America's Favorite Pastime

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America's favorite pastime is the title of today's Sunday school. Who can name me
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America's favorite pastime? Who said that?
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Scott. Baseball, yeah. Any other thoughts?
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It is, and sports are our favorite pastime. Jogging? Oh, shopping.
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That's a sport. That's a sport. Scott? NASCAR.
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People's passions are coming out. Well, I think all those have been superseded.
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America's favorite pastime is complaining. Oy, oy vey.
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I mean, I don't know about you, but on the job, I, you know, it's all the time. It's like, you know, especially living here in New England with the weather change.
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I mean, isn't that a favorite? Some people are smiling at me. It's, when it's summer, we can't wait till summer comes around, when winter, when summer comes around, it's too hot.
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Then, of course, when summer is gone, oh, you know, winter's coming along, we need the nice, cooler weather in the fall.
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And then, of course, when the snow hits, you know, it's just, you know, you know why there's snow, by the way, for those of you who have a tendency to complain about the weather.
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Why does God send snow? There's two reasons. Biblically.
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Steve's like, his eyebrows going up. What two reasons why God sends snow? Ah, she got one.
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Because He makes us whiter than snow. So when you're tempted to complain about the snow, remember it's
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God's physical reminder that your sins have been made whiter than snow. Why else? Isaiah 55.
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For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bare and sprout, furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be, which goes forth from my mouth, as you'll not return to me empty without accomplishing what
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I desire, God says, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. So another reason you can praise
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God when it's snow is a fresh reminder that God's word doesn't return void. So let's look at a passage.
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Our text this morning will be from Philippians 2. And we'll look at America's favorite pastime.
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And Paul was concerned here in the little book of Philippians that this was not something that was going to creep into the church.
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And we have to be careful that this does not creep into the church. If somebody can read for us, we're going to look at chapter 2 of Philippians, verses 14 through 16.
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14 through 16. Thank you.
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Well, just to examine briefly this passage, this passage this morning, we're going to look at three questions. What does Paul tell us to do?
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Why does he tell us to do it? And how are we to do it? But before we do that, let me ask you, why do we tend to complain as people?
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What are some reasons we complain? Pride. I didn't hear that.
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Thanks, Becky. Pride. Not satisfied. That's a good one. Not satisfied.
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What's that? Our comfort. Bruce, I see a hand. Preconceived ideas of how things should go.
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Connected to that one. Expectations.
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Maybe unmet expectations. Okay. Because we're sinful. Ah, interesting.
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That's a good theological answer. Yes, Peg? Okay. Not focused on what we've been given.
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Did you see my notes? Okay. Not focused on what we've been given and how much we deserve.
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When I addressed this question to the college and career group, they had some similar answers, some good ones. They were, one of them was, we're not trusting in the sovereignty of God.
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Another one was, we have a tendency to do it because we're not thankful, kind of related to what you said.
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And another one was because, I think kind of touched on what you said, Bruce, we're not, we don't receive what we think we deserve.
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Not, we don't receive what we deserve, but we don't receive what we actually think, personally, that we deserve. So there's a multitude of reasons why we tend to grumble and complain.
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Now, let's look at the passage briefly together. What does Paul tell us to do here in verse 14?
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To not grumble. To do all things without grumbling.
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It's in the imperative. It's a command. Do certain things without grumbling.
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Do those things which you tend not to grumble about. It's easy not to do it. But the things we are prone to do is to grumble.
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And of course, let me remind you, Paul is writing this letter. It's one of his four prison epistles. He's chained.
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And the theme of the letter is joy. The theme of the letter is joy. So here's the
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Apostle Paul, writing out of his own experience here, and telling the
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Philippian believers, the church there. And he's writing to a church, we know that from verse 1. If you look quickly at verse 1, to all the
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Paul and Timothy servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.
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So he's writing to an established local body of believers. And he gives us a command what to do, do all things without grumbling or questioning.
