Phil. 1:6-7 "Embrace the Chains, Magnify the Cross"

and read this text, and let's pray over this text, and let's be thoughtful about what this has to offer us for today.

Philippians chapter one, verse six or seven says this. For I am confident of this very thing, that he who begun a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

For it is only right for me to think this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are fellow partakers with me in this grace.

Let's pray over this text. Lord God, God, I would ask that each one of us,

Lord, would approach this text today, Lord, in humility, in supplication of wanting to know what you have here for us,

Lord. God, I would pray that you would encourage us through knowing that you who begun a good work in us will perfect it in us,

Lord, and this is all to your glory and through your will and by your spirit, Lord. And so God, I would ask today that you would speak through what this text says, that there would be a boldness behind it, there'd be a solemn and understanding it,

Lord, and that the application in our own lives would glorify you.

God, I just pray that you would be with the brokenhearted today in this church and the hardships that are in each one of our lives,

Lord. And God, that you would help us to know the gospel that much more today.

Lord, in the humble man who is God in flesh,

Jesus' name, we say these things, amen. Philippians chapter one, verses six through seven today.

We're going to talk first about the context of where we're at, as this is a new book that we just started and we went through five and we saw in there kind of the introduction to this letter to the

Church of Philippi from Paul. And again, just to remind us of this context is that this

Church of Philippi in Paul's letter, and we can see it expressly here in this text, is that Paul has a great, deep, meaningful love for this church, one that's very much on the presence of his mind, that's held his thoughts captive, why he himself is in captivity.

Paul is writing this letter to the Church of Philippi in his second imprisonment, and he's being held in chains in Rome.

He's under suffering, he's under torment, he's under these terrible, terrible situations.

And it's because of these historical truths that we see about Paul's life here in this text that it magnifies the themes, it magnifies what is taught in this book.

It's one thing for us as Christians to say to have joy, but it's another thing to say

I have joy while I'm in this terrible situation. And so we see that these themes of joy in Christ and the humility in all the

Christians' path and all their walks and the hope it is to have faith in God is being applied very intimately by Paul.

And so I would hope that as we read this text, as we read all throughout the book of Philippians, this wonderful letter that we have here,

I hope that it encourages you in whatever terrible situation that you are in, whether you do actually go to prison for the defense and confirmation of the gospel, or if it's through hardships between family, through expressing who

Jesus Christ is to them, whatever it is that God has sovereignly brought you to,

I hope that you find joy in these things because we have an example here of Paul having extreme joy in the midst of terrible, sad hardship, pain, blood, bruises, all that comes along with being in prison for Paul here in this text that we see.

So last week we saw the great joy it is for Paul, our brother in Christ, to express this letter to his brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus at the time.

And we saw last week how Paul identifies himself here in the very first verse as a slave of Christ Jesus, a slave, a servant of his master, the one that has purchased him upon the hill of Calvary, Jesus, the

Christ. Paul has identity there in Christ. And how this identity, this slavehood that you could call it that Paul has in Jesus has brought him to the very chains that he is in right there.

That this wasn't just a mere coincidence. Paul never thinks of what he's in right now as a mere coincidence, but he sees it as God's purposeful path in glorifying himself.

And Paul in this text, even in this text, shows again this great joy and it should remind us of the reality that both him and even characters in the

Old Testament like Daniel had, that their joy, their happiness, their peace came from having faith in God.

And the way that they behaved was noticeable. Daniel himself in the

Old Testament in the book of Daniel is noted for having this great spirit about himself, that it was recognizable about this change that had happened in Daniel, this profession of faith that Daniel even had.

We see that with Paul. We see that in this letter too, that the guards are noticing

Paul and what he's talking about. The gospel message is going out because of the chains that Paul is kept in.

This is remarkable to see that the behavior of a Christian is noticed by the outside world.

But notice in there that it doesn't just say behavior in this text, it's talking about the way that he is proclaiming these things in the midst of these things.

