Bearing the Fruit of Righteousness -Phil. 1:10-11

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I thank you for that privilege, God. And Lord, I just pray that as our minds read this, that we would be renewed in our spirits to glorify you, to love you, to honor you, to seek after you,
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Lord. God, let us not go beyond what this text has for us today, but Lord, let us also not undersell what mighty words are here.
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And so Lord, we just say these things in your holy name, Jesus the Christ, amen. Let me just get some things set up here real fast for us.
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So what we'll do real quick is we're gonna read verses 10 through 11. After that, we'll go ahead and pray over this again, we'll get into the context and whatnot.
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But Philippians chapter one, verses 10 through 11, it says this, so that you may prove the things that are excellent in order to be sincere and without fault until the day of Christ, having been filled with the fruit of the spirit or the fruit of righteousness, excuse me, having been filled with the fruit of righteousness, which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.
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Let's go ahead and pray specifically over this text again today. Lord God, I do thank you,
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Lord. I pray that as we consider what is here before us, that we can be thinking in our minds of the things that are approved to be excellent,
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Lord, the things that you've told us to do, the things that are the very commands that you have given to your church,
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Lord. Let us not overlook these things, let us not neglect these things, let us not look past the mighty work that is in front of each and every one of us as your bride.
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So Lord, I do pray that we can be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ and that these things can be to your glory, to your praise.
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And Lord, I even pray that today through the preaching and the hearing of your word that you would receive all glory and praise in these things.
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And we say this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ through which righteousness comes, amen.
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So Philippians chapter one, verses nine through 10, as we always do and as we must at any time that we read any text of the
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Bible, it's important for us to be reminded of where the context is, what's going on in this letter from Paul to the church of Philippi.
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Paul is writing this letter again while in prison. He's writing this when he's quite literally in prison in chains.
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But as Paul is writing and penning this letter to the church of Philippi, he's arguing that even in the midst of his chains, that this is a mighty work of God that's going on and that he sees this as a way to advance the kingdom of God through this sharing of the gospel, even to those that are there in the prison with him, to the guards that are looking over him.
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He sees this as a glorious thing. He sees this as a thing to rejoice in the Lord over and a way to encourage his fellow
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Christians, the very bride of Christ of whom he loves to the church of Philippi.
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And so last week, what we saw in the text in verses eight through nine that we read, we see that Paul last week showed to us that he has a sincere love for his fellow brothers and sisters that are in Christ.
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And also gives us an example for how we ought to be praying for our brothers and sisters, even in the midst of the most heinous, chaos -filled time of your lives.
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I think we could all think about times in our Christian walk that we've gone through suffering. Well, in the midst of even those times, even in times that are coming about for us potentially, we are to be praying for our fellow
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Christians. We see that here in the life of Paul, very, very clearly. We're to be praying for all the saints that are in Christ Jesus.
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And last week and this week, that's from last week. This week, what we're gonna be looking at today specifically and I hope to lay out almost like a mission before us that I hope that we accomplish today is we're gonna be looking at what it means to be bearing fruits that are consistent and with justification and demonstrating our own sanctification.
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That's what we're gonna be trying to do today through these two verses, as it's very clear that that's what these two verses are speaking about.
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So let us just look here. First, I wanna read verse nine, as it will be helpful for us to understand verse 10.
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But verse nine says this, and this I pray that your love may abound still more and more in full knowledge.
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And last week we talked about theology a lot, that our theology is so important that we understand who God is.
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So this love is abounding more and more in full knowledge and in all discernment.
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And if we see there, that's what then carries on into verse 10. And so our discernment should be in this, so that you may be approved or that you may approve the things that are excellent.
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So again, this is arguing for us that we are not just to be just these non -thoughtful, undeliberate, acting
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Christians, that we are to actually take thought, meaningful preparation, having discernment in the way that we act and the way we behave and the way that we do these things unto
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God and His glory. We're to have discernment in those things. We're to be thinking about these things. We're to be praying about these things.