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Let's look quickly a little bit more into that. That's our main text. But let's jump to 1 Corinthians. You ought to be very, very familiar with 1
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Corinthians by now, chapter 10. And I would have somebody read, it's a little extended portion here, from verses 6 to 11.
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1 Corinthians chapter 10, verses 6 to 11. And you'll notice what
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Paul says here concerning grumbling. He talks about other things too, but we want to see it in context. Verses 6 to 11.
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Bruce, go ahead. Thank you very much.
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Notice in this passage, it's sort of like bookends verses 6 to 11.
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He talks about that the reason Paul is writing these things, that going back to looking back at the people of Israel, they happen as examples.
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Right? Verse 6, that we might not desire evil as they did. Verse 11, now these things happen to them as an example.
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They were written down for what? Our instruction. And notice the four things that Paul highlights as sin.
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And he uses a repeated phrase, as some of them did. Remember when Pastor Mike preached through this series, he highlighted at the beginning of the chapter, that they were all.
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Notice at the beginning, if you go quickly to the beginning of the chapter, chapter 10, the repeated word all.
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All were under the cloud. All passed through the sea, the Red Sea. All were baptized into Moses in the cloud, and in the sea.
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And all ate the same spiritual food. All drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was
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Christ. Nevertheless, most of them, God was not pleased.
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And why? Paul highlights here four things, idolatry, sexual immorality, testing the
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Lord, and the thing that we're looking at briefly today, complaining, grumbling. God was not pleased.
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Let's look at how unpleased he was. Jump to the Old Testament with me. Numbers, the book of Numbers, chapter 11, verse 1.
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If somebody can read that, how does God view complaining and grumbling?
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Numbers, chapter 11, verse 1. So, what does this reveal to us about how
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God feels about complaining? Doesn't like it, right?
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Pretty straightforward. So, going back to our main text this morning, Paul tells us clearly, writing from chains, theme of joy in the book of Philippians, brothers and sisters in Philippi, this local body,
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I want you to do all things without grumbling. He had written to the Corinthians about it. We see from the Old Testament.
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We're going to go back a little bit later to the Old Testament and see that a little bit more. So, that is what we are told to do.
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Now, next question. Why does Paul tell us to do this?
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Back to our main text in Philippians. We are told to do all things without grumbling.
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Why are we to do this? Two reasons. Number one, I'll give you the two and then we'll look at them in a little more detail.
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Number one, because of who we are. Because of who we are. And secondly, because of where we are.
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Why are we to do all things without grumbling? First, because of who we are. And secondly, because of where we are. Let's look at the first one.
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Because of who we are. Look at verse 15. That you may be blameless and innocent.
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What? Children of God. Because of who we are, we are children of the living
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God. Paul says, because of that, I want you to do all things without grumbling.
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Now, notice how he gives three descriptive phrases here that characterize children of God. That you may be blameless, right?
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And innocent children of God without blemish question.
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In Christ, because of our union with Christ in Christ, are we these things?
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Are we blameless? Are we not? Yes. Are we innocent? Are we without blemish?
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Yes. Because of what? The marvelous doctrine of justification because of the doctrine of imputation.
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God has taken the perfect righteousness of Christ and put it on our account. So that when he sees us, he sees us as righteous as Christ.
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So that in Christ, we are blameless, innocent and without blemish. But that's not what
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Paul is talking about here. How do we know that? Three reasons. Verse 15 says,
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I want you to notice the fruit. What's the first word in verse 15? That. Henna clause.
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The Greek ENA. Paula saying, I want you to do these things. This is what I want you to do. Do all things without grumbling that purpose that you may be blameless.
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Well, we know he's not talking about in Christ because we're not blameless in Christ because of what we do.
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So he's not talking about that here. A second reason. We know that that's not what he's referring to. Let's look at the context.
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Somebody read versus 12 to 13 for me. Yes. Thank you.
