Sermon

Stand Fast - Greg Branch

Church of Christ - Bakersfield, Ca

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  1. It's good to see everyone who's back this afternoon.

  2. It's very good to see fresh faces.

  3. And I know a short span after lunch, makes it easy to get

  4. tired. So, I'll do my best to keep this

  5. upbeat and interesting as we go along.

  6. As you can see on the screen here, we're going to take our

  7. text from Philippians chapter 4 and verse 1.

    Philippians 4 chapter mention

  8. The Bible says, therefore my beloved and long for Brethren my

  9. joy, in my crowd, so Stand Fast in the Lord, beloved You know us

  10. we consider this concept of standing fast in the Lord.

  11. The Stand Fast comes from a Greek word.

  12. Literally means to be stationary figurative sense.

  13. Strong says, it means it's to persevere.

  14. You know, there are sometimes in life that we just have to

  15. persevere. There are sometimes in life that

  16. we just have to commit ourselves that we're going to be

  17. stationary. You know, there are points in

  18. life that it's real easy to be stationary.

  19. There are certain things we go through that.

  20. We don't want to leave that situation.

  21. We just wish it could last forever and there's other times

  22. we would like we can't wait till we get through it.

  23. That's what this whole idea of standing fast the imagery it

  24. brings forth is that we are going to Persevere through it,

  25. we're going to be stationary despite what we're getting

  26. dealt. Now.

  27. As you notice in the first of the verse Philippians 4 1, it

  28. says therefore, obviously when a word therefore as you see he's

  29. clearly summarizing everything he's already said.

  30. So what had he has? He told them to the point that

  31. he says, based on this, you need to be stationary.

  32. Based on this, you need to persevere.

  33. You know, if we go back into the beginning of the Letter.

  34. And I didn't talk about it this morning, I'll say it briefly.

  35. Now, you know, the Bible was not written in chapters and verses.

  36. These were letters in many cases that were written there were

  37. prophecies that were written that were just full books, like,

  38. you would get a book without just some letter, you would get

  39. no chapters no versus As people have translated it into English

  40. and into other languages and given us other versions of that,

  41. that has been divided into chapters and verses.

  42. So makes it easier for us to navigate and find and reference.

  43. So people can follow us. So as I go back and say it's

  44. important, we consider Philippians 1.

  45. It's because this is just been a letter from Paul to the church

  46. at Philippi in the first part of the letter that we have is

    Isaiah 1 chapter mention

  47. chapter 1, chapter 1. Paul describes, how persecution

  48. has actually furthered the gospel message and if you want

  49. to understand what he said about that, you can go back and read

  50. it. But ultimately he encouraged

  51. them by saying look there's persecution but it's actually

  52. helping the gospel spread so don't get discouraged at Action,

  53. he says to live is Christ and to die is gain and he basically

  54. wants to Christians there and us as we read it to live in the

  55. same kind of confidence and hope as he faced the persecution, he

  56. faced as he dealt with what he dealt with.

  57. He says, look if I live it's going to be for Christ if I die.

  58. Yay, me it's my game. That is in chapter one.

  59. When you get to chapter 2, he basically explains to them that

  60. if they were going to To be unified as a congregation.

  61. If they were going to be unified as a people, it was only going

  62. to happen through humility. Unity does not happen when we

  63. began to boast and handcuffed ourself up.

  64. Chapter 2 talks about this. And he basically emphasize the

  65. fact that Jesus was humbled and then he was exalted, even Jesus.

  66. And what we talked about this morning, you know, as I was

  67. afterwards and sitting at lunch and you get to daydreaming or

  68. getting off on yourself, I thought, oh I didn't say that.

  69. You know, Hebrews talks about Jesus.

  70. He learned. What's the word Frankie was

  71. going to? Shout it out this morning when I

  72. couldn't think of nobleman, but through the things, he suffered,

  73. he learned obedience You know, the fact is, if the Son of God

  74. had to have suffering to learn obedience and how to Humble

  75. himself before the will of God, we know from his prayer in the

  76. garden. He says, father, if it is

  77. possible, let this cup pass from me.

