Beyond The Basics - Obeying, Serving and Growing (part 4)

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Beyond The Basics: Obeying, Serving & Growing (part 5)

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Our father in heaven We come before you this morning Just thankful for your love and kindness and grace
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Your mercy your loving -kindness that you have showered upon us Father it is in that spirit that we come to your word this morning.
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We just pray for your spirit to be with us as we Look into your word and see what it says about Obedience about Serving about the things that we ought to do
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Lord. Would you bless this time? That it would be a reminder and encouragement and exhortation
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To us as to how we ought to live in Christ's name. We pray. Amen. Well, good morning.
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It's been a Interesting week. I just have to share a little something now. This is from last week
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You know my my dad had called some time ago and kind of Mentioned is this being recorded?
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Well, let's see. I'll just put it this way he just he just said that it would be kind of nice to get a picture of Joey and Megan D Filippo and so I mean already seen them in the wedding invitation, but he called me last week and he said said
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Steve you didn't tell me that you know you guys were joining the mafia and Fun stuff my dad's a funny guy.
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I don't know. I just want to share that anyway last week Had nothing to do with anything.
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I had a great thought last night I should have written it down because I forgot all about it. I Just remember.
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Oh, that'd be a good thing for the Sunday school class. You know, if you don't write it down it doesn't exist We're talking about spiritual growth
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And I want I'm gonna read Again what? What I read last week from JC Ryle listen to this and see if it describes your life
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Your sense of sin is becoming deeper your faith stronger your hope brighter
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Your love more extensive your spiritual mindedness more marked
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Is that you? We talked about how it is a growth pattern
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That you know you don't go from I don't know maybe this has happened to somebody here anybody ever
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Believe and become a seasoned saint, you know a Just a strong Christian in the first two or three minutes that you were saved
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I Don't think that's how it happens we grow Nobody's perfect We talked about the struggles that even
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Paul had You know and I think that ought to be encouraging to us because we think about a man like Paul and if he can struggle
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With sin if he can say who is going to deliver me from this body of death then certainly we ought to be able to Have our own issues and grow accordingly
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Nevertheless as John MacArthur says it's the direction of our life. Not the perfection. We ought to be growing
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We ought to be learning growing Becoming more Christlike all the time it may seem like it just stays the same distance away
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But if we look backwards we would see that we are in fact growing We've also talked about last week.
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We began talking about other signs of spiritual growth. We talked about increased holiness of life and conversation
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There are things that we hear and see and just kind of are surrounded by now
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That ought to offend us they had to just strike us as being wrong. We had to just hear them and go you know
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I And I probably gave this example, but it's like you know I I know I've talked about this before I hesitate now when
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I think back And I you know I think about a movie I saw in the 70s, and I want to say oh that was really a funny movie, and then
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I go I wasn't a Christian. What was the last time I saw that movie do I really want to recommend it?
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You know and so it's kind of like you recommend movies with an asterisk You know I recommend it, but you know
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Some kind of legal clause at the end Shall not be held personally liable for anything that may or may not can be contained that you know that sort of thing
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Because as we grow the things that the jokes You know six months ago a joke might have seemed funny to us, and now we just come along we go
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I don't find the humor in that we're more careful about what we say
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We even think sometimes now, this is a shocking thing and this is something that comes up in counseling a lot
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This is what we ought to do. We ought to think about the impact of What we're about to say on the people who are going to hear it there is
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The truth is that you know sticks and stones may break blind bones, but What is that words never hurt me?
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It's not true And once those words are out there. We can't get them back. We need to Be in control of those things
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We're not to be content with our old levels of holiness. We should be striving to become More holy to align our lives more and more
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With the will of God Now we're in page 3 also known as page 49 and now that I've had
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Tracy Renumber all these I don't know what they're gonna. They'll soon be posted up on the website just a couple more changes to make
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But I don't know what page this will be it'll probably be like 56 or something like that eventually But we're halfway down page number 3 and it says increase charity and love for others
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Increase charity and love for others and specifically you know
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I don't mean although. I think this is true I have a good friend who? makes a reasonable living for himself and Since he has been saved
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His whole attitude about money has changed. He was always rather tight with his money
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Some might have called him cheap But that was out of Greed and really just wanting to hoard things for himself now.
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He is I would argue somewhat cheap still With regard to how he spends his money
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With regard I mean you want if you go to his house You would never know you'd never think well this guy must be loaded look at all this stuff.