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Good reading. So here we see another reason that what Paul is referring to is he's talking about our sanctification, that God is the one who is at work in us, but we are to work out, not work for work out our salvation.
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He says, therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed. So now, not only is in my presence, which he goes back to the connecting word in verse 12 is, therefore, he goes back to describing
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Philippians is not a very theological book. It's not like Romans, for example. It's a very pastoral, warm and friendly book.
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You see, Paul's heart in Philippians, but the one theological passage that there is in here is very important is from chapter 2, verses 5 to 11, the kenosis, the
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Christological passage, how Christ emptied himself and took on the form of a slave and became what obedient even to death on the cross.
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Therefore, God highly exalted him. Therefore, Paul says, therefore, verse 12, as you have always obeyed, so now much more obey, work out your salvation.
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So we know the context of grumbling. He's talking about being blameless and innocent in process of sanctification.
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The final reason we know that's what he's referring to here is this. Let's look at some references. Let's look at Ephesians.
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Somebody look up Ephesians 5, 25 to 27, and another reference.
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Somebody else could look up Colossians 1, 21 through 22. Ephesians 5, 25 through 27 first, and then we'll do
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Colossians 1. Great.
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You see that terminology there? Similar to Philippians, without blemish, holy, without wrinkle.
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But I want you to notice this in verse 27, so that he might present the church to himself.
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When he comes back, we're going to present the bride to himself as that. That's talking about our justification there.
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It's to himself, right? What about Colossians? Colossians 1, same idea, verses 21 through 22.
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I'm sorry, verses, yeah, Colossians 1, 21 through 22.
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Tim, thanks. Thank you.
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Same language again, in order to present you holy, blameless, and above reproach. Before him.
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Back to our main text, Philippians chapter 2. Notice what Paul is saying here, in terms of where this innocence, and blamelessness, and without blemish is happening.
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Philippians chapter 2, that you may be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish, before him?
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No. In his sight? No. No. In the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights.
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So this is to happen in the process of sanctification, as we live amongst a lost world.
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And that's what Paul is telling the Philippians here. Why we are to do this is because we are children of God, in the process of sanctification.
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Now we have to remember, how do we become children of God? You are a child of God, because you chose to become a child of God, right?
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I see smiles. Turn with me to John 1, verses 12 to 13. Ah, but this is so basic, child of God.
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But Paul is saying, look, Philippians, if I want you to live a sanctified life, and do all things without grumbling, the reason why you are to do this, first and foremost, is because of who you are.
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You should never ever forget who you are. A child of the living
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God. And remember how you became a child of the living God. John 1, verses 12 to 13. Tom?
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Thank you. Boy, this goes along with your class, huh Steve? IBS. Free will of man.
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I know some of you are struggling reading Geisler. I'll take full blame of that. He's a Dallas guy. But to all who did receive him, verse 13, were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of God, but they were born of whom?
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Of God. And as Jesus expounds later to Nicodemus in John 3, born of the Spirit.
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The Holy Spirit has to regenerate somebody. So when I remember that the reason I'm to do all things without grumbling, is because of who
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I am, a child of God. And how did I become a child of God? Because of God. He regenerated me through His Spirit.
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Now the following question would be, what does it mean to be a child of God? What does that mean to me?
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Let's look at a couple passages on that. Romans 8, verses 15 to 17.
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Romans 8, 15 through 17. What does it mean to be a child of God? The motive that Paul gives in Philippians 2, the first motive for not complaining.
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What does it mean to be a child of God? Romans 8, 15 through 17. Yes, Naiara?
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Thanks. Thank you.
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Wow! Isn't that awesome? Now look, when you're tempted to grumble, which
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I know BBCers technically are not, right? But when you are, if you are, remember,
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Paul says, who you are. Children of God. And what that means, as Paul expands a little bit more here, we are children of God.
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We have received the Holy Spirit. We've been adopted into the family of God, as adult children, mind you, with full rights and privileges.