This is not a silent man. This is a vocal man. This is a public man. This is a living

Christian, a living, walking, breathing Christian that is glorifying

God in his situations. The sovereignty of God that we see in this text should make us marvel at the ways that God has ordained for this man to glorify himself.

We see this very, very clearly in the life of Paul, that in these chains that we see here,

Paul is magnifying the cross. He's magnifying the cross and the very marks that he has suffered on his flesh, he says are the very marks of his slavehood in Christ Jesus.

And that was something for Paul to praise God for. We are undeserving of God's grace, yet should rejoice when we suffer the battle wounds for the kingdom of God.

This is something that we should rejoice in. That's something that I think we will see time and time and time again in this whole book.

So let's start here in verse six through seven and see what God has here for us today.

For I am confident of this very thing. I need to pause here and let you know that when

I was writing the notes for today's message, I had originally planned to go from verses six through nine or 10.

And shortly after beginning and even just writing a little bit and studying just this very first phrase,

I realized that that was too much of a mighty deed to do, that we would definitely have people dying on the windowsill and falling out, right?

That that's what we would have here today. So I figured for our benefit, we would do two verses for today.

For I am confident of this very thing. I am confident of this very thing.

Now think about this again, that the context magnifies what Paul is speaking about in here. Is this a man that knows if he's going to be fed tomorrow?

Is this a man that knows if he's going to receive a beating in another hour or not? Is this a man that knows that anything beyond what he is in right now, does he have any confidence in this world?

That the man can offer to him? No, he does not, except he has confidence in one thing. He has confidence in one thing.

Now think about this for a moment, church. This is a remarkable saying that this

Paul has no guarantee from what he is going to receive from man while in this prison. But this statement of confidence is quite amazing considering his boldness, given his situation.

This is what trusting in the gospel does for the believer. This is what trusting in what

Jesus has done, the finished work on the cross does for the Christian.

Anyone in this situation that Paul is in would never speak in the way that we see and we read that he is.

What can we take from Paul? What could they take from him? What else could they take from Paul?

His food? So be it for this man to hunger, for he is satisfied and filled by God.

Could they take from him his fellow believers? Could they kill

Timothy there in front of him? So be it, for they will meet again one day and be vindicated by God.

What happens if they take his life from him? So be it, it is only gain.

There's nothing that this world can do to Paul that takes away his confidence that he has in the gospel.

That is what the gospel does in the Christian. Now, I think today, when we think about this beloved church of Hagerman, we lack confidence in every aspect and every road and avenue that we travel as a

Christian. Do you whimper at the thought of discomfort? Do you tremble in your boots at the thought of what this world could offer to you or do anything to you that would have lasting consequences longer for only a moment, especially in comparison to eternity?

We must confess daily the hope that we have that is wrought in Jesus Christ.

It's easy for us today to say, if the sword was there laid at my neck, I would profess

Christ, but if you're not professing him daily to yourself, that is a statement you will forget about and you will shake in your boots.

You will have turmoil in this world because you're so dependent upon what the world has to give for you.

But when you have the trust and the profession and the confession of what Christ has done for you, this is the confidence that each one of us should have.

I am confident of this very thing, even in the midst of unsurety, even in the midst of terribleness.

Church, what about family hardship? What about when you are cut off from your family or they despise you for whatever you believe in as in the gospel, what happens then?

What happens if death is right around the corner for them, for your spouse, for your child, for your father or your mother?

What about these deaths that take place? We have promise in Revelation 21, verse four, that he will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there will no longer be any death.

There will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain. The first things have passed away.

This is confidence that the gospel gives you that the bad that happens in this life will be restored in the next, that it's going to be glorified and it's not going to be there.

The mourning that I suffered today won't be there in the day after when we are in the presence of God.

These things have been done away with. What about physical turmoil? What about if the pastor,

I don't like the idea of being whipped. I don't like the idea of being beheaded. I don't like the idea of these things.