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It's not you know It's not like that But when it comes to You know simple things who's gonna pick up the tab at dinner
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He's always gonna pick it up. I don't you have to ask oh, but but more beyond that The way he chooses to Spend his money now in terms of giving in terms of helping brothers and sisters
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It's just dramatically different and he'd be the first person to tell you the biggest impact Beyond just having a different attitude towards everything in life
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But the biggest impact it had if money was his number one priority his God before he got saved
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Now it's just something that he can use to help God's people and a further God's purpose
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And that's what money should be now. This is more of a spiritual
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Scripture of course I think this is all a spiritual issue, but charity and love doesn't just impact money
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I think we might have even read this last week but It's as good as starting place as any here when we're talking about spiritual growth and the things that Ought to be taking place in our lives
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And I'll read this Romans 9 chapter 3 and by the way for those of you who have not been here before we're going to go through Several Bible verses and you're more than welcome to cheat by going ahead and you know being ready when we read them
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Romans chapter 9 verse 3 Paul writing For I for I could wish that I myself were accursed separated from Christ What would it mean to be separated from Christ?
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unsaved For the sake of my brethren my kinsmen according to the flesh who's he talking about?
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Jews and we know that by reading verse 4 who are Israelites Says I could wish myself a curse separated from Christ bound for hell if it would mean the salvation of others that is an
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An attitude that says listen, there is nothing I want to see more than other people come to Christ I'm willing to suffer, you know, you know,
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I'm gonna sound like JFK. I'm willing to bear any burden pay any price You know, I mean, this is the idea that Paul is giving here saying listen the most
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Extraordinary price I could pay would be my own salvation and I would do that if it would save My kinsmen according to the flesh the
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Jews He wants to see other people saved Now can he separate himself from the love of God in Christ?
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No, and he's already just said that in Romans 8 he cannot do that But if he could he would because he wants to see people saved that badly that spiritual growth shared this before but I It's a good story.
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I like good stories years ago, I Think this is maybe before I was in seminary.
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So I was pretty new believer and Had lunch with a guy who used to attend a
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Bible study. I was at and He said or I said to him we'd you know
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It had been going on for a while and you know Finally, you just reach a point where you're starting to feel uncomfortable The waitress has come around for the 33rd time to ask if you want more
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Diet Coke You know, it's time to go And I said, well you're going to church tonight he's like, ah nah,
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I said I Said well, I I like to go. I like to hear the preaching and I you know
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I really enjoy because every Sunday night almost at grace there were people getting baptized testimonies.
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He's like, you know You heard one baptismal testimony. You've heard them all
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That's looked at when I go are you kidding me I said I didn't say that I said
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I said that's funny because I Said I am excited To hear about how
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God is impacting lives and you know what some of them may be very similar but each and every one is different in its own way and it is remarkable to see how
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God changes people and brings them to himself and We talked for a few more minutes and he goes
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You know, I hadn't thought about it that way. I think I will go tonight. I was like, yes good for me I went home and marked my
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Bible up But we want to see that we want to see the work of God in people
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Decrease criticism of others in light of you And in light of God's grace to you, you know,
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I think we read this one too. I don't know why where did we stop last week? Oh, we're further on Yeah, you know if I'm just blathering on you can do that Increase zeal and diligence to do good to others.
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We talked about contentment That's where we were talking about contentment contentment is trusting in the sovereignty of God That's tough, isn't it?
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Number five contentment with godliness is great gain. That's where we left off the next one contentment is being
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Satisfied does that mean I don't think
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I don't think necessarily we always have to be excited But I think you know contentment is well
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It's right here a sweet inward quiet gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly sovereignty in every condition what we need to say is it doesn't matter if my wife goes in for emergency gallbladder
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Surgery my daughter is in to have her back realigned, you know her whole spine changed if I'm having back surgery as one man in the church did this week or You know if my son is undergoing all these tests and has to stay in the hospital for a while I need to understand a few things
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But mostly I just need to understand that God is sovereign that he loves me that he loves the people that I love
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More than I love them. He loves me more than I love myself Because if I really loved myself as much as I think
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I love myself I Would stop sinning I? Would live right? I would want to please
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God and all that I do Contentment is not resigning to the sovereignty of God it is
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Having that mental frame that says you know what I trust God. I don't always understand everything, but I trust him number six on page four
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Contentment with regard to marital state look at 1st Corinthians 7 verse 20 1st
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Corinthians 7 verse 20 who has that did you guys bring your books of Mormon?
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Okay pretty would you read that okay?
