Philippians 1:27a "Live Worthy of The Gospel"

Reformed Ex-mormon

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Well, let us first start off with a word of prayer again to start us for this Easter Sunday.

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Let's pray Lord God I do I Just want to lift up your name again Lord We are so thankful for what you have done on the cross for us by taking our sin paying the penalty that we're fully

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Deserving of and giving us mercy and grace, which we are fully undeserving of Lord God I thank you for what you have done through your son

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Jesus Christ and Lord I just pray that today as we Examine what a life that is worthy of the gospel or that we would magnify your name

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That your kingdom would be advanced Lord and that we would just be renewed in the spirit

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Lord If we have had a season of low faith in our life Lord I pray that this this type of a text your word

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The singing and the praising of your name Lord that these things would be the the means

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To to increase the faith in a name that ought to be increased in our lives and that is

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Jesus Christ in whom we say these things Amen Philippians chapter 1 verse 27

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Again last week as we go through the context of what the book of Philippians is about It's it's important to always continually remind ourselves of the context that we're reading in right?

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If we don't understand context we're going to take things and misapply them often That's gonna be a very regular thing that happens when we don't understand the context of what's going on in here

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And I think we can see some of that as we look through this text here in a moment But this is written by Paul again, and who is he writing this this letter to he's writing this letter to the church of Philippi Philippi Pie there's several different ways as we were talking this week that there's disagreements on how that church and that town's name is

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Pronounced in the Greek, but however you want to say it It's written to this church here, and that's the letter of Philippians that we have here today

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The one that they had received back then when Paul first wrote it and last week We we really looked at what the fruitful labor that we see in verse 25

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I believe it is nope visit it is verse excuse me Verse 22 we examined very much in depth on verse 22 about fruitful labor

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And what that looks like how it's coming out of out of a place of humility And it's not one where we're trying to bolster ourselves up through what we do and those things would be not

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Correct not pure motives that those would be the the the motives of envy and strife that we have talked about Prior in this text where we're at and so it's important to remind ourselves where we're coming from to understand this verse 27 that we're in right now, so let's go ahead and read this text

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And then we'll go ahead and pray over it again, so only live your lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that whether I come and see you or Remain absent

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I Will hear about your circumstances that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind

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Contending together for the faith of the gospel. Let's just pray over this text here, and then we'll continue on Discussing what this has for us today

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Lord God I do just want to echo what has already been prayed for Lord Let us let us magnify you today in your gospel.

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Let us Trust more firmly in what you have done and Lord God I just pray that whatever we do throughout our weeks

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Whether it be in our own Professions whether it be in our family lives whether it be with our children or the children that are honoring their mothers and their fathers

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Lord I just ask God that we would live our lives that are in a manner That's worthy of the gospel of Christ Lord.

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Whatever this this saying is let us live it today Lord And so we say this as a congregation in that man of sorrow who has an empty tombs named

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Jesus Christ Amen So again written to the Church of Philippi And I hope that by looking at just this text today as today's

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Easter Sunday I hope that we can really see what the resurrection implies for us even in this text right here

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We're most likely not going to get through this whole verse today We're just gonna be really focusing in on Living our lives that is worthy after the manner of the gospel of Christ.

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That's what we're examining for today So in order to examine what that means

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To live a life that is worthy. We first have to answer the question of what is

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The gospel and this is something that we talk about Often this question of what is the gospel is a question that we ask all the time in this church

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And it's important that we do so The gospel is the very message that I hope when you wake up in the morning

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You're preaching it to yourself so that you might know it that much more intimately Because our minds are prone to forget our minds are prone to doubt our minds are prone to go to the other

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Places other than the cross and so it's important to preach this gospel that saves to ourselves

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Daily and we talked about this in VBS last year And and if the any of the kids that were in the

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VBS last year They might even do the the motions that we taught to them is that Jesus Christ died for me that he was buried

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He rose again on the third day in victory And they would all jump up off the ground because we'd have them lay down like they were dead and then they would get up Right.

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This is a short summation that we have in the gospel is the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ And maybe even more thoroughly explained.