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It's not just as the wind comes and moves a leaf on the ground. That's not how we ought to be acting as Christians.
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We're to be doing this with discernment, with thoughtfulness, meaningfulness. If we don't, then how is there to be any meaning behind anything that we do?
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But our discernment should be that which is working for the Lord. How do we act? What do we do?
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The way that we behave, the means that we are engaging this fallen world around us is to be full of deliberate discernment.
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But here in verse 10, what we have set before us is, it says in here that we are to be doing these things so that we may approve the things that are excellent.
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Approve the things that are excellent. We see that Paul, the way that Paul is explaining what is excellent is in the very next verse.
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Let me read that verse again for us. Having been filled with the fruits of righteousness, the fruit of righteousness, which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and the praise of God.
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We see that that is the things that are excellent to Paul here. It is in the following that we see that the revealed will of God, which
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God has commanded us to do, the Christian ought to be doing. We could all think about any sort of commandment that God has given to us, especially that of the two great commandments that we ought to love
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God and we're to love our neighbor. We're to follow that. This is an excellent thing for the
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Christian to be following and doing, bearing fruit for our own sanctification, becoming more like Christ.
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Now, what we wanna do here, what I wanna do here in verse 10 is something that I think is very, very important for us to establish.
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What we're gonna be talking about is something that's called legalism or also known as a works -based salvation.
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Legalism or a works -based salvation, those two terms are, let me be clear in this, those are false gospels.
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I'll just paint the picture right now for you. Those are false teachings, legalism and a works -based salvation.
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Okay, and the reason that we're going to be discussing this today, I think you'll see very clearly why here in a moment, but the belief of legalism or a works -based salvation is that it's through your own merit, through your own actions, through your own deeds, that you are either saved or that you are being preserved in your salvation, that you are doing these things in order for you to be able to stand before God, okay?
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That's the idea that's going on in here. In fact, here in a moment in Philippians chapter three, not in a moment, probably in many, many, many weeks to come in Philippians chapter three,
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Paul argues in there. He says, look, I was a Hebrew of the Hebrews. I was this really godly man, but when
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I came to know Christ, I consider all those things but rubbish. Those things that I thought were very good, the things that I would say
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I know Yahweh because of, he says that those things are dumb, rubbish, and that he actually considers those things to be a loss in the surpassing value of knowing
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Jesus Christ. And so we'll see a little bit more about what this looks like for us, but legalism and a works -based salvation, that's the thinking that you can do things in order to merit a salvation before a holy
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God. Galatians chapter two, Paul is the author of this as well. Galatians chapter two, verse 16.
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If you wanna turn there, I would encourage you, but Galatians chapter two, verse 16, and also verse 21.
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We'll go ahead and read those verses here for us, but Galatians chapter two, verse 16 and verse 21.
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Galatians chapter two, verse 16 and verse 21. Paul is arguing constantly in all his letters against this type of thinking that you do anything that merits you righteousness.
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That's something that is very written in our core as humans is that I can do these things to cover myself before God.
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We would have in the day of Paul, something that was called the Judaizer, somebody that was saying, in order to be a real
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Christian, you actually have to be circumcised, you have to follow this Old Testament law in order to gain righteousness.
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And so Paul's whole argument in many of his books is, no, as soon as you do that, you actually don't have righteousness because you're relying on your own works.
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You're not relying on the finished work of Jesus Christ if you're doing this. So these Judaizers are trying to push a workspace, a legalism before the
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Christian. And so Paul's argument in Galatians chapter two is this, verse 16, nevertheless, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we, so now
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Paul's saying that this is the way that we have gained salvation. It's not because we're apostles, it's not because we go to prison, it's not because of X, Y, or Z things.
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We have gained salvation in Jesus Christ through believing, through faith in what he has done.
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Even we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, since by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified.
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Listen to that again. No flesh will be justified by the law. This is apart from the works of the law, and it is not by the works of the law.
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This is Paul's argument over and over and over again in every single letter that he sends out to churches is that it's only through Jesus Christ that you are saved.