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He's talking about marriage What's he
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I mean we could go on about it? But what's he what what is the essence of what
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Paul is talking about in 1st Corinthians? 7 with regard to marriage we need to be content in marriage
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Charlie okay, whether your spouse is a believer or an unbeliever
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Whether they'll stay married to you or not Is that a difficult thing to do we hear all the time of people who are?
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I mean that two famous people Christians who were divorced because their spouses were
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Mentally abusive Said mean things to them So they divorced them because they know that God wants them to be happy Is it fun being married to an unbeliever or to a person who claims to be a believer who doesn't treat you properly is?
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That something you should be excited about no, how can you be content in such a situation though?
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Peggy Knowing who
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God is and knowing where you fit into his plan and who is God? Who is God in this particular context?
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Sovereign and the one who is Abusing me for his own amusement No No He brings about if we look at Romans 8 28 he is
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Using all things together for our good Every circumstance of life
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God is so orchestrating for our good We look at it.
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We go. Well. How can this be good? I'm in a situation. I don't like Think about those words.
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I don't like remember when I was a kid.
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You know my mom would try to feed me vegetables I Don't like those vegetables
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How about a piece of fruit I don't like fruit How about something nice from the health food store?
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I don't Well, what would you like I would like a cheeseburger and fries, thank you very much
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We like things that are Pleasurable that are easy God said you know it
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Romans 8 28 says does not say God brings easy pleasant things into your life, so that you'll enjoy it.
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We don't have that that promises. No, we're in Scripture. Hey Now that you're a Christian take a load off You know it's gonna be cheeseburgers and french fries for you for the rest of your life.
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Oh, and maybe an occasional milkshake Difficult things can come into our lives
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Trials difficulties temptations pressures people that we don't like Marriages that we don't like and God says
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I am using all these things for your good to conform you into the image of Jesus Christ Contentment with regard to marital state.
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It's not just a matter. I mean we could go on about this, but it basically means Listen you're not married you want to be married is it discontentment to say
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I want to be married No, I Think it's discontentment to say
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I want to be married, and I can't believe God's not bringing me the man or woman of my choice dotting Yeah, exactly.
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I I think it's good to be Reminded to walk through the things that we do need to be thankful for I mean even
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When I taught through first Peter He's talking about submission
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Wives to husbands and then he Talks about how husbands need to be sacrificial for their wives
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And he's talking in the context of being married to an unbeliever of being persecuted being
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Disrespected being unequally yoked All those situations he says listen
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You please God when you do the right thing you please God when you think about your husband
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Rightly you please God when you think about your wife Rightly if you're not married
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Was talking to a friend here in the last few weeks who wants to be married is it wrong to want to be married no
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The wrong thing to do and you know what I try to stress to people the wrong thing to do is to be in such a hurry to get married that you marry the wrong person and You can't marry the wrong person of the sovereignty of God you can marry the wrong person
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You know it's spelled out. Here's here's the sort of man. You should be looking for here's the sort of woman You should be looking for and if you marry something other than what the
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Bible talks about is that God's will for you Well, it's what wound up happening so God wanted that to happen, but on the other hand.
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He didn't want it to happen What do I mean well? God commanded God commanded one thing you did something else, but that was in the decree of God so You know you did not choose wisely, but it didn't take
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God by surprise and what are you guys you did not choose wisely
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He did not choose him. No. There's that. I wasn't having fun at their expense.
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That's that's from the movie Indiana Jones where you know the guy shrivels up and dies and The old guy says he did not choose wisely anyway
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We don't need to reenact the whole film do we okay? Let's talk about contentment with regard to pay contentment with regard to pay
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Luke 3 14 I don't care who you are
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What you make this is something that it really I think most everybody struggles with especially in modern
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America Luke 3 14 go ahead
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Casey, so there you have it don't run around taking money by force
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The main point I wanted to make was that last one you know be satisfied with your wages listen and You know again first Peter the the same message would hold true.
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We need to be satisfied with what we make why it's
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Daniel said it's God's provision for us. Do you have another thought Charlie? Yeah, that's exactly right.
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It's like if God Can change the hearts of Kings can he change the heart of your boss to get you more money?
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I I used to joke about this because I you know I work for the Sheriff's Department, and it never failed I mean, I I just kind of I had to unplug from all the
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Contract negotiations because our Union would go in there and you know they would bargain hard, and we would come out with our 1 % raise over the next three years and and Then you know because the county had no money, and then you know lo and behold the
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LA Times You know two weeks after the Union has struck this great bargain the LA Times were report something like you know
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La Board of Supervisors find eight hundred million dollars in a desk drawer I mean they did this all the time
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And I'm going how does that happen I come into work every day, and I never open up the drawer and go oh look eight Hundred million dollars.