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It would be that Jesus lives a perfect life. He dies atoning death He's buried he rises to a newness of life on the third day according to scriptures, but this term gospel

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The reason that we ought to talk about it regularly amongst ourselves and church

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Whenever we open up the Bible is that this term gospel is like a seasoning that people false religions false

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False -professing believers in Jesus they use that word gospel like a seasoning on on a conversation

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They don't know the definition of it They don't have a faith in what it actually means according to the Bible But they just use it as a filler word a word that sounds good is the gospel name and if you ask them what the gospel

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Is oftentimes they'll say it's the good news, which it absolutely is the good news, but they can't define Anything further than that?

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They don't understand Anyway of what the gospel really is the conversation is

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Lacking of logic and the thinking of what the gospel is usually ends when you ask them will tell me more about it they often can't

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And that's again. It's because they don't have a true understanding of what the gospel is And that's what we're going to examine today, but to be before we jump into defining the gospel

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I want to look at just a few examples of what the gospel isn't to help us understand what's going on So let us let me first reach you a definition that comes from I won't tell you who it is

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Well, I'll tell you afterwards who it is But this is a definition and just listen with your ears and think about is this the gospel

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I believe in The newborn Jesus would grow up to be the Christ the promised

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Messiah He would reveal God's purpose for his salvation Give up a perfect human life in behalf of mankind be resurrected and then become the chosen king of God's kingdom

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Good news indeed. That is why the message about him is called the gospel

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This comes from the Jehovah Witnesses Watchtower production now the issue is is again if you ask more about definitions and what's going on there and what they were meaning

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You would see that there was talking about something drastically different than what they're even putting out there for you to take

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This is what every false religion does Let's think about maybe what the resurrection is in that scheme of the

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Jehovah Witnesses because we're here celebrating Easter What is the definition of the resurrection for the Jehovah Witness?

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They say that the Apostles knew that Jesus's resurrection was different from all others before it

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People who were resurrected earlier were given human bodies But later died again

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Jesus was given a spirit body that can never be destroyed what they're saying in there is that they deny the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ That he didn't rise again physically with the same body that he was crucified with You see when you start understanding the definitions of what people mean and are saying behind what their message is

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You can find that they're saying something completely different than what the Christian is arguing from the Bible So let me give you an example this is just a visual for you to think about Chad who's had to go to spend time with his

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With his daughter his granddaughter in Twin Falls is trained in rope operations

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Through Idaho power. He's a rope a certified rope ninja is what I would call him He knows how to tie every knot that you could ever imagine and knows how to scale down a dam to fix it and work

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On it to work on these big power equipments, right if Chad who is a rope technician in rope ninja

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Asked me to die a football knot Around a large anchor to tie a figure eight on a bite or something along those lines

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And I said, ah, I don't know that knot. I don't know what you're talking about, but I'll I'll tie a knot I think

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If I said something like that you think he's gonna go and rappel down that line Or do you think he's gonna go and tie his own knot or check that knot that I tied and verify that it's the right

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Knot, why would he want to do that? Why would he say before I go about in a way that I could potentially die

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I need to go and tie my own knot or I need to go and make sure what I asked you to tie Was actually done.

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So His life depends on it, right and if I'm not confident in the definition of what he asked me to tie as a knot goes

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He's not gonna go rappelling down it and so when somebody says the gospel and they don't have a

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Definition for it. They can sound as Christian as they want to sound but if they're placing their faith

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And it's something that's other than the definition of that Not the definition of the gospel in the Bible you ought not to rappel down that rope

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Bad things could be awaiting you Chad's gonna go and check that and that's so clear to see why we as Christians when somebody says gospel we need to understand what they mean by it

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It's clear to see that the Jehovah Witnesses deny a bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ So if the bodily resurrection of Jesus is necessary for the true definition of the gospel in what we place our faith in is

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That a false gospel when someone denies the physical resurrection Yeah, it is

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Lydia shaking her head. Yes, it is It's it goes against what the Bible says it is you've gone outside of orthodoxy

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You have denied the Christ that rose again from the grave. That is not the gospel. That is not what saves

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That is once again why we as Christians ought to preach the true gospel to ourselves

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Daily so that we can know which is false around us. Look when somebody has a

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And I've heard this story and I don't know how true it is, but when somebody has is a train Counterfeit spotting fake dollar bill person, right?