  78. Nevertheless not my will but yours be done.

  79. How do we begin to commit ourselves and become one with

  80. the mind of God? It's by being willing to follow

  81. God's will even when it contradicts what we would like

  82. for the circumstance, the very perfect sinless.

  83. Son of God for that circumstance.

  84. Wanted to live. And wanted that cup to pass from

  85. him. And yet he was one with the mind

  86. of God. He was unified with the father

  87. in the spirit how because he could take that self-will as a

  88. human, for the moment, and set it aside for God's perfect will

  89. that he knew was right. You see sometimes as humans we

  90. have to be humble before. There can be any exaltation that

  91. happened with Christ. We also learn in Philippians

    Philippians 2 chapter mention

  92. chapter 2, to hold out the word of Life.

  93. Extended the gospel, the word of God are the words of life.

  94. We need to hold them out. He tells him explain to them and

  95. Philip, I'd they need to Rejoice without complaining and

  96. disputing. They had issues with

  97. complaining, they had issues with arguing amongst themselves

  98. and he says you need to rejoice in God without that.

  99. He says they need the faithful, a debt said, the faithful,

  100. Vangelis Timothy and the brother ever footitis would be good for

  101. them. There were people, he was

  102. sending that he wanted them to acknowledge and work with and he

  103. says these Brethren will be good for you.

  104. That's what he's talking about in Philippians chapters 1 and

    Philippians 1 chapter mention

  105. chapter 2. I want to slow down and chapter

  106. 3, finally, No. Remember what we're getting to

  107. he says therefore my beloved Stand Fast in the Lord W he

  108. going to get to, he says finally my brethren rejoice in the Lord

  109. for me to write the same things to you is not tedious but for

  110. you it's safe. Now as I considered what we

  111. would study this afternoon as I considered the best message and

  112. I don't know if it's the best one, but it's the one, I finally

  113. chose on and I know the Lord will bless.

  114. He says what I need you to do is rejoice in the Lord and I'm

  115. going to tell you some things that it's no problem for me to

  116. do this. But he says, I'm telling you the

  117. same things. I'm writing you the same things

  118. and it's no problem for me. But it's safest for you.

  119. I don't doubt for a second that what we're going to re-emphasize

  120. this afternoon, you've already heard and you're already

  121. established in it. But even if that's the case,

  122. it's still for your safety. How do I know that?

  123. Because it was for the church in Philippi.

  124. Beware of dogs. Beware of evil workers, Beware

  125. of the mutilation. If you read from the King James,

  126. it's the concision and we'll get talking about that in just the

  127. next verse. He says what you have to know.

  128. Remember all the context that we've already talked about the

  129. persecution. He suffered.

  130. He says, they do it really to destroy the church but it's

  131. really helping further. The gospel, all these things

  132. you're growing in. He says be careful for dogs,

  133. beware of dogs. When I was a kid in our

  134. neighborhood, there was a house down at the end of the street

  135. that had a sign on it. Be aware of dong.

  136. And so I every time I see this verse, I think of that situation

  137. and I'm all dogs, their dog's name was happy.

  138. Turns out, there was a reason that sign was there.

  139. One day happy was out in the neighborhood and I kind of had

  140. the same eyes a little bit. First one to stand out.

  141. First one to speak up kids were all scared of happy because it

  142. had a beware of dog sign. And so I said well I'll take

  143. happy home, Everybody's scared. Nobody wanted to play.

  144. I went over to happy. Happy was pretty good until I

  145. grabbed happy scholar to go home and happy.

  146. Got a hold of my shoulder. Happy hung on for a while.

  147. Beware of dogs. Spiritually speaking.

  148. The imagery he saying here is when the church is dealing with

  149. something that's going on and you need to stand fast, you're

  150. going to have to watch out for the ones that you might think

  151. are happy. But honor for the Dangerous

  152. Ones, it says, beware of dogs and he gets more specific,

  153. beware of evil workers. Those who will not turn in

  154. faithful obedience, we talked about the difference.

  155. If this morning, faithful obedience is obedience, that is

  156. it It's true. That's what do we got to do it?