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He is our Abba Father. That does not mean, as Dr. Truman pointed out very beautifully over the conference, as we have in evangelicalism today, you know, a casual entrance into the presence of God.
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Yes, we can come to him as our Abba Father through our great High Priest Christ, but yet he is still a consuming fire.
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And he says, if children of God, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.
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Galatians 4, a little bit more on what it means to us to be a child of God. Galatians 4, verses 4 through 7.
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Somebody who hasn't read yet. Pradeep, thank you.
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Thank you. Notice in verse 5, why did God send forth his Son? What was the purpose to redeem us?
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According to that verse, what's the purpose of our redemption? Okay, so we might be blameless.
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What's verse 5 say? So that what? We might receive what? Adoption. Yes, for our adoption as sons.
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Same idea as Romans, again. You are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
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So Paul, as he's writing to the Philippians, he wants them first and foremost to know, the reason I'm telling you to do this, an imperative, is to realize who you are first.
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You are a child of the living God. How did you become a child of God? And what does that mean to be a child of God?
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Let's look back at our main text, Philippians 2. His second reason for why we need to walk in obedience, in our sanctification, to not complain.
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First, for who we are, and second, I had said, for where we are.
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Where we are. Notice he says in our text, where are we?
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In the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.
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We're in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation. That term crooked, interestingly in the Greek, is the word where we get the
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English word, scoliosis. Curvature of the spine, that's not appropriate. So this is the kind of generation we live in.
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So Paul is saying, you live in a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you live, do all things without grumbling.
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Now watch this, Paul is trying to highlight the difference between us as believers, and a crooked and twisted or depraved generation.
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We are children of God. We live in the midst of a crooked and depraved, twisted generation.
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Paul is not saying that we are better. We are different.
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We are to be different in the process of sanctification. We are not better than those whom
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God has not opened their hearts, like he did Lydia's. But he's saying the reason I want you to do things without grumbling, is because you live in the midst, as children of God, in a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.
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The idea in the Greek is like shining forth like stars in the universe. So because you are first and foremost children of God, and because you live amongst a crooked and depraved generation, you are to be different.
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Never ever think of yourself as better than somebody who is lost, and we'll get to that part at the end.
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So we are to be different. As a young boy, one of my favorite desserts was
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Jell -O. You're all familiar with this, right? My mother used to make it all the time.
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My folks are here this morning, so it's good to have them here. By the way, I do want to honor them.
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This Wednesday will be their 50th anniversary. So, they spent 50 years making
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Jell -O for me. No. So you pour the liquid in there, and my mom used to put fruit in it, you know,
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Del Monte can, just pour it in there, and you let it sit there, and you put it in the fridge, and then it forms.
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It takes on the shape of this, correct? Who knows Romans 12 too?
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Okay, be not conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
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The Greek there is the idea of, do not let the world squeeze you into its mold. And that's what
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Paul is trying to say here in Philippians. You're to be different. You're children of God. The world is twisted and crooked.
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So to be different, don't let the world squeeze you into its mold. Okay, what are we to do?
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Do all things without grumbling. Why are we to do it? Because of who we are, children of God, and because of where we are, we live in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation.
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But as we do that, there's one more passage to look at together before we go to the last question. Let's look at Christ's high priestly prayer,
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John 17. John 17, verses 15 through 17. So we live in the world.
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We are children of God in the process of sanctification. The world is twisted and crooked and depraved, and we are to be different, to do all things without grumbling, unlike the world which grumbles about almost everything and anything.
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So what's our relationship with the world? Jesus highlights this a little bit here. Somebody can read verses 15 through 17.
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Tom, go. Thank you.
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Jesus' high priestly prayer. Don't take him out of the world. We're in the world, but we're not supposed to be of it, correct?
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In the world, but not of the world. What's the key? Verse 17. What did Jesus say?
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Sanctify them, be set apart in your truth. Your word is truth.