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So if somebody produces mass amounts of hundred dollars bills There's people that can see and check if those are real true hundred dollar bills

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But how do you know if it's a true hundred dollar bill? You have to know what the true hundred dollar bill looks like first You have to know it so well that you can feel it and you know that that's a real dollar bill

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That's a real currency You have to be able to look at it and know what the signs are of true hundred dollar bill

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So that when when somebody presents to you the false fake hundred dollar bill Immediately you can say it looks like it, but it's not it.

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It looks similar You're trying to copy what the truth is, but you're not there.

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It's not true. It's actually worthless It's just trade trash. You can go burn that in the fire later today

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So let me look before again before we we define maybe a little bit more about what this gospel is

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That's spoken of in here in Philippians 1 27, let me reach you another definition of a gospel a false gospel

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And let's just examine and think who would be saying this. Is this what I believe in today?

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So the these individuals say in its fullness The gospel includes all the doctrines principles laws ordinances and covenants

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Necessary for us to be exalted in the celestial kingdom. I might have just given it away who this is talked about by The Savior has promised that if we endure to the end

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Faithfully living the gospel. He will hold us guiltless before the Father at the last final judgment

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When we use the word gospel, are we talking about our own obedience? Are we talking about what we do on our behalf to be saved?

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This is a false gospel. This comes from the LDS website again a group of individuals that say gospel and they use it as a filler word in every one of their

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Sentences and even would say to you and argue with you that we have the true and everlasting gospel

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Right out of the gate have a false definition of what the gospel is

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Again, you must know the real currency to be able to spot that which is a fake false

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Attempt to copy that which is true. The gospel in fact has nothing to do with your own obedience

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The gospel has to do only with what Jesus has done for us That Jesus was the only one that was obedient that Jesus died in my place

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That he suffered my full penalty there upon the cross of Calvary Because in his body he bore my sin because he who knew no sin

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Became sin on my behalf so that I might be made the righteous of God in him

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The gospel has nothing to do with you The gospel is all about what

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Christ has done in victory That he did rise again from the grave on the third day

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And that's what we are celebrating here today is that you and I haven't done it

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We're celebrating the fact that he is merciful That my sins have been covered

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We're not here celebrating our own obedience We're celebrating the fact that Jesus is the only obedient one the only righteous one the one that has covered me and has risen again

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From the grave that he's victorious. That's what we're celebrating here today So the gospel could be summed up according to 1st

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Corinthians chapter 15 verses 1 through 4 a Quick and short definition of what the gospel is

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It says now I make known to you brothers the gospel which I proclaim as good news to you

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Which also you receive in which also you stand by which also you are saved if you hold fast

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Which I proclaim to you as good news Unless you leave for nothing For I deliver to you of the first importance what

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I also received That Christ died for our sins According to the scriptures and that he was buried and he raised and he was raised on the third day according to scriptures

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This is a very short Summation of what the gospel is and ought to be a quick place that you take yourself to if you ever forget what the gospel is

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The life death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So then in light of the false gospels the false

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Admirations of of what the resurrection is in their own belief systems Consider just a little bit later on in that same chapter in 1st

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Corinthians 15 verses 12 through 22 We're gonna read this whole text. It says now if Christ is preached

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That he has been raised from the dead. How do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

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But if there is no resurrection of the death not even Christ has been raised and if Christ has not been raised and our preaching

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Is in vain your faith also in vain Moreover, we have even found to be false witnesses of God because we bore witness against God that he raised

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Christ Whom he did not raise if indeed the the dead are not raised for if the dead are not raised

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Not even Christ has been raised and if Christ has not been raised your faith is worthless

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You are still in Your sins Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished if we have hope in Christ in this life

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Only we are of men most to be pitied But now

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Christ has been raised from the dead The firstfruits of those who fallen asleep for since by a man came death

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By a man also came the resurrection of the dead for as in Adam all die

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So it also in Christ all will be made alive Did you not listen to what the

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Jehovah Witnesses said that he wasn't bodily resurrected Their faith is worthless

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The LDS person it's our obedience that saves us. No, it's

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Christ has been risen again Your faith is worthless Your faith the value of your faith only comes about by the faith that it is placed the object that it is placed in the value of your faith comes about by the object that it's placed in and Your faith has to be in Jesus Christ Colossians 2 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us

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Which was hostile to us He took them out of the way Having nailed it to the cross so why are we going to death to define this gospel here in verse 2 27 of Philippians chapter 1 only live your lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ Why do we need to talk about all these things when we talk about the gospel whenever we see that word in there?