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We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. And this is according to the scriptures alone, right?
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Amen, it's clear for us that we see this. Verse 21, let's read this one as well. So now to the person, so let's think about this for a moment.
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For a person that says I have gained righteousness through my own circumcision, listen to what
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Paul says here in verse 21 of the same chapter. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then
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Christ died needlessly. So he's saying that if you think that even the circumcision, the removal of this flesh is what saves you,
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Christ died needlessly. He does not have any atonement for you. None whatsoever. He died needlessly on your behalf.
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Because you're saying that what you can do is what justifies you before God. And Paul's arguing quite opposite than this.
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Now, let's go back to Philippians chapter one and see this real fast.
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So that you, so in all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent. The idea of the false gospel of legalism or a works -based salvation is a gospel of your own works being able to merit.
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It's not a true gospel, it's a false gospel because it consists of your own righteous deeds that are actually nothing but a filthy rag before the eyes of the
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Lord. And this kind of thinking is something that we all fall error into. And I'm telling you right now, church, you must mortify this kind of thinking.
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You cannot think for a moment that your salvation is kept or earned through anything you have done.
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It cannot be thought like this. What it's taking place by the person that thinks that their works that saved them, whether it be baptism, tithing, feeding the homeless, you think of any example, whatever it is, anything that you think is something that merits you salvation before God, that has a means to justify yourself is like taking a staple gun to a rotting dead corpse and you're now hitting that staple gun with little tree air fresheners attached to it and thinking that through putting these scent covered things on this dead corpse, that no one else can smell the death that is there.
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It's like taking these little car air fresheners and imagine taking this decaying corpse before Jesus and saying,
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I don't need your righteousness because I actually got this cherry blossom honey car air freshener on this body of mine.
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I got this black ice scent. I don't need your righteousness, Jesus. That is what is going on when the person says,
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I can save myself. That's not it at all. That's a heinous type of thinking, is it not?
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To go before the Lamb of God that was slain and saying, I don't need your sacrifice.
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I see the pierced wounds before you,
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Jesus, but I don't need that salvation. I don't need that righteousness. I got my little car freshener stapled to my dead body.
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That is a false salvation. That's what is being spoke of in Galatians chapter two.
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Christ died needlessly for you. No effect, no avail. Consider this text.
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This is a text that's been very, very present on my mind. Luke chapter 18, verses nine through 14. You can turn there if you would like, but in Luke chapter 18, verse nine through 14,
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Jesus speaking to Pharisees here, he says, and he also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous.
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So this is to a people that are saying, no, the stapling of these car fresheners is a good thing. It covers me.
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And viewed others with contempt. Verse 10, two men went up to the temple to pray, one a
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Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying these things to himself.
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God, I thank you that I'm not like other people, swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like the tax collector.
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I fast twice a week. I pay tithes of all that I get. Now let me pause there and ask this to you, church.
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Is adultery a sin? Is being a swindler a sin?
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Is injustice a sin? These things are not excellent if you are doing these things.
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But here you have an example of a person and his self -righteousness is saying, I don't do those things.
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It kind of looks like those things are excellent before us, right? It sounds like this person is obeying
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God's command. But listen here in verse 13, but the tax collector standing some distance away was even unwilling to lift his eyes to heaven, but was beating his chest saying,
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God, be merciful to me, the sinner. God, be merciful to me, the sinner.
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And Jesus announces this. He says, I tell you that this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.
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For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.
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The sin of self -righteousness is a deplorable sin and not excellent before the
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Lord. John Owen, a congregationalist, said this on the topic of the mortification of sin, which we'll define that word for a moment here before us.
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But John Owen is a favorite author of mine. Owen, my second son, is named after him, Owen.
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He has a book that I have on my shelf called The Death of Death and the Death of Christ. Zach said, try to say that five times quickly.
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It's a tongue twister. But it was an argument that it is only through Jesus Christ that one is saved.