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I didn't understand it But we have to be grateful And sometimes it's difficult.
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You know who we see things like this. We just go. How's this happen? We have exactly why is that so important because we have exactly what
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God has ordained for us to have And can it be difficult yes, absolutely
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But maybe a little bit less so you know when we learn to live on less than what we make again not so easy these days, but This is this is what we need to do other thoughts on being content with our pay moving right along contentment with regard to possessions
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Hebrews 13 verse 5 and I'm going to be talking some more about this. I'm going to be talking
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Preaching more about this later today being content. Yeah, thank you for that talk pastor.
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It was a fireside chat Hebrews 13 5 being content with our possessions with what we have
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Who has that if you have three dogs, and you want five you know bad go ahead
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Bruce Good I mean there are times.
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I think where we just think you know if I only had this Maybe I've ever thought that I mean I remember when
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I was a kid if I only had a stereo I Would be happy if I only had a car.
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I would be happy I mean, there's a never -ending list of you know I remember at one point gee if I only had a bookcase in my room every little thing that you know whatever it is that you get
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Are you satisfied with that or are you just like well? That was nice, and you know? Then it's on to the next thing
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But why is it important to be content with our possessions? Beyond the easy
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Thing that if we're always set on possessions that we're never you know Do not let moth and Do not set our minds on things that moth and rust can destroy, but you know on heavenly things
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I mean the and the point I'm driving at here is if we Seek satisfaction of the things of this world, what's gonna happen to those things they're gonna burn up You know grab all the gusto you can and then watch it go up in flames
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Bruce Yeah, that's exactly right. What is more important than our relationship with?
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Christ what is more significant than that the answer is nothing Charlie. Yeah, you've crafted your own.
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God. That's exactly right you have fashioned something out of metal Plastic That Lamborghini, whatever it is
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Yeah Whatever that is no contentment with possessions
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Contentment with food and clothing Paul's gonna give us an example of this I think first Timothy 6 8
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I Mean one of the things we don't read about when we we think about Paul Peter.
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We don't you know read about Peter saying you know I Write this letter from my palatial estate in Western Cappadocia You know
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I've sent I've sent my slaves out to deliver this letter to you
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You know as I reside as I recline in my saw sauna. You know I mean we don't we don't see that why because Wasn't about stuff.
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It wasn't about the accumulation of things First Timothy 6 8 who has that Go ahead if we have food and covering with these we shall be content well
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What it does anybody ever think that I mean I know when I was a kid.
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I never thought wow if I could just have Pizza tonight, I you know or whatever actually not even thinking if I could just have pizza tonight
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Just looking at whatever we were gonna eat and saying you know what life is good. I can't believe
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I get hot dogs I never thought like that Nothing was ever enough for me.
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I never thought wow I've got the best clothes because I didn't but that's not that's not the point The point is never like oh, you know
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I need to have this or that the other thing I have More than I need I have nothing to complain about everything
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I own everything that I Eat everything that comes into my life is a blessing from God, and I think we kind of lose track of that And finally with regard to contentment lack of contentment is a sin well
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You know by this point we should be thinking duh. I know that it is a sin
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Isaiah even though sometimes called the fifth gospel it is the
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Old Testament Why would somebody call Isaiah the fifth? Gospel by the way good
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Peggy because there's so much pointing to Jesus Christ in it. Okay, Isaiah Chapter 5 verse 8 who has that Go ahead.
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Well. This is a confusing verse at least on first blush
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But the first verse whoa is that a commendation good job whoa?
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No, no, it's a it's the exact opposite. It is an accusation a condemnation
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Whoa to those who do what who add house to house and join field to field what's he saying? It's like when
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Jesus says you know the rich man had a bar And he filled it all up, and then he tore it down and build another bar, and he's saying listen
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Isaiah saying there are people who just keep adding to their houses who keep adding to their possessions
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Who keep adding and adding them they're never content. They just want more and more and more and meanwhile you talking about Other people have to live alone in the midst of the land in other words there are people who just accumulate things for their own pleasure their own
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Lack of contentment, and they let others suffer. We are to be content with what we have and we can use our excess to help others
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Contentment is something to be prized lack of contentment is a sin because we're questioning the provision of God Questioning his very character questioning his promises, and he says he will never leave or forsake us.