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You're you should be reminded of what's being talked about today The reason is is that when we see this is

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Paul arguing that you live your life in a way that your obedience ought to be Your obedience ought to be rewarded

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No, that's not what Paul is arguing in fact, in fact if that is what Paul was arguing for If he was saying that you need to live yourself being that you can become spotless that you can do

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XYZ things Something like the LDS say right that you live your life You'll be on obedient to all the laws covenants and ordinances then his grace is sufficient

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That's how you ought to live your life Paul would never say that and Paul has actually argued very much against that kind of thinking

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Considering Galatians chapter 2 verse 21. I do not set aside the grace of God For if righteousness comes through the law then

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Christ died needlessly Paul has been very very clear and very

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Instructive in each one of his letters to say look if you think that it's Christ plus your works

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Christ plus your obedience Christ plus you in any capacity Then Christ died needlessly for we maintain that we have been justified apart from the works of the law

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But through faith in Jesus Christ That's what Paul's whole arguments going about in all these letters

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So we cannot look at verse 27 and say that the life living a worthy life

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For the gospel of Christ It does not mean that you have to be righteous in order to live a life that is worthy for the law of the law

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The life the life that is worthy for the gospel of Christ It would be backwards for Paul to argue against all that He's already argued for in favor of the unmerited righteousness that comes through the cross

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The way that the Christian lives a life in a manner that is worthy of the gospel is like this parable that Jesus Tells the

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Jews and these verses that I'm going to read right now have been on my mind very very much here in the last

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Months, but Luke 18 verse 9 through 14 I think I've read it several times here behind the pulpit the last few months again

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It says he told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and viewed others with contempt

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Two men went up into a temple to pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood and was praying these things to himself saying

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God I thank you that I am NOT like the other people swindlers unjust Adulterers or even like this tax collector.

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I fast twice I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I get now

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I want to pause there right now and just say Many Christians define a righteous living life as what this

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Pharisee just said You ought to stop

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Do not take pride or haughtiness and anything that this Pharisee just said about himself if you're doing that in your own life or towards the life of others

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You need to stop because you're about to come to a great fall because the prideful spirit deserves such

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But the tax collector standing some distance away Was even unwilling to lift his eyes to heaven

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But was beating his chest saying God be merciful to me the sinner.

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I Tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled but he who humbles himself will be exalted

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Valley Baptist beloved Church and Bride of Christ the manner that we ought to act as Christians is to be united with one another

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Subjecting ourselves to church eldership as they as we as I Seek to lead under the shepherdship of Jesus in humility

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We ought to be serving our neighbors continually glorifying God in all that we do

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Preaching the Christ that has saved us from the grave telling the world about the God -man

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Jesus that we are so undeserving of and proclaiming the name of the mediator of The new covenant that we've been studying in Bible studies

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And I'm so thankful to be talking about this with everybody in the book of Hebrews lately this new covenant

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We're to proclaim the mediators name of that new covenant in whom we have been saved by He is the one that is responsible for cutting this new covenant on our benefit

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The worthy manner that we are to live in that spoken of in verse 27 is the continual recognition that we are unworthy

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But that Christ has done it the life that is worthy of living for the gospel of Christ is a life that Recognizes in humility what a great privilege it is to be in Christ Now, why does this have anything?