What about the physical turmoil? Well, Paul answers us for us here, even in verse 20 through 21.

He says, according to my earnest expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness,

Christ will even now as always be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. This is the confidence that the gospel gives to the believer.

What about rejection and hatred? That's one thing I know I hate is you have a friend, the idea of losing this friend is hard.

The idea of having those relationships severed is difficult. The idea of being gossiped and talked bad about behind your back is one that is terrible.

Well, in John 15, verse 18, it says that the world hates you. You know that it has hated me.

This is Christ speaking. It has hated me before it hated you. I hope that you are seeing in this that even

Paul himself is seeing that walking that same road in this symbolic sense, walking the road of Calvary is something that every

Christian should have to do in their life. That the world, if you're accepted by the world, you actually ought to worry because the world hated

Christ. So it's going to hate the Christian as well. This is the confidence though that the gospel gives to you.

What about Proverbs chapter 16, verse nine? Why, pastor, do these things happen?

Why do they take place? Preacher, tell us why. Proverbs 16, nine, it says that the mind of man plans his ways, but the

Lord, Yahweh, directs his steps. There's a sovereign purpose behind everything that we go through.

Paul recognized it. Paul proclaimed it. He knew it, and that did not discourage him from what he was going through.

He saw it as a way that it actually benefited him. It actually brought him more joy to know that he bore the wounds of the cross upon his flesh.

He bore those things. This is what the confidence in the gospel does for the

Christian. So Paul in here says, I am confident. And this man that shouldn't have any confidence in this world says,

I am confident of this very thing that he, listen to that pronoun again, that he.

This isn't the pastor that started this good work. It's not the individual that started this good work.

It says that he, God himself, that he began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ.

What is this speaking about in here? He who began a good work.

Now, first of all, let's make mention of this. He began the good work.

Where is Paul at right now in prison? Again, the context magnifies what's going on for Paul to be saying this.

Paul is saying that the place he is in right now is the good work. That I'm here because God has brought me here.

This is a good thing, Christian church of Philippi. This is a good thing. Don't be bitter about what

I'm in right now. This is a good thing. And he says, he who began, who is this that began this?

What is that talking about? When we think about this, we think, how did we first have this work that is in us start?

How did this things first take place? Well, we know that the Bible says that we love him because he first loved us.

This first, the act of God is previous to the act of man in this way. Now, we have a plethora of texts that we can consider today, but John 1, verse 12 through 13, it says in that text, but as many received him to them, he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name, who were not born, not of the blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

In John chapter six, verse 29, it says, Jesus answered and said to him, this is the work of God.

Again, what do we have here in verse six? He who began a good work in you will perfect it.

What does John 6, 29, it says, this is the work of God that you believe in him whom he has sent.

Now, this all boils down, what is this talking about? We would even see another example of this in John chapter three, verses one through 10, which

I'm sure we are all familiar of with Nicodemus coming to Jesus. And imagine again in that context,

Nicodemus is this Jewish Pharisee. Does his family lineage mean everything to him?

Yes, he is a Jew. I was born of Abraham.

My first birth means everything to me. And what does Jesus say to him?

You must be born again. Must be born from above. Your first birth,

Nicodemus, actually means diddly squat. Doesn't say that, but that's essentially what he gets at in there.

Diddly squat to myself. You, Nicodemus, must be born again.

This language that we talk about in here, this work of God that we have even in this text, verse six, for us that we must talk about is boiled down to a theological debate known as synergism versus monergism.

These are big words. If you don't know what they are, I'd encourage you to write them down, go home and study them. But synergism versus monergism, and essentially in common language, this is known as what comes first, faith or the new birth?

Is it God who acts first or man? Does man respond to this new birth or does

God respond to our faith? I would be convicted by scriptures such as the ones that we have read previously and also from even this text to profess what's called monergism, that God is the active agent in my salvation and I'm merely and greatly the passive benefactor of his grace, that I was born again and I believed, that he begun the good work in me.