  157. I would I do anything else. That's right.

  158. It's a core value. It's not something you just do

  159. because it's well, we're at Grandma's.

  160. So we got to do this, I'll do it.

  161. It's no, I'm going to do this because it's the way it's the

  162. right way to live, as opposed to evil workers, Beware of the

  163. mutilation. This mutilation is referring to

  164. a circumcision. The concision for, we are the

  165. circumcision who worship God in the spirit rejoice, in Christ,

  166. Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though.

  167. I also might have confidence in the flesh.

  168. If you anyone else, he thinks me have confidence in the flesh.

  169. I'm or so. Now, before I get there in case

  170. you don't know, circumcision was a nap The Old Law that was very

  171. physical act. And there were some people in

  172. the early church, trying to still bind it upon Christians.

  173. Even though it was a Jewish requirement, he says be careful

  174. of those people that are trying to bind the Old Law in a way

  175. that the new has released you from now.

  176. That's not to say there aren't things that were in the Old Law

  177. that Christ didn't carry into the new.

  178. And so sometimes we get to where we teach and try to understand

  179. it as a result, but they were taking something out of the Old

  180. Law. All and trying to put it in the

  181. New Covenant as though it belonged there, when men whom

  182. God had released men from it. And he says be careful of those

  183. people don't have any confidence in the flesh.

  184. He says, if we were going to have confidence in the flesh, if

  185. anybody thinks they have confidence he says I've got

  186. more. I mean if it's all about what

  187. we've done with our bodies, he says for instance I was

  188. circumcised The Eighth Day. What day were you circumcised

  189. even if you were Now this room, if people were, there's a good

  190. chance it was within the first two days.

  191. Not many, wait till he ate even in that day of time.

  192. Apparently, that wasn't even always the case because I was

  193. circumcised, The Eighth Day of the stock of Israel, my

  194. bloodline Israel, I'm not a proselyte, you know, we talked

  195. about this morning, the opieop ennoble men.

  196. He might have been converted, but he wasn't a really a

  197. flesh-and-blood is. He says, I'm of the stock of

  198. Israel of The Tribe of Benjamin. What's the significance of that?

  199. Even when the, when Israel divided and there were the

  200. northern and southern kingdoms Benjamin State Bound in the

  201. United? With Judah, small tribe, but

  202. stayed by. He says, I'm of The Tribe of

  203. Benjamin. A Hebrew of the Hebrews,

  204. concerning the law, I'm a Pharisee.

  205. Now, what will we say for us today?

  206. Concerning the law Harvard Yale Oxford.

  207. That's what that meant to them for them to be a Pharisee.

  208. Legally speaking. He says, I'm at the Pinnacle.

  209. You're not going to have anything that you're going to

  210. beat that with concerning Zeal. He said I persecuted the church

  211. if the Jews want to question my zil.

  212. Look, they met. Y'all may have sit around in

  213. your small groups and in your dinner parties, talking about

  214. them Christians. He says, I went after him, my

  215. Zeal cannot be questioned. My fire that words ill literally

  216. comes from a word which means Heat That cannot be question

  217. concerning the righteousness, which is in the law blameless

  218. now. Is he saying?

  219. He was perfect. I don't think so.

  220. But he's saying, you cannot find anything to lay a charge against

  221. me and let it roll. Whatever he had that was sent in

  222. his life either. Nobody else knew about it, he

  223. knew it or it had to do with other things besides what they

  224. could find in the wall. He says, if you want to have

  225. confidence in the flesh, he says I can brag more than you can

  226. brag now. Does that also, he can make

  227. himself out to be something. Nope, because He follows that

  228. with, but what things were gain to me these, I counted loss for

  229. Christ. All that means nothing being a

  230. Pharisee. Nothing that I was circumcised

  231. The Eighth Day, really? It means nothing.

  232. Why he says, because everything there is counted as loss for

  233. Christ, yet, indeed. I also count all things lost for

  234. the Excellence of the knowledge of Christ.

  235. Jesus, my Lord. Think about that statement.

  236. Knowledge says I would lose everything just to have the

  237. knowledge. I have of Jesus Christ, my Lord

  238. For whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count

  239. them as rubbish that I may gain Christ.