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But he says, do you mortify? Do you make it your daily work? Be always at it while you live.
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Cease not a day from this work. Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.
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The word mortify means to put to death. And Owen spoke extensively about this topic.
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But the reason that I bring this topic of self -righteous behavior up as what is not excellent is because simply of this.
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That which is excellent, such as not being a swindler, not committing adultery, being just, those things that look as excellent often look to those around us and even to ourselves as the very same deeds that many perform as a means of justifying themselves.
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We must seek to kill this. Pride is what that is. We must seek to kill pride, put it to death, cut its head off, trample it, beat it to a pulp, step on its head, don't let it come about because the sin of pride that thinks we can do anything really cannot merit anything before God.
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How, you might ask, how do we kill this sin that lies within all of us?
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And this is a sin I make mention of often because it's seen very clearly at the garden. What's the very first thing after Adam sins against God?
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I can hide myself from him. I can cover myself before God. He does that with fig leaves and hiding, right?
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I, through my own righteousness, through my own pride, I can hide from the
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God that has created me from the dust of the earth. This is pride that we see here.
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So how, how do we kill this sin? How do we cut its head off and not rely on it?
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We must see our righteousness as Christians in the only place that righteousness is obtained and reckoned, and that is in our
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Lord and God, Jesus the Christ. The process of sanctification where we're becoming more and more like Jesus is in the pursuit of doing things that are excellent.
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We're becoming more like Christ like that every day. But the only way that we can do that every day is by keeping our eyes focused upon the lamb that was slain for us.
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Every day, we ought to be seeking after Christ in all things, being conformed to his very image, who is the restorer of the image of God that was corrupted at the fall of Adam.
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At that day, that sin of self -righteousness and pride is sown deeply within every one of us.
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So we must look to Christ daily in order to kill this. So we'll make mention of this even a little bit more here in verse 11, but let's see this.
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It says, in order to be sincere and without fault until the day of Christ. So we're to pursue this excellent deeds in focusing our eyes upon Christ, and we're to do this until the day of Christ.
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Now, this text again is very, very similar to a verse that we read many, many weeks ago, not many weeks ago,
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I think it was three weeks ago, but Philippians 1, six. For I am confident of this very thing that he who begun a good work in us will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
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Now in this, this is truly an eschatological statement that takes place in here, and we need to remind ourselves eschatology is the study of end things or end times, and we would see that even in our own church and Christianity throughout the last 2000 years, there's been a variety of conclusions that are varying in degrees of belief in what eschatology all consists of.
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But regardless of that, we're not going to be doing a deep dive on this topic by any means today, but we can look at this text and we can take away some very, very simple truths that we can apply in our lives today, until the day of Christ, until the day of Christ Jesus, as we see there in verse six.
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So what can we take away? Well, very much like verse six, we can say that these simple truths consist of and should be the guardrails to our study of any eschatological text, because we know that scripture cannot contradict itself.
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If I said that our sanctification went beyond the day of Christ Jesus, I've contradicted this very text, because it says that the work that Christ has begun in us, he will perfect in us until the day of Christ Jesus, that doesn't go past, it's until the second coming of Christ.
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So between the day of the first coming of Christ, that happened 2000 years ago, and between that day and this interadvental period, until Christ comes again, which as Christians, we all proclaim that, that Christ is coming.
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So what are some simple takeaways that we can make in this? One, obviously, in my opinion, is that is
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Paul in prison right now when he's writing this? Yeah, this is a time of persecution and hardship.
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This is a time that you're not guaranteed great happiness in your flesh in that way. It's not a time of prosperity gospel in that means.
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It's a time that Paul is suffering. So it's a time of suffering. It's also a time that we see that God is beginning a good work in us.
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So that means that through regeneration, through justification, through faith in Christ, we are being saved, okay?
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It's also a time of sanctification. It's a time that we're becoming more and more like Christ through seeking excellent things, right?
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We're becoming more and more like Christ. These are some very simple truths that we can take away from this eschatological statement that we've been in here.