Now, why is that important in even this text here? Well, consider

Hebrews chapter two, verse 10, it says, for it was fitting for him, this is speaking about God again, for whom are all things, it's actually speaking about Christ, excuse me, who is

God in flesh, for it was fitting for him for whom are all things and through whom are all things and bringing many sons to glory to perfect the author of their salvation through suffering.

That ties directly to what we were talking about here in Philippians chapter one today, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings because the greatness in knowing that the confidence of the completion of our salvation, that's again, consider this in here, it says that God who began this good work is going to be the one that perfects it.

I hope each one of us says and confesses today that it is Christ and God alone that keeps my salvation secure, that it's not dependent upon what

I do, it's not dependent upon what I do, it's depending on what God is doing for me right now to keep me saved because if it was up to me,

I would lose my salvation in a heartbeat, amen? Since it is

God who is the one that is perfecting this work, why would it be any different than the one who began this good work?

And upon that, every Christian ought to say to him, be the glory forever, amen and amen.

He receives it all, it's not of me, but it's of him. This is grace, this is unmerited favor. So we could see in here that he who began a good work, the fact that he was the one that began it is the fact that it's dependent upon us having this sanctification is through him.

Again, it's through what he has done, through him, through him, through him. It's not through me, it's not through you, it's not through your son, your daughter, your mother, your father, it's not through your first birth, it's not being a child of Abraham in the flesh, but it's having a new heart inside of you, being circumcised of the heart that makes you a descendant of Abraham, having faith in the seed, which is

Jesus Christ. Now, we have an interesting thing that happens in here. We see in here that Paul then appeals and he says that this work that God has begun in you, that he's perfecting in you is going to be until the day of Christ Jesus.

What is that speaking about? This is an eschatological text here for us. Eschatology is the teaching of end things, end times.

This is teaching eschatology in some rudimentary sense for us. So at its very foundational, which again, there is much debate about eschatology and that's the conversation that we can have after church today, if you would like.

But the reality is in this, what does this text teach us about eschatology needs to be asked?

What does this teach us about end times and Christ coming again, Jesus Christ, the second coming, what does this teach?

Well, it teaches because the one that began a good work this time is a time of salvation.

This time between Christ's first coming and the second coming is a time that men and women are being born again and having this work begun in them by God.

It's a time of salvation. That's one thing that this teaches us. And the second thing that it teaches us is that God is the one that's perfecting this work in us.

It's teaching sanctification, that this is a time where we ought to be doing things for the glory of God, becoming more like Christ, sanctification, becoming more like the one that we are being sanctified by.

This is a time of sanctification between the first coming and the second coming, that this is a time of becoming more like him.

And then what is the third thing that this could teach us about eschatology? Is sanctification happen longer or after the coming of Christ?

It says until the coming of Christ. So those are three rudimentary things that we can find and learn about eschatology in this verse is one, it's a time of salvation.

Two, it's a time of sanctification. And three, that sanctification doesn't extend past the second coming of Christ.

So that would mean there's no second chance theology. It means that today is the day to repent and believe in the gospel.

Do not tarry because if Christ comes again tomorrow, it's done, you don't get a second chance.

So that would be encouraging for any one of us today to repent and believe in the gospel, profess this, confess this to yourself daily.

It's through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we can proclaim to have a hope in the second coming of Christ.

This also teaches us the essential of Christianity that Christ Jesus will come again.

You can't be a Christian and deny this. Verse seven, let's continue on in this text.

For it is only right for me to think this way about you all because I have you in my heart.

Since both in my chains and the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are fellow partakers with me in this grace.

It is only right. Paul here is stating that it is the only right way of him thinking for himself in his present condition.

He's saying that I shouldn't have my mind placed anywhere else. This is the only right thing for me to be considering in this time of terribleness, hardship.

It's only right for me to be thinking of these things that I'm talking about in this text. What is he already talked about in the opening of this letter?