  240. I believe everything for Christ. I gotta ask myself would I

  241. literally be willing to lose everything for Christ?

  242. Would you? That's a lie.

  243. Think about your house? Your everything, you have all

  244. your family. Would you lose everything for

  245. Christ? You know, the interesting thing

  246. is until I get to the point that I would lose, even my family for

  247. Christ. I'll never be to my family.

  248. What I can be if I put Christ first.

  249. I will love Rachel better. I will Express that love and I

  250. will be a better husband if I would be willing to lose her for

  251. Christ. Now, the fact is, when I read

  252. the word of God and I see that as such in Christ that I need to

  253. be willing to give my life for her.

  254. That I need to be willing to do everything Christ, would do for

  255. the church. I need to be doing willing to do

  256. for Rachel. And you know what?

  257. The media thing comes in my mind.

  258. You still have this morning, it pops in there, I got to say it,

  259. there was an occasion, he put a towel around his waist, bent

  260. down and began to wash his disciples feet.

  261. And it hasn't always been easy for me to help her wash the

  262. dishes. When Christ is first.

  263. Everything about our life, will be better for everyone in our

  264. life. This is in no way diminishing Us

  265. and how we treat other people. When Christ is first, and we're

  266. willing to count anything loss and put Christ, first will be

  267. the best we can be for everybody in our life, and be found in

  268. him, not having my own righteousness because it's not

  269. about anything we can do, which is from the law, but that which

  270. is through faith. In Christ.

  271. The righteousness issues, which is from God by faith

  272. righteousness, that comes through, God's Will, and not my

  273. own. Will you see I'm Pretty good at

  274. coming up with lists of things. Greg Branch thinks is good and

  275. well, we can follow this. But what about God's?

  276. That's what Paul's trying to get the Church of Philippi and us.

  277. And everyone understand that righteousness has to come from

  278. God by faith that I may know him and the power of his

  279. resurrection. The power of the resurrection of

  280. Christ. The Fellowship of his

  281. sufferings. We talked about that in the

  282. sufferings this morning and I even alluded to, I don't, I

  283. can't explain everything. We go through in life.

  284. But this much, I'm confident if God would let them some that.

  285. He loves his only begotten, son, go through what he went through.

  286. Did I can't question whether or not God loves me.

  287. You can't question whether or not God loves you.

  288. We may not understand it. We may have trouble with it but

  289. we know he loves us and it may be that we're having Fellowship

  290. in his sufferings being conformed to his death.

  291. If by any means, I may attain to the resurrection of the dead, he

  292. says, I want to even conform to the death of Christ.

  293. So that any way I can I may attain to the resurrection from

  294. the dead. How do we conform to the death

  295. of Christ? We're going to look at Romans 6.

  296. I referenced it this morning, so I thought I'm going to hit this

  297. quick, this afternoon. What shall we say, then?

  298. Shall we continue in sin that Grace May abound.

  299. So many things about said, about the book of Romans and grace of

  300. God and this, and that and the other.

  301. But the question comes is okay. If we're saved by grace, then we

  302. continue in sin. Because if we do nothing because

  303. that's helping Grace about Certainly not King James says,

  304. God forbid. How shall we who died to sin,

  305. live any longer in it? How do you keep living in

  306. something you've died too? Or do you not know that, as many

  307. of us as were baptized into Christ?

  308. Jesus were baptized into his death.

  309. We talked about the word, sang Greek.

  310. Word means to dip or a mercer to plunge.

  311. We were immersed, we were dipped.

  312. We are plunged into his death. Therefore, we were buried with

  313. him, through baptism into death that just as Christ was raised

  314. from the dead to walk in the glory of the father.

  315. Even so we also should walk in newness of life.

  316. When we obey the gospel, it's a change, it's a new life.

  317. And what is he going to say? For if we have been United

  318. together in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also

  319. be in the likeness of his resurrection.

  320. How do we conform and attain to the resurrection of Jesus

  321. Christ? It's being conformed to his

  322. death. How do we do that?

  323. Baptism? Come in obedience to the gospel.

  324. As we talked about this morning and then literally be willing to

  325. let God's will overwhelm our own self-will.