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He's not talking about Physically although that's true. He's not going to forsake us meaning. He's not going to let us starve go unclothed
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Go homeless all these things obedience contentment
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What do they lead to? Roman numeral number four service a command for every believer a
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Command for every believer to be engaged to be a part of the body to be serving
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Within the church we need to have first of all an attitude of service
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Look at Galatians 2 verse 20 and who has
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Galatians 2 20 now.
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Why do I use that as an illustration of service? What's Paul saying here? Look what
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Christ did for and he even kind of personifies it more than us. He says look what Christ did for Me and a lot of that the life.
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I live is no longer my own but for him for his purposes We need to have that attitude
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In light of all that Jesus has done for me having set me free from my sins
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What should my response be? Well, there are a multitude of things but one of them is serve within the body
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Let's look at Ephesians 2 10 Just the next book over and who has that go ahead
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Simon the very purpose of salvation is
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That God would be glorified but also
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That we are created in Christ Jesus for good works We are to do good works.
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We are to Be engaged in serving You know, sometimes you just get kind of frustrated by the way your covers going.
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Sorry we go we need to be engaged in Service and good works why again, you know if we look at the context there in Ephesians 2 1 he says we were dead in our sins and trespasses and then it is the
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Grace of God the love of God that causes us to be born to life to come to life
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It is by grace. You've been saved Through faith and that not of yourselves and then he says listen, here's the reason
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You didn't get saved so you could just kind of kick back and think wow, this is really cool. I'm saved
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There there are works that God has created beforehand for you to perform We need to walk in them
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Let's look at the sacrifice of service the sacrifice of service
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Romans 12 1 Okay, this is
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One of the ways serving the body is one of the ways that we worship Christ.
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I wonder if we think about it that way Serving is worship I thought the only time we worship was when
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Charlie gets up and leads in and when he's not gone there isn't or when he's Gone, there's no worship Worship just doesn't happen within the confines of the walls of the church
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Worship is an attitude worship is action Serving one another is worship.
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You ever think you know, hey, I'm gonna make a meal for the such -and -such a family and that is worship
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I Am serving Christ. I am glorifying him by showing my attitude of service my willingness to Inconvenience myself to maybe even
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Impoverish myself to sacrifice of my time and my resources to serve someone else It's worship
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Perfect example of a servant who would that be? Jesus Christ Let's look at Philippians 2 verses 1 to 11 and who has a big booming voice and would like to read that one for me
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Philippians 2 1 to 11 all the way to 11. Yep when we think about The servanthood of Jesus, I'm just struck
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I'm gonna Vary a little bit here from the notes Look at verse 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests
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And then he goes on to verse 5 Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus who although exists in the form of God Here we are.
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Let's just put our mindsets before time exists Jesus existing as the second person of the
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Trinity if he had the mindset The opposite mindset of verse 4 that he was merely going to look out for his own personal interests
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Well, what was in it for him? to leave heaven To leave the perfect communion with the
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Father To come here to this earth to take on the limitations of a human body
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To be Humiliated to be beaten to be mistreated to be hung on a cross
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What was in it for him? What was the return on investment in you know, if we were to look at it from simply a selfish perspective
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He could have just hung out in heaven and what Paul's writing about here is the example of Christ Did exactly the opposite?
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Our attitude needs to be like his we're gonna go more into this next time but this idea of Doing nothing from selfishness or empty conceit don't if we don't think of ourselves as In other words if our priorities in life are this how the world lives self second of my priority list
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Self third self
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He said don't don't don't think like that think like Christ others
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Others come first The welfare of others comes before us if we think of others as more important than ourselves
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In fact, if I could say anything to you that you should try to live out this week do this Put others before yourself this week
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Think of others as being more important than you their interests more important than your interests
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What they want is more important than what you want See how that impacts your relationships at home
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See how that impacts your relationships at work See how that changes how you view everything
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Put others first see what happens. Let's pray father.
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What a great example we have in Jesus Christ Who left?
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Voluntarily your side Perfect fellowship with you and the
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Spirit to come to this world to do your will
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Not even his own will but your will came here for the good of others
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Lord, I would pray for each one here
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That we would think this week in light of what Christ has done for us How should we view other people?
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How should we view other believers? How should we view our family?
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How should we view ourselves? Lord, would you give us a time this week where we can?
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extend ourselves push ourselves To put someone else's interests in front of our own and to think about it all the time
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That we're not doing this to please ourselves. But God, this is what you have called us to do
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Lord, would you by your spirit enable us to do that this week? We pray in Christ's name.