our transition from slaves to redeemed and to protected by our savior.

The third one is that now we start to see the world through the eyes that god would have us see. He created the world and he said it was good. He said it was very good. Satan in his defiance is a ban banished to earth.

Things get messed up and people can't even see. Adam and eve couldn't even see god's love. They had to hide. The transition is getting rid of all those false images. Isaiah 5 21 is going to say woe to those who are wise in their own eyes.

We are not wise in our own strength. We are only wise in the grace and in the power of god. But woe to those who think they are wise in their own eyes. Just a bad image. Jeremiah 5 21 is going to talk about those who have eyes but cannot see and have ears.

But who cannot hear you. Probably if if it's not you. You know people who attended church for many many years and maybe the message was proclaimed but you couldn't hear it. Which is to say you couldn't understand it.

Yeah there were words being said but it didn't make any sense. Or you could even see the beauty of creation and not respond to it. I have a son-in-law who now is a believer. Praise god. But for many years he would say john i don't even know that there is a god if only he would do something.

And it was like miles. Your son was just born four months premature lived for six hours and died. How much more do you want god to do before you open your eyes. The world has eyes that cannot see. Ears that cannot hear.

But you my brothers and sisters have ears that can hear. And you have eyes that can see because you have the holy spirit within you. And then first corinthians 5 17 is this beautiful words. It says we're a new creation.

The old has passed away. Behold all things have become new. The things that i would have enjoyed doing. How many people have a testimony that they have a later in life. Uh conversion. Perhaps it's. And their buddies would say what happened to you.

You used to be fun. Yeah. But now i'm having real fun. You see the old things are past. I don't need those things anymore. All things are become new at the point at the point of turning to god. You are saved.

You are justified. Your stand in front of god is made secure cannot be taken away. Romans 8 38 and 39. But we're still not perfect. And so what's going to happen for the rest of our life. We call sanctification.

This is that transformation of taking you and getting rid of those things which need to be ejected and holding on to those things which are for you. For catherine that transition happened gloriously even as a nun in the coven and then continued as she met martin luther.

For each one of us paul is going to give us an encouragement on how we can experience this transition. I'm going to start in verse one the blessings of salvation. So if there is any encouragement in christ any comfort from love any participation in the spirit any affection and sympathy.

Life that is surrendered to the sovereignty of god opens the believer to things that the world can never provide. I need to say that again because it's so important. Life that has surrendered to the sovereignty of god opens the believer to things the world can never provide.

Confession is good for the soul. I watch tv and there are commercials that are just brutal. The things that they want us to think are true. And the slide just keeps going deeper and deeper and deeper as there are images portrayed of men holding hands with men and worse the world thinks their way provides happiness through whatever.

But it can't. The life that is surrendered to the sovereignty of god for the first time opens the believer to things the world cannot provide. And he lists four of the blessings. The first is encouragement.

In christ i go through life doing things experiencing things having conflict with somebody. And i struggle. And i struggle. And without christ i try to fix it. But in christ i no longer have to rely on or am limited by my own courage or my own power.

I have victory when i am with christ. Joshua 1 8 the nation of israel having left egypt having gone into the wilderness and failing at kadesh barnea because there were giants in the land even though the land was filled with milk and honey.

They were giants and were grasshoppers for another 40 years now they're on the east side of the jordan river and shittim looking across ready to go in. And god encourages joshua the new leader by saying be strong be courageous.

Because you are the dude. No that's not what it says. Be strong be courageous i'm with you. What words of encouragement that is. There are going to be trial. The nation of israel was going to fight battles and they were going to find out exactly how bad it goes when they don't rely on the strength of god when they try to fight ai for the first time.

But he says be strong be courageous i am with you. You see you're going to go through trials. These are not a surprise to god. In fact in the high priestly prayer john 17 jesus says don't take them out of the world but keep them in the world.

Be with them in the world. You see he knows every trial and he knows how you will have victory through him as the sovereign one. He says you will experience trials but be comforted. He says i have overcome the world.

Satan thumbs his nose at god and says i will make myself like the most high. And god says you're down. You're going down to earth. And so satan does everything he can to throw the world into turmoil. But satan cannot overcome the world.

We know the end of the story god wins. And we even know the story today. God overcomes the world. He is our encouragement. Isaiah 41 verse 10. I want you to consider and to identify in your mind the i ams and the i wills in this passage.

Fear not for i am ego of me for i am with you. Be not dismayed. I am ego of me. I am your god. Now here's his promises to you. I will strengthen you i will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

This is our promise. This is our encouragement as believers. God has given me many opportunities to enjoy his creation. I love being in the outdoors. God also in his sovereignty blessed me with the fear of heights.

Mount washington is an amazing opportunity to see god's creation. And so a number of years ago buddy and i decided to climb mount washington. And we started out at the base camp. There's a uh a store down there and we climbed all the way up to the top was about four thousand feet worth of ascent as we went up and i was okay because i was pretty much in control except one time about three quarters of the way up there's a boulder.

It's only about eight feet tall and it's not straight up. It's curved. But you got to go over this boulder to continue on the path. Now if i were to put that boulder out in the field i would climb that boulder without a problem.