  326. That when our self will contradicts whatever is gods

  327. revealed, we're going to follow God's will knowing this that our

  328. old man was crucified with him, he died.

  329. That the body of sin might be done away with that.

  330. We should no longer be slaves to sin.

  331. The fact is we're going to be a slave to something.

  332. Somebody says, no. I'm My Own guy.

  333. I'm old woman really not. We're slave to something.

  334. We're either going to commit ourselves to be a servant, and a

  335. slave of God, or it's going to come to sin.

  336. That's just the way it works. We'd love to think that we could

  337. just be this little island unto herself, but the very fact that

  338. you're in here with other people tells me, you can't do that.

  339. We can't do that. We're going to be subject to

  340. something. For he who has died has been

  341. freed from sin. Now, if we died with Christ, we

  342. believe that we shall also live with him.

  343. Knowing that Christ had any been raised from the dead dies.

  344. No, More Death, no longer has dominion over him.

  345. We dread we look. In many cases, we look at the I

  346. concept of death and we just the separation is overwhelming.

  347. It's too hard to comprehend in many ways.

  348. For this life. And the one after But he says,

  349. once Christ died. Heroes.

  350. Death, the Dominion of death is gone.

  351. It's no longer in the it's no longer a factor, it's no longer

  352. an influence. I don't know about you, but just

  353. thinking and closing my eyes and thinking we would not even have

  354. to deal with that ever. Again, it brings call Brings

  355. peace. That's the promise through

  356. Christ. To be conformed to him to be

  357. born again and realize, we don't have to worry about it.

  358. And that we can get to a point that it's no longer an issue.

  359. As one man said before he died, Uncle James Orton, some of, you

  360. know, him death is not relevant. It doesn't have to be through

  361. Jesus Christ. Not that I've already attained

  362. back in Philippians. Philippians, 3:12 not that I've

  363. already attained or I'm already perfected but I press on that.

  364. I may hold lay hold of that for which Christ.

  365. Jesus has also linked old me. She says I've been conformed to

  366. the desk so that I can look forward to attaining to the

  367. resurrection. He says not enough.

  368. Not that. I'm there yet.

  369. Not that I'm already perfected. Not work perfect.

  370. And means to make to be made complete.

  371. But he says, I'm going to press on.

  372. And as we get further and further towards versus 4:1 Stand

  373. Fast, therefore, I want us to understand.

  374. This is the whole concept that you press on through everything.

  375. No matter what it is that you may lay.

  376. Hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid.

  377. Hold of you. It's no accident.

  378. You're here today. It's no accident.

  379. When people become children of God, God has been after you.

  380. He has desired you since the foundation of this world.

  381. Now they're this begins to. I can't even hardly comprehend.

  382. God's omniscience is omnipotent his ability to know everything

  383. to see as Joe. Hisle says in his sermon, this

  384. is time and time and he sees it all.

  385. He's been after you all along. This is not lay hold of that for

  386. which Christ Jesus has laid. Hold of you of me Brethren.

  387. I do not count myself to have apprehended but one thing I do

  388. forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward

  389. to those things, which are ahead.

  390. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God

  391. in Christ Jesus. He says it again.

  392. Why is he Draught? And again this just I know this

  393. is Paul's writing but he's inspired by the Holy Spirit.

  394. Why is he repeating this concept?

  395. I'm not there yet but I'm prescient. any chance because

  396. that's really where every human gets Even the Apostle Paul was

  397. there you ever feel that way? I feel like I got so far to go.

  398. I'm not there yet but I'm gonna keep pressing.

  399. That's the message. One thing I'll do.

  400. When I when I'm going to press forward, he says one thing I'll

  401. do is I'm going to forget those things that you're both are

  402. behind. Sometimes we can have so much

  403. heavy baggage of guilt and remorse behind us, that it

  404. prevents us from ever let loose, and taken off going forward.

  405. Paul says that Lisa. Look, he told us a lot of things

  406. in this reading to that we study today that he can brag about if

  407. people wanted to brag about the flesh.