I thank my God and all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all because of your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.

How often in the midst of our suffering, in the midst of our hardships, do we actually think about our fellow

Christian? How often do we do this? This should eliminate the idea of solo

Christianity again. How do we know that Brayden is forgetful of things?

You gotta come to church on Sundays and hear about it, right? So then that way you can pray for me in the midst of your distress, right?

You don't know how to pray for someone unless you are a part of the local body of Christ. We see that in this text that you are to be a part of church, not as a requirement of salvation, but part of Christ perfecting you until the end is being a part of his bride, the church.

For it is only right of me to think this way about you all, about you all.

I have you in my heart. Paul is unable to see this church in the flesh at the moment.

It says that he is longing for them. Again, that Philippians 1 .4

that we just read is seen very present in the mind of Paul. He loves this church.

He loves the bride of Christ. You know, I've been reminded this week that when we come to church, that this is really kind of a, do you understand when we have a preview of a movie that you're trying to see what the movie is about before the movie comes out?

When we come to church, this is a preview of what heaven is like. Fellowship in Christ, coming and worshiping him, singing songs to him, praying in communion to him.

You have a preview of heaven right now. And so Paul in here is saying that in my very heart,

I love you, church, I long for you. You are my fellow sisters and brothers in the bride of Christ and as slaves of our master,

Jesus. Now, this next thing that takes place in this text is one that caused myself to have more tears than a typical message study.

It says in here, since both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are fellow partakers with me in this race.

Verse 13, it says, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well -known throughout the whole

Praetorian guard and to everyone else. Paul, as an ambassador in chains, he's an ambassador in chains, he's a servant of God in literal, physical chains, sees himself and his present situation as one of a place to defend the gospel and to also confirm his call to the gospel.

Matthew 5, verse 7, it says, blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evils against you.

This is a promise from Jesus, blessed, not a curse, but blessed are you when these things take place.

The world, looking at the time of Paul, you even go and you look up a worldly article written about Paul would talk about the hardship that he went to and the remorse and what the world sees as a terrible thing, but Paul is seeing it as a blessed thing.

It's a good thing, it's resulting in the gospel going out. It confirms to me my call in the gospel, brothers and sisters, the very chains that are around me have worked to be a defense for the gospel, meaning that it's a time where I can preach it to people, it's a time that I can present the gospel that saved me to my very captors.

The ones that beat me on my back, so I can proclaim the one who was undeserving of the beating.

Because of the blood that I'm spilling here in prison, I can proclaim and profess the blood that actually saves

Jesus the Christ. This is amazing.

Blessed is Paul for going through this. Paul considers still that being part of the gospel and suffering for the kingdom of God, to which he is a slave of Christ Jesus is a blessing and he considers it grace.

He considers it grace. Why? Why is suffering for the gospel a gift?

This is a question that is spoken usually by the hard -pressed Christian that is in the midst of grief.

And even sometimes it offered as a reason why somebody left Christianity. Well, I became a

Christian and lost my mortgage or I became a Christian, I lost my job. I became a Christian, this and this and this.

And it's a reason that when I became a Christian, I thought the good things were going to come.

That's what's known as prosperity gospel. It's a false gospel. And we're never guaranteed happiness in the means of the world treating us good in this life.

We're not promised that. We're promised to be blessed because of those that persecute us, those that are falsely accuse us, those that insult us.

There are many false brothers and sisters who fell away, who were actually never a part of the faith, fallen when turmoil comes.

May we be careful that in our own sufferings, we do not blaspheme our God in the midst of them.

How God is the Lord of all creation and situations. Who are we to say to the molder, why?

As a great brother in Christ once said, and he might be in this room, his name might be Ron. Instead of asking why, we ought to ask, what does this teach me?

When we are going through hardship, we ought not to say, God, why?