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But we cannot go beyond what scripture says in here. It's very clear that these things are until Christ Jesus.
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So any eschatology that we've come into today that says that these things happen actually after the second coming of Christ need to be refuted.
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That it's clear it's until the day of Christ, until, it doesn't go beyond. Now, what are the implications for us today about that?
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We should be very, very adamant to our neighbors and say, be born again, have faith in Christ Jesus.
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Because when he comes again, today's the day for salvation. It's not tomorrow when he comes.
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You don't get this second chance. If you die today in your sins, you will raise again in your sins and you will not be covered by the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
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That's the implication that this text provides for us. And it's important because could you imagine for a moment if I said
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I believed in a second chance theology that people actually will come to salvation when Christ is there before him?
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How much of a lazy Christian would I be then by saying, I don't need to tell my neighbor about Jesus Christ because they'll see him one day and repent and believe in that day.
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I don't need to go out and tell my neighbor about him. They'll have a chance when they're before him.
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That would be mishandling what this text has. These things are until the day of Christ Jesus and should be encouraging for us to go out quickly and tell our neighbors to repent and believe in him.
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It should remind us today that even in the midst of turmoil and chaos and persecution, that guess what?
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God has a wonderful, glorious plan that includes bringing about his glorious praise.
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And we should take comfort in this that he is sovereign over these things. Don't go beyond what scripture has explained for us in here.
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So in verse 11, it says, having been filled with the fruit of righteousness.
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Having been filled. Now notice the past tense that's in there. Having been filled. Again, is
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Paul sitting there in prison and arguing, it's through these chains that I am being filled.
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It's through what I'm doing that I am being filled. No, he's saying I have been filled. I have, past tense.
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This is something that's already taken place in me. Christ died for Paul years before this text.
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He died 2 ,000 years before us today. You, if you've had faith in Christ Jesus, you have been filled with the fruit of righteousness.
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You have been. It's a past tense reality for us. It's not something that today you have to do
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X, Y, and Z things in order to maintain because guess what you fall into again? That sin of pride and legalism and a workspace salvation.
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Righteousness. What is righteousness? What is being spoken of in here having been filled? So this past tense, what is it that we're being filled of?
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Righteousness. Righteousness. What is righteousness? Righteousness is the complete obedience to the requirements of the law.
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Let me say it again. Is the complete obedience to the requirements of the law.
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Righteousness never breaks the law of God. So think about this for a moment.
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If yesterday you sin, but today you think to yourself, I've gained righteousness through the law.
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Did you sin yesterday? You can't earn back what you've lost.
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You can't. There's no earning that. There's no saying I will be righteous tomorrow to absolve or cover the sins
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I've committed against God today because true, holy, perfect righteousness demands requirements.
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The demands that you obey the requirements of righteousness from day one. From day one.
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And so since we have fallen, we cannot through our own obedience be made righteous.
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So righteousness never breaks the law of God. So now consider this in Genesis chapter 12,
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Abraham goes to tell Pharaoh that his wife is actually his sister.
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He lies to him. So then that way Pharaoh can get with his wife and not kill him. Is Abraham a sinner against God?
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I hope we all say yes. Did he break the law of God in Genesis chapter 12? Absolutely he did.
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Yeah. And now we'll think about this. When is he reckoned with righteousness? In chapter 15, that comes after Genesis 12.
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How is Abraham reckoned with righteousness? He's reckoned with righteousness the same way that you and I are reckoned with righteousness.
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The same way that you and I are. Abraham was retroactively covered by the blood of Jesus Christ, by the same blood of Jesus Christ that we are covered by.
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That through this retroactive means, Jesus' active obedience, because Jesus never broke the law, that through Jesus' obedience, he can cover
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Abraham in the past. So that's how when we say that Abraham was righteous,
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Abraham was reckoned with righteousness was through the same way that you and I are reckoned with righteousness. He was filled with the fruit of what
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Christ has done for us. He was filled with that, just like you and I are.