  408. There's other writings, when he says he's the chief of Sinners

  409. and he starts to list that list. It's pretty bad one.

  410. He says I you put these things behind you behind you.

  411. And you press, you reach forward to those things which are ahead.

  412. But you notice he didn't say, I forget those things that are

  413. sinful and leave them behind me. He just says forgetting those

  414. things, which are behind me, you know, there's times that we have

  415. to forget all of our victories that are behind us.

  416. If you sit and as they said, when I was growing up, rest on

  417. your laurels. Say, you know, look at all I've

  418. accomplished. I think I'll just build barge

  419. for myself, throw it all into storage and rest and take he's

  420. that's a problem to for anybody. That will go through this life

  421. successful. We're going to put what was

  422. what's behind us is behind us. We got new goals.

  423. We have new challenges and we're not just going to stop because

  424. there's a transition point. He says I'm going to reach

  425. forward to the things that are ahead.

  426. What does life have from here on out?

  427. I don't know but I'm going to reach for it and I'm going to

  428. press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call in

  429. Christ Jesus. Whatever I do as I reach

  430. forward, it's going to have to do with the upward call of God

  431. in Christ Jesus. Therefore, let us Many years,

  432. Armature have this mind. And if anything you think

  433. otherwise God will reveal even this to, you says, if you're

  434. mature in Christ, this is the way you need to look at life.

  435. but he says, if there's any point that you think otherwise,

  436. God, will reveal it unto you? Nevertheless to the degree that

  437. we've already attained? Let us walk by the same Rule and

  438. let us be of the same mind. You know what, I get.

  439. And if you notice, this is italicized, this is not the

  440. Bible part have too many notes in these.

  441. This is my ideas. These Brethren seem to have

  442. issues. They disagreed about whether it

  443. was this identity says, if an anything you think otherwise had

  444. to do with what Paul's writing to them or what they were

  445. dealing with, in the relationships to each other,

  446. they would have disagreement. He says of these issues you

  447. disagree about he says, God is going to reveal it now it's my

  448. opinion. The New Testament wasn't done

  449. yet and so scripture was still being revealed and so when he

  450. says As God will reveal even this to you.

  451. He's saying the Bible is not done yet. but I want, you know,

  452. I think this concept applies to us today Breaking are going to

  453. be 52 this year. I remember the first preacher I

  454. remember, staying with us that I thought, I just want to study

  455. with preachers was Don McCord and I can, he had my bedroom and

  456. I'd ride with him in cars. Different places, tell him, he's

  457. showing me how to get to widows houses and going to church and

  458. doing all this. I thought, you know, I just want

  459. to know. 40 years later sometimes.

  460. I feel like I still don't know. There's so much. that sometimes,

  461. we think otherwise, We still got to study and get together. now,

  462. if that happens with somebody that's raised in a Christian,

  463. family for 40 years has been trying to understand this

  464. Imagine what it's like for a new convert.

  465. Literally a babe in Christ. there's a lot of things we

  466. think, otherwise about, So what do you do when you get to those

  467. situations that you don't have this unity in this commonality?

  468. Gods are going to reveal it. Sometimes some for us today that

  469. means we're going to study and will gradually.

  470. Come there. Nevertheless.

  471. Here's what you do to the degree that we've already attained.

  472. Let us walk by the same rule. Let us be of the same mind.

  473. We unify around what we can agree on. and if there's things

  474. that, which we find ourselves being divided, I've never found

  475. a situation like that yet that we couldn't find a place of

  476. consensus that Brethren could stay together in harmony.

  477. Now, it will require that one or both are willing to concede

  478. something, but it can never be truth.

  479. And I want to tell you without going into a whole lot of time

  480. on this. I think, if you would follow

  481. this down to any doctrine that divides, the collective worship

  482. of any assembly of people to this principle, you could unite

  483. the whole religious world that believes in Christ and we would

  484. all worship the same way if we would agree upon what, what does

  485. it say? Cuz there, something we can

  486. unite around. Well, yeah, it says that, but

  487. right, this rule would work today and this is a path forward

  488. through any situation Brethren join in following my example,

  489. and note, those who walk as you have a spray pattern, So, this

  490. is the pattern, this is the example you've seen and I want

  491. you to note those people that also live this same way that

  492. also conduct themselves in this same demeanor because I want you

  493. to look at those people. For many walk of whom.