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why does this mean anything to ourselves as Christians if Jesus had not raised from the grave as We discussed on Bible study anyone can say that they can forgive sins and we talked about that this morning

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Or that anyone can say that they will die for another one's sins a lot of people can say those kind of things

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It is another thing to say it and then rise again from the grave Fulfilling what you had prophesied and told people about the empty tomb today remains empty because Jesus is sitting on his throne

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Living and interceding for his new covenant members. I Beg with you today to be born again and to be covered with the blood of Jesus Christ Just has just as when you were born into this world and bore the name of your parents

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I asked that you bear the name that is above all other names today and that in this new birth you would continually seek the glory of God a living a life that is worthy of the gospel again is a

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Recognition of your unworthiness to even be considered a part of the gospel Your unworthiness to even be able to profess that name that is so sweet Jesus Christ lives

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You're unworthy Live your life in a way That magnifies what he has done

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That law that that new covenant law that we see there in the book of Hebrews has been written on your heart

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And so yes, you ought to live a life that seeks after good you ought to live a life that seeks the betterment of your neighbor

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You ought to live a life that glorifies and obeys God absolutely Full -heartedly. Yes. Yes, and amen

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But do not think to yourselves that that is what the gospel is is you living a perfect life or the gospel is you?

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Being elevated through what you have done The gospel is that you are undeservingly partaking in what

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Christ has done for you on your behalf there upon the hill of Golgotha The gospel in its entirety is so important to consider in a day like today when we see

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When we as as a majority celebrate the resurrection of Jesus we do this every

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Sunday again as we meet and profess the risen Savior together and In finality,

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I just want to I want to read to you One more portion of scripture before we end today, but John chapter 11 verse 25 through 26

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I would encourage you to read this one today in regard to the resurrection John chapter 11

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Verses 25 through 26, please turn there John chapter 11 verse 25 through 26

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John 11 verse 25 through 26 says this and to give you a little bit of context.

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This is Martha has come to Jesus because her brother Lazarus has died and it seems like she's somewhat upset

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And so this is what Jesus said to her. I Am the resurrection and the life

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He who believes in me will live even if he dies and Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die

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Do you believe this Brothers and sisters, do you believe that Jesus Christ is?

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Is that perfect lamb is That perfect high priest

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That he did walk 2 ,000 years ago Obeying and fulfilling everything that was ever written about him there in the

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Old Testament and everything that was ever Prophesied about him thus pronouncing him as the Messiah the

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Anointed One of God. Do you believe that? Do you believe that he walked that hill of Calvary undeservingly?

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Do you believe that he was pierced through for your own transgressions Do you believe that he bore there on his body your own sin

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Suffering the wrath from God there 2 ,000 years ago and Do you believe that through him being nailed to the cross?

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That your sin was nailed there with him and that he satisfied that debt that you were deserving of Do you believe that he actually died and was wrapped in linen and buried in a garden where no one else had laid and he

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Was sealed with a rock and do you believe also especially today that he was rose that he was

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Resurrected and rose again on the third day Because the Bible says that if you believe these things it says here in Ephesians chapter 2

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Even when we were dead in our transgressions made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and Seated us with him in the heavenly places when you place your faith in Christ when

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Christ rose from the grave you rose with him then So that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus For by grace you have been saved through faith and this not of yourselves

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It is a gift of God not of works so that no one may boast Brothers and sisters again, you must place your faith in what

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Christ has done Participate and partake in the greatness that is his grace and live your lives

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Continually humble that's what this whole next chapter in the book of Philippians is going to talk about Is it's gonna be a pride check for each one of us when we come to it

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It's gonna be nothing but humility and humility and humility that Christ the one that is deserving of all things actually died on a cross

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Why do you think that you're any better than Christ? Be humbled

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That's what the context leading us into so when we see live a life that is worthy after the life of the gospel

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It's talking about you being humbled to be undeserving members of that grace

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So let us pray today to God in whom we are so undeservingly

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Able to know and profess even two thousand years later after Christ's incarnation, let us pray

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Lord God, I do. Thank you Lord for today I thank you for this text here in Philippians chapter 1 verse 27

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Even though we didn't even make it through the whole verse today Lord I just pray that you would use this text to refine and reform ourselves so that through your gospel

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We may act and live as Christians in one spirit in one faith

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Lord that we would be united Not because we have good things, but we would be united in the fact that we have nothing that is good except for you

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God Let us be united to proclaim the blood of Jesus Christ that has saved us from our sin

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Lord God I would ask today that you would be glorified in all the family festivities and in the celebration of the year

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Resurrection today Lord help us know more about it Let us be confirmed and in and know without a doubt that that tomb is empty

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Lord David He is in his grave Moses is in his grave Abraham in his grave, but you Lord you have risen again