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So that's just very, very important to take notice of, that anytime we have an example in the
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Old Testament of someone, Noah, Noah in Genesis chapter 6, 8, it says, Noah found grace in the eyes of the
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Lord. He didn't have grace the day before, but he found it that day. It happens over and over and over again.
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Any Old Testament saint is saved the same way that you and I are. It's through being reckoned with righteousness, the active, obedient life of Jesus Christ, and their sins being placed upon his shoulders, there upon the cross.
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So what does it mean when it says the fruit of, the fruit, what is that? Church, we must ask ourselves deeply within ourselves.
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And this is something I would hope that you do not lie about. Do not try to plead with yourself in a falsehood of a way.
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But if you were asked today, and you are being asked today, how do you know you're saved?
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How do you know you are saved? Don't lie to yourself, but how do you know you are saved?
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Do you think to yourselves, even for a moment, well, I was baptized, that's how
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I know I'm saved. Do you think to yourselves, well, I pay tithes every week, that's how I know
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I'm saved. I pray often, I pray two times a day. I'm not a swindler,
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I'm not unjust, I'm not an adulterer. Or do you think to yourself, even for a moment, that you see the other neighbor of yours sinning in a certain way, and you say,
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I am better than that person. Is that your means of knowing that you are saved? If any thought like this has come to your mind when that question gets posed, how do you know you are saved?
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I have to be brutally honest with you on this. You are not saved, but instead you have trusted in yourself as being righteous.
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And my honest proclaiming of truth to you is that you were dead in your sins.
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How do you know you're saved? The only answer has to be something to the effect of,
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I'm unwilling to lift my eyes to heaven, but instead with an attitude of beating on your own chest, you must proclaim, be merciful to me, oh
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Lord, for I am a sinner. I look nowhere else than the
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Christ crucified as my plea. Yet I know I live because the tomb remains empty to this day.
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That's the only evidence of your salvation is there, that Christ is standing before the Father right now as the lamb standing as if slain in victory.
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That's your evidence of your salvation. It's only in Christ. It's only there.
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If you even for a moment say, look, it's because of what I have done, you have made Christ die needlessly.
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These things are not excellent. You cannot pursue any righteous deed if that's your thought.
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So the answer is that this should result in you saying, not to me be any of the glory or praise, but to God alone be the glory and the honor and the praise because he has done something
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I cannot do that you cannot do. Consider for a moment,
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John chapter 15, verses one through eight. And if you'd like to turn there, I would encourage you to do so.
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John chapter 15, verses one through eight.
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John chapter 15, verses one through eight says this. This is Jesus speaking.
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I am the true vine and my father is the vine grower. Every branch in me that does not prayer fruit, he takes away and every branch that bears fruit, he cleans so that it may bear more fruit.
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You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit from itself unless it abides in the vine.
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So neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches.
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He who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing.
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If anything does not abide in me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up and they gather them and they cast them into a fire and they are burned.
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Anyone that denies hell has not read this verse. Verse seven, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.
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My father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
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Now take notice of that, so bear or to prove, so the bearing of this fruit is to prove to be my disciples.
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If you are a branch that is a part of the vine, Jesus Christ, think about this for a moment.
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If you were to have a conversation with a branch on a vine, and I know this is silly, but if you were to ask, how do you know that you're a part of the vine?
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Do they look at the fruit or do they say, look, I'm attached, I'm stemming off the vine, I'm right here. That's truthfully what it would do is saying,
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I get my nourishment from the vine itself. Why would you ask me that silly question? If you are a branch, a part of the vine,
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Jesus Christ, you don't look to the fruit as a means of your nourishment or your salvation, but instead you know that you are a branch because you are a part of the vine.
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You know that you'll bear fruit because you are getting your sustainment, your nourishment from the vine.
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If your eyes are focused upon that truth, then others around you will see the fruit blossoming from Christ living in you.
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Thus, you'll prove to the world around you that you are a part of the vine. Think about that for a moment.