We ought to say, God, what does this teach me? That's a quote that maybe

I need to get tattooed on me one day because I like it quite a bit. So instead of asking why, we ought to ask, what does this teach me?

Because if you are children of God, we are to welcome the sharing in the cross and the suffering of this world that our

Lord was given. Now, this is not me saying this or saying that we are not to be grieved by the hardships.

It's not me saying that you ought to be this person that enjoys suffering. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that suffering should cause your pain, your heart grief and hardship, and it should make you think and contemplate about these type of things.

Absolutely, I'm not saying that you should, in the sense of, I enjoy watching my son grow up and I long to see him grow up and know

Jesus Christ. And in that same way of joy, I should long to have the sufferings. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that.

But what we ought to do is that when darkness, the very bowels of Sheol itself surround us, nothing can take the light from us.

When we are in discomfort, we are to keep our eyes upon the

Lord of Lords crucified upon the cross and see his suffering in the midst of it. And that when we are centered upon the rock

Jesus Christ in the midst of these hardships, we cry out and say, Lord, I can't stand on my own.

And he will be there quick to ransom us in those ways and those means. But we ought to say,

Lord, you have brought me here sovereignly, but you have promised that the work that began this road, the work of my salvation, the very work of me knowing who you are, the work that started me out on this path,

God, you promised to perfect it. I don't know the reason why you have brought me here. I don't understand it.

I don't comprehend all the... Did Paul, when he went into the prison, did he know all these people would come to Christ in the midst of these things?

No, but as time went on, he saw what it was doing. It should recognize the sovereignty of God that we have promised that the very work that was began in myself, in you, the

Christian, will be made complete in the same glorious way that it began.

So help us recognize, God, help me recognize the light that is at the end and not vary in my gazing sight.

Do not let me turn my head even in the moment of this distress, God, but let my chains be known for your glory.

This week, and I have much written down here and I'll try to be quick in this as there's a lot to be said on this.

In my week of studying in a seminary class, I was learning about the history of the

Belgic confession. This is a confession that's one of the three unities in Dutch reform tradition, considering that of the...

I cannot talk right now, can't in a door. Heidelberg confession and the Belgian confession, these are the three unities of faith.

It's confessions that are very, very central to the reformation doctrine. If you've never read these confessions,

I would encourage you to go home and read them. They're part of your history of being in this church today. Being a Christian, a

Protestant in the United States, you are a part of this history that we are talking about. It's not something to be skeptical about.

It's not something to weary about when we talk about creeds or confessions. You should learn the history behind them and praise

God for them. But in this Belgic confession that was written majority of by a guy named,

I'm gonna mess up his name here, so I'll probably shorten his name, Guy Debrae, and I'm gonna call him

Debrae, Debrae for right now. Debrae in 1561 wrote this with the help of other men, the

Belgic confession. And in this Belgic confession, what was the purpose of writing it?

It was in this Protestant time, there had been this group of non -Christians that rose up that were called the

Anabaptists. And then these Anabaptists thinking they were kind of anarchists, they were very much against the government and were seen as a threat to the government.

And they also denied the flesh of Jesus Christ. So they were not Christians. They denied him being fully man.

And so what this Belgic confession arose to for Debrae was one that he wanted to say that they were different than the

Roman church by saying, we believe that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone, and many more words than just that.

But in that saying, he also made sure to mention that they believe as a Christian that Jesus is both fully

God and fully man in this confession, right? We see a great teaching of the hypostatic union in the

Belgic confession. But also in that confession, he made sure to write in there that the civil government was one that he and all

Christians should be subject to. And the reason that he wrote this was to identify himself as different than the

Anabaptists so that the king of Spain at the time, who was Philip II, couldn't put him to death because they were putting

Christians to death in that day by the handfuls. Protestants that professed salvation in Christ alone and not in the

Roman Catholic church were being put to death all the time. And so Debrae and these other men seek to write a confession to give to the king and say, you have no authority to kill me because I profess faith in Christ biblically.