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So the way I simply put it, it helps me remember it. The key to being in the world and not being of it is to be in the word.
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The key to be in the world and not of it is to be in the word, because the word is the means of sanctification. And that's what will help you to do what
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Paul is instructing us in Philippians 2, to be different and not complain, because we shine like stars in the universe.
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All right, final question. That's what we are to do. This is why we are to do it. We're children of God, because we live in the midst of a crooked and depraved generation.
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But how are we to go about doing this? Look at the last part of Philippians 2 there.
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Verse 16. Holding fast to the word of life.
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Holding fast to the word of life. Holding fast to the gospel.
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The gospel is the word of life, because we were spiritually dead. God, through his spirit, regenerated us and gave us life.
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So we are to hold fast to the gospel, the word of life. In other words, so as not to be grumbling and complaining,
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Paul is saying, hold fast to the gospel, the word of life. Remember, in other words, and never, ever forget what the
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Lord has done to save you. When we grumble, typically, what do we do?
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We focus on our circumstances. We're not getting what we think we deserve.
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We're going through a difficult time. And of course, as brothers and sisters in the body, we are to come alongside those, rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.
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But yet at the same time, Paul is saying here that don't make your focus what you're going through.
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Focus on the word of life, the gospel, and remember what God did to save you.
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And not only that, I hinted at this earlier, but remember who you were before he saved you.
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Of course, we all get frustrated as we're trying to preach the gospel to friends and especially family.
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And we're like, want to wring their neck sometime. We want to take over the role of the Holy Spirit. But remember where you were.
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You were blind, and if it were not for the grace of God, you would still be blind. So Paul is saying hold fast to the gospel, the word of life.
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Don't ever forget what the Lord did to bring you life. Always remember that.
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I had a professor used to say people think that when God saves you and you become a Christian, you get spiritual amnesia.
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And we do many times have spiritual amnesia. I mean, we've been reading through the letters of Peter, 1 and 2
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Peter. And Peter says, I'm reading both letters as a way of reminding you. Let's look at an example of that from the people of Israel who tended to experience a spiritual amnesia.
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Exodus chapter 15. So this is just to illustrate what Paul is saying here in Philippians 2.
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To hold fast to the word of life, the gospel. Don't forget what God did for you in saving you through the gospel and who you were before that.
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Exodus chapter 15. By the way, why do you think in Ephesians when Paul is outlining in chapters 1 and 2, he's talking to believers and he says, you were dead in trespasses.
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He's not talking to unbelievers. He's talking to believers, reminding them who they were. So it's always helpful to remember who we were and what
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God did. Let's see how the Israelites forgot. Exodus chapter 15, verses 22 through 25.
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If somebody can read that. Yes, Mark. Thank you. Here they are, grumbling.
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It was bitter. People grumbled against Moses. What shall we drink? The key to understanding this passage is the following.
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Verse 22, it begins with the word, then. It's a term of time. Then. When then?
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After what? After God had just delivered them from slavery.
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In the same chapter, we see the song of Moses. If you look with me briefly in chapter 15. Very familiar passage.
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I will sing to the Lord. Verse 1. For he has triumphed gloriously, the horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
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Verse 6. Just exalting God. Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power. Your right hand,
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O Lord, shadows the enemy. In the greatness of your majesty, you overthrow your adversaries and sent out your fury.
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It consumes them like rubble. Verse 11. Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
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Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? They're praising
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God for what he had done in delivering them. And then they begin to complain.
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Spiritual amnesia. Look at chapter 16. The drama continues.
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Chapter 16. It says, beginning in verse 1. They set out from Elim and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of sin, in which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month, after they had departed from the land of Egypt.
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And the whole congregation, the whole, all of them, of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
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And the people of Israel said to them, Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meepot and ate bread to the full.
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For you have brought us into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. Jump down to verse 7.