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That doesn't mean good things happen to you. Paul is in prison right now. Paul is being obedient to the word of God right now and he's suffering because of it.
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And he's saying that, look, I'm in the vine. The fruit of righteousness is within me, it's filled me.
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Does he mourn over the fact that he's in prison? No, he's rejoicing over the fact of where Christ has brought him to.
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The fruit that we bear is an evidence to other people. Does Paul in this text say, I know
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I'm a Christian because I'm in prison? Or does he say the fruit of righteousness dwells in you through Jesus Christ?
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He says that, not that it's through means that I know I'm in prison and I know I'm saved. Now the question is, is
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Paul doesn't necessarily know of all the fruit that's going on through his ministry, but brothers and sisters, we're a testament to the fact that Paul was bearing fruit there in prison.
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We're reading from the very book that is a fruit of him being in the vine.
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We are participating in this fruit. We can look to Paul and say, Paul, I know you were a
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Christian because of the fruit you bore, I know it. But you only bore it because you were in the vine. Where was
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Paul's eyes the whole time? Wasn't on the fruit, he was on the vine. My eyes were focused there.
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The fruit of righteousness comes through Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life.
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Now take notice of that, to the praise and glory of God in Philippians chapter one, verse 11, to the praise and glory of God.
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In this statement, we see the ultimate purpose of all things whether great or small, whether innumerable or unnoticeable, whether costly or cheap, and whether grander or lowly, all things, let's think through that again.
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Does Paul consider himself very lowly at this moment of his life? Very much so. We'll get to how he views himself shortly later in this book.
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But whether it be grander or lowly things, Paul is saying in here, all glory and praise to God.
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All glory, I'm in chains right now, all glory be to God. We must not forget that Paul is in prison when he says these type of sayings.
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That he is saying to be doing the things that are excellent that we ought to be expressing the fruit of righteousness, that our love should be abounding, and that his chains are to the betterment of us as believers all while he is suffering a great turmoil being in prison.
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The saying to God be the glory while in the midst of tribulation is quite the
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God glorifying fruit of Paul keeping his eyes pressed to the cross.
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There's a wonderful quote from a Puritan named Thomas Brooks. He says, our greatest goods or our greatest good comes through the sufferings of Christ.
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So God's greatest glory that he has from his saints comes through their suffering.
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We should rejoice when we are being persecuted for the cross that we have faith in.
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Oh, beloved church, today is the day to keep your eyes pressed against the bloody cross.
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Do not let them waver. Do not let your eyes stagger from that cross there.
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Do not let them look behind you, but keep them pressed. There where salvation reigns.
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It's my promise to you according to scripture that as you cling to the cross where your wage was fully paid, that you will bear fruit of a loving
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God by loving God and by loving your neighbor. These things will be excellent as you profess day by day,
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Lord, be merciful to me, the sinner. You will walk in this world as an undeserving bottom of the barrel, humbled servant of the mighty
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Yahweh that has been reckoned with righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ alone.
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Abandon any sort of thought of a false gospel that you can save yourself through your own actions.
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Let us go ahead and pray. Lord God, I do, I thank you, Lord, for the blessing it is to even utter a single word about your gospel, about the life, death, burial, and resurrection,
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Lord. God, I thank you so much for the blessing it is even for our ears to hear these sayings that you have here for us in the book of Philippians, Lord.
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God, I pray that as we look at these things, that today we would consider and be in all discernment over the things that are excellent.
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And Lord, God, I just ask that there would be none of us that would leave here today and say, look at what
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I've done. I know I'm saved, but Lord, that our cry would be, be merciful to us, the sinners,
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Lord. God, let us see our righteousness in the only place the righteousness comes, and that is in the completely unjust death of your son,
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Jesus Christ, Lord. And it is through Jesus Christ alone that we have salvation.
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It is through Jesus Christ alone that we make this plea. And it is in that very name that we say these things,
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Lord. And it is in the name of the man of sorrows as we sung earlier, amen. Brothers and sisters, please stand with me as we sing our final song today.