But yet in saying that, I also am subject to you in the government and I'm not trying to be an anarchist.

There's no reason for you to kill me, Philip. In the preface to this confession, these men that would give this to the

Spanish government would write, we offer their backs to the stripes, their tongues to the knives, their mouths to gags, and their whole bodies to the fire rather than deny the truth expressed in this confession.

This was done in the year of 1561. Debrae died as a martyr in the year of 1562.

I wanna read to you real shortly. We will not read the whole letter today, but I would encourage you as Christians to remember

Debrae and to go look up the letter he sent to his wife days before he died. I wanna read to you what

Debrae wrote to his wife, just a short part of it, not the whole thing. The grace and mercy of our good

God and heavenly Father and the love of his son, our savior, Jesus Christ, be with you. He's writing this to his wife.

My dearly beloved, Catherine Raman, my dear and beloved wife and sister in our

Lord Jesus Christ, your anguish and your sadness deserves somewhat my joy and the happiness of my heart.

So I'm writing to you this for the consolation of us both and especially for your consolation since you have always loved me with an inherent affection and because it pleases the

Lord to separate us, pleases the Lord to separate us from each other.

I feel your sorrow over the separation more keenly than mine, but I pray you not to be troubled too much over this for fear of offending

God. You knew when you married me that you were taking a mortal husband who was uncertain of life and yet it has pleased

God to permit us to live for seven years, giving us five children in the

Lord. If the Lord had wished us to live together longer, he would have provided the way, but it did not please him.

Two, through the providence of my God who controls and governs all things, the least as well as the greatest, this is shown by the words of Christ, be not afraid.

Your very hairs are numbered, are not two sparrows sold for a farthing and not one of them shall fall to the ground without the will of your father.

And he writes this to his wife, then fear nothing. You are more excellent than the many sparrows, he writes this to his wife, excuse me.

These words of divine wisdom say that God knows the numbers of my hairs.

How then can harm come to me without the command and providence of God? It could not happen unless one should say that God is no longer

God. This is why the prophet says there is no affliction in the city that the

Lord has not willed. Fellow partakers, avoid all thoughts of solo

Christianity that the world so quickly gives to the people. Paul, even in his solo sufferings, sees that his fellow partaker with those afar, he sees it as their benefit.

His suffering, Paul's suffering, he sees as a benefit to the church of Philippi. And it is also in our benefit, our benefit as a church, brothers and sisters, that Paul suffered for the gospel, it is our benefit too.

How we would grow in our faith if we looked to how Paul, Debra, and all these other martyrs for the faith, how they magnified the

Christ, the cross itself, and the subjecting their flesh to the humility that it is with being a

Christian. This brings about peace and mercy according to Galatians 6, verse 14 through 18.

Consider this for a moment, and this is where we will end here. It says in here, for there is neither circumcision in anything, this is in Galatians chapter six, there is neither circumcision in anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

Now consider again, how do you mark yourself as being a child of Abraham? You were circumcised on the eighth day.

That's how you identify to the world that you were a child of Israel, a

Jew. And Paul, in this letter of Galatians, he says that this is nothing, this doesn't mean anything to any thought of who

God is, this means nothing. And he says, those who walk by this rule, the new creation, peace and mercy be upon them and upon Israel.

From now on, let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear, this is

Paul, I bear on my body the brand marks of Jesus Christ.

Jesus, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren, amen.

How was Paul recognized as a Christian? Was it because he was circumcised?

It's because he bore on the body, the very brand marks of Christ.

Paul saw the hardship, the chains, the bruises, the hunger, the loss, the plane, the bleeding in the flesh and the marks that he received as the sign to others and even to himself of badness, of grace, of grace, of mercy and peace that he had in the

Holy One of Israel, Jesus the Christ. Let us as Christians today follow

Jesus outside the camp, bearing his same reproach, proclaiming his name as the true sacrifice, the only sacrifice that saves.