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And in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because He has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we,
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Moses is speaking, that you grumble against us? Moses said, When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat, and in the morning bread to the full, because the
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Lord has heard your grumbling, that you grumble against Him. What are we? Your grumbling is not against us, but against who?
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The Lord. They were grumbling against the leaders. And the
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Lord says, No, your grumbling is directly against Me. So, spiritual amnesia.
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Jump back as we close to our text, Philippians 2. We hold fast to the Word of Life, the
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Gospel, remembering how God delivered us from the bondage of sin to freedom, to make us children of God.
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Remember, Paul is writing here again the theme of joy from prison.
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Notice what he says. If somebody can read from chapter 1 of Philippians there, verses 12 -18.
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And we'll finish with this. Yes, Lou, thank you. Chapter 1 of Philippians 12 -18. Thank you.
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So, to hold fast to the Gospel, the Word of Life, is to remember what God did to save you, to make you
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His child, what you were before that. But it's also, as Paul outlines here, is to get excited about the proclamation of Jesus.
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Now, Paul had every reason to grumble. Because God, Jesus, the resurrected
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Jesus, the risen Lord, had called him on the road to Damascus. And now look at him. Paul could say,
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Lord, you're the one who called me and I'm stuck here. What are you doing? First, in chapter 1,
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Paul sets himself as an example to the Philippian church, saying, look at me. And then he gives them the command.
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And all of that hinges on the passage in between. Jesus Christ, the Kenosis. He's saying,
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I didn't grumble. I rejoiced over the fact that Jesus Christ was being proclaimed.
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I don't know if it's happened to you. It's happened a few times with me. A few years ago, I was in a grumbling state.
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I know that comes as a shock to some of you. So, I go to work in the morning in this grumbling state.
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And as we receive shipment, the guy who brings the shipment, I begin a conversation with him and I end up preaching the gospel to him.
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I wasn't grumbling the rest of the day. Because my focus was not on my situation.
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My focus was on proclaiming Jesus Christ. When you focus on the
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Word of Life, what God did to save you, and in proclaiming Jesus Christ, this is what
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Paul is saying, this is how you cannot grumble. And remember that it's because you are children of God and you live in the midst of a crooked and depraved generation.
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Dr. Truman had some funny stories over the very poignant stories. And he mentioned at one point about church discipline, which
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I thought was kind of interesting. We're talking about it later in the car on the way back. He said that in the 1700s,
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I don't remember what area in Europe it was. I don't know if you remember, Steve. But, where was it?
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Scotland. Thank you. That the first level of church discipline, what they would do is have people sit on the ledge in front of the pulpit during the preaching of the sermon.
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The second level would be they would stand outside the church door so everybody who would come in, they would get to see them.
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And I wonder, what is this person doing here? And I love the last one. The last one, I don't know what they used, but they would hang them up on the wall.
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Living. Not on a cross, but hang them somehow. As we were walking out, I brought my friend and his pastor.
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I said to the pastor, I said, isn't that interesting? I said, if we applied those practices in Evangelicalism today, in churches on Sunday, there would be more people on the wall than in the pews.
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Now look, we're not going to do that for grumbling, but the point is this. God, as children of God, as those whom he saved, as those whom he's sanctifying, he does not want us to grumble.
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And it's so easy to. You know, grumbling is more contagious than a cold. You hang around people who grumble, and you will begin to grumble.
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So, if you see me not hanging around you much around here, that might be a sign to you. Let's pray.
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Father, thank you so much for the clarity of your word. Thank you that your word is not just a moralistic book that tells us what to do and not to do, without first reminding us of what you have done.
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That you saved us, that you made us. We are born of you, born of God, born of the
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Spirit. You regenerated us, and you made us children of God. What a high privilege that is.
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May we never, ever, ever forget who we are and who we were. And help us to remember that we live in the midst of a crooked and depraved generation, that we are to shine forth like stars in the universe.
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Help us even within this body here at Bethlehem Bible Church that we would, in the process of sanctification, that we would not grumble.