But at the bottom of the fold boulder was a path which came this way and then was going to go up the boulder. And here's the boulder and there is tuckerman's notch. It's about a thousand foot descent no railing.

And i looked at that boulder and i looked at tuckerman's notch and i go. Oh boy. Now my friend who had no fear of heights like a little squirrel just scampered up the top of the rock and he was looking at me.

I said bob i can't i can't do it. So we each took our sweatshirt off. He tied it into a rope and held the rope over the edge so that i could hold on to the rope and work my way up the boulder and proceed on.

Here's my point. Life happens and it is sometimes frightening and it sometimes could even defeat you if you were not relying on god. But god takes that sweatshirt and he turns it into a rope and he holds it over that boulder.

And you can take that. And you can climb up because he's got that other end firm in his hand. Don't rely on your own strength or your own power. Rely on god. The second blessing he says is the comfort of love.

Now it's interesting that passage doesn't say the comfort of god's love. It says the comfort of love. Now this is agape. What happens if you're living life and experiencing trials and you don't find any comfort because of it.

Many of you have heard me share that i have on occasion responded not appropriately to a coach who challenges my call on the basketball court. And without the comfort of god i could spend the night in sleeplessness feeling guilt over what i've done.

But i have a god. I have a god who knows me and i have a god. What did he say on the cross. It's on your on your sweatshirt. Telestai. That sin of mine was on the cross. I'm forgiven by the blood of christ.

Paul is going to say that part of the blessings of salvation is the comfort of love. The what is love. Well the most obvious answer is is god. By the way this is agape. Jeff you taught us the difference between agape and folio.

This is agape first john 4 the most obvious place to go for it. It's going to tell us that he agapes us. It is also going to tell us that we are empowered to agape others. Agape is perfect. It is not conditional.

It's a gift we get from god. It is a gift that we are empowered then to give others. We might be in the world and we might be experiencing difficulties. But god's love is like this warm blanket that just makes everything okay.

Have you ever been at a hotel a b &b a cottage and the bed just doesn't feel right. I can't get the thermostat set. Right. Man that chair is just really uncomfortable. God's agape love will cover all of those lumps and everything else that you might want now.

It's interesting because i've been talking about. We're encouraged by love. The comfort of love and talking about god's love. But this passage doesn't limit it to agape love that comes from god. It says the comfort of love.

Charlie you and i have fun with each other. I call you big guy. I call you shorty. And you call me no medium-sized one. I love that guy because because we just banter and we have we have fun with each other.

Do you know that the comfort of love includes what we do here. What we do here before we gather together after we gather. What you guys are going to be doing on march 2nd having that dinner time. What the guys are going to be doing on the retreat.

What the girls are going to be doing on their retreat. What the young adults are going to be doing tonight here at 7 30 sharing life together. That agape love that gives so much comfort. I get the opportunity to go to cooperstown as a baseball umpire.

They have camps up there. And my brother dave reynolds is another one of the umpires that goes up there. And i praise god for him. Because i've got fellowship with him. No matter what else is going on up there i've got.

I get to feel agape from a brother in christ. Do that with each other. Comfort each other and be comfort in each other. The third blessing is the biggie. It's the participation of the holy spirit wherever you go wherever life's journey takes you as a believer.

The holy spirit is right there with you. The flesh is going to do everything. Satan is going to do everything to distract you. But the holy spirit is there in the passage. Sometimes some of your versions are going to say the participation of the holy spirit.

Others are going to say the fellowship of the holy spirit. This is koinonia in the greek. Now we're used to the word koinonia when we use it in context of the koinonia of the brothers and sisters. And how we build each other up.

We encourage each other. We share life with each other. Ivan i know your life. We have koinonia and you are on my daily prayer lists. And so i can ask you how are things going. Because i have koinonia with you.

We support each other. We're there for each other. We celebrate. We suffer together whatever it takes. We have koinonia one with other. This is koinonia with the holy spirit. Get that god. Very god the third person of the trinity.

You have koinonia with the god. The third person of the trinity. The god who in the beginning was part of god who created all the universe the comforter. You have koinonia with the holy spirit. The saints of the old testament would have been blown away by that concept because for the saints of the whole old testament they couldn't even say the word yahweh.

It was too holy. Don't dare touch the ark if it's going to fall off a cart because it's going to kill you. That actually happened. Don't go into the holy of holies unless you are the high priest once a year when you're allowed to go.

And oh by the way have bells on your on your uh on your cloak so that if you're doing something wrong and you die. They have a rope tied and they can pull you out because you don't go there unworthily.

I you. We have koinonia with the holy spirit at all times. The holy spirit convicts. He regenerates he enables he guides us. He gives us gifts he gives us fruit. But we are blessed to have a victorious life knowing and experiencing koinonia with the holy spirit.

The fourth one is a full experience of affection and sympathy. Fallen man without christ can only emulate affection and sympathy. Yeah they can try. And yes it can look like it but it is only an imitation.

We get the fullness of it. We are free. We are empowered to have it. Paul spoke in his letter to philemon the owner of the runaway slave. And he said. I get the fullness of joy knowing our fellowship together all too often things like doubt envy greed jealousy get in the way.