Let us pray. Lord God, I thank you, Lord. And God, I thank you for the privilege it is to even utter the word, a single word about this text,

Lord. God, I pray in any way that today this message might've offended you,

God. I pray that we'd be repentful, that we'd be forgiven in these ways,

Lord. God, I pray in the ways that it was properly spoken of and the ways that we apply this in our lives properly, that you would be glorified and known and sought,

Lord, by not just ourselves, but by the entire world around us. That by bearing the chains, we might magnify your cross,

Lord. God, I pray for those in this building, those that suffer even in the worlds that we don't even see or know of,

Lord, that suffer for your namesake, Lord. I pray that they might be strengthened, that they might have joy, that they might have happiness, that they might have peace in bearing those wounds,

Lord. And God, I say these things in the one that was bloodied, beaten, and bruised on our behalf, that deserve nothing of such.

Lord, it is upon this name, Jesus Christ, that we make this appeal to you today. It is upon this name, through the blood of your

Son, that we approach your throne of grace and being led by the Spirit and according to the will of the

Father, Lord, that we offer this petition to you. And we say this in Jesus's name, amen.

Brothers and sisters, we'll go ahead and sing our final song for today, after which we'll do communion.

Or should we do communion and then sing? Do communion and then sing, let's do that. Let's go ahead and...

Actually, since you're standing, well, no, you guys are sitting, never mind. It's been a long week, I'm sorry, guys.

Chad and Zach, let's come up here and help you pass out the meat. And as they're passing that out and handing that around, brothers and sisters, this is something that we do because we have faith in Christ, because we have experienced that new birth, that new creation.

If you have yet to experience this, if you have yet to have that actual, true profession of faith in Christ Jesus, I'd ask that you would abstain from these elements today as this is a way that we proclaim and defend that gospel that we believe in.

So let's do this together as a church. For those that profess the suffering servant,

Jesus Christ, is their only propitiation, upon which we have salvation in remembrance of that flesh that was nailed to the tree.

Let's take a minute. So again, we do this in remembrance of the blood of Christ that has forgiven our sins.

We do this as a new creation and we do this rejoicing, even in the suffering that we go through and celebrating this fact that Christ has risen from the grave until he comes again.

Let's do this together in remembrance of that blood. Brothers and sisters, let's go ahead and stand as we sing our final song today.

♪ Lead on, O King eternal ♪ ♪ Lead on,

O King eternal ♪ ♪ The day of march has come ♪ ♪ His force in fields of promise ♪ ♪

God, you shall be our hope ♪ ♪ Through days of preparation ♪ ♪

Thy grace has made us strong ♪ ♪ And now, O King eternal, we lift our battle song ♪ ♪

Lead on, O King eternal ♪ ♪ We'll sing before Chelsea ♪ ♪

And all the earth shall whisper the singing of thee ♪ ♪

Lord God, with your love that keeps normal us to be strong ♪ ♪

But with your love and mercy, the heavenly peace will come to thee ♪ ♪

Lead on, O King eternal ♪ ♪ We follow not with fear ♪ ♪

For gladness reigns like glory where 'er thy face appears ♪ ♪

Thy procession and our earthly journey in its light ♪ ♪

The sun always does contest, lead on, O God of might ♪ ♪

Lead on, O King eternal ♪ Brothers and sisters, let's go ahead and pray one more time.

I will assume that we're probably not gonna be able to respond in time today, I don't know how long we've been on. But let's go ahead and pray.

God, I do thank you again for who you are, Lord. God, I would ask that your peace may abound in our lives, that the knowledge of your willing to crucify might be ever -present in all that we do.

God, keep us, look over us, and guide us this week as we seek to glorify you, Lord.

Bless our study of you, bless the worship of you, Lord. Lord, I just pray that you would be there to comfort those that are mourning today.

We just lift these things up in your name, Jesus Christ. Amen. God bless,

God in peace, and may the grace of God be with you, amen. Amen.