  494. I've told you often and now tell you even weeping that they are

  495. the enemies of the Cross of Christ says, I need you to seek

  496. out and identify people that follow the pattern, we're

  497. teaching because there are people that you would otherwise

  498. follow, and I've warned you about them often.

  499. And I'm telling you now, even to the point of Tears, they're just

  500. enemies of the Cross of Christ. Whose end is destruction.

  501. Whose God is their belly. Whose glory is in their shame,

  502. who set their mind on Earthly things, how do we know the

  503. difference in those who are putting God first verses this?

  504. This other character of people What's the influence?

  505. What's it feeding? think about the things that can

  506. divide us, spiritually, think about the things that can divide

  507. us congregationally, Is there a path that clearly walks?

  508. As we have the Bible for an example.

  509. And is there a path that clearly is just feeding the fleshly

  510. Earthly, man? Generally speaking, there's

  511. always a clear difference. Then I'm going to set up here

  512. and start giving you examples, as you can think of it yourself.

  513. What are we feeding? We feeding the spirit, we

  514. feeding our love and desire for the word.

  515. Are we feeding our fleshly desire for something different?

  516. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we so eagerly

  517. wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

  518. Who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to

  519. his glorious body, according to the working by which he is able

  520. even to subdue all things to himself.

  521. The same power that Christ has to bring everything into

  522. subjection. He said is going to be used that

  523. same power. He says he's going to do that.

  524. He's going to transform our lowly body.

  525. That it may be conformed to his glorious body.

  526. Some of you here, I know you love creation, you love the

  527. mountains, you love the oceans, you love you just love

  528. everything. God's make the best things in

  529. this world are the things that you appreciate that.

  530. God created that man hadn't messed up yet.

  531. That same God and creator. That same Lord, Jesus has plans

  532. for your body. It's going to be conformed to

  533. his glorious body. But we follow the pattern, he's

  534. talked about putting Force. Therefore, Back where we started

  535. in light of this message, therefore, my beloved and long

  536. for Brethren my joy and my crown.

  537. I mean these people are precious to him.

  538. He says you are my joy. You're my crown.

  539. So, Stand Fast in the Lord. My beloved this.

  540. How you doing? What did he tell us?

  541. He says you beware dogs. Watch out for people that are

  542. dangerous rejoice in Christ Jesus and not in the law of

  543. Moses. He says, rejoice in the

  544. knowledge of Jesus don't be content in your knowledge base.

  545. I know it's hard sometimes for us to push to learn and to study

  546. and to keep that motivation, but don't be content in it.

  547. He says, rejoice in the knowledge you have of Jesus

  548. don't ever, stop learning Embrace righteousness.

  549. That's through faith in Jesus, not self-righteousness, not

  550. righteousness of Merit, righteousness, that is through

  551. faith in Jesus, that's going to come through the word, Embrace

  552. his power and be conformed to Jesus.

  553. Embrace the resurrection by Reaching Forward by

  554. understanding that you can be born again and start over and

  555. embrace truth and continue learning and embrace faithful

  556. examples. And avoid enemies.

  557. There are people you have in your life that you know, are

  558. good. Faithful examples says Embrace

  559. those and there are others that we tend to like to hang out with

  560. That we know, are kind of enemies of the message, but we

  561. sure do. They're good people in a lot of

  562. ways. But they are enemies of what the

  563. church stands for. He says embrace the faithful

  564. examples. And embrace your, heavenly

  565. citizenship see what gets me to where I get kind of caught up in

  566. all this. That's besides Christianity.

  567. What what is it that makes me get to where I lose sight of

  568. this? It's when I start to think in

  569. too much about here. it's when I get to thinking too much about

  570. things of the flesh. But when I think about my

  571. citizenship in heaven, everything gets pretty crystal

  572. clear. A lot of questionable, things

  573. are no longer questionable. And this much is for sure.

  574. If you're not a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, And it's hard

  575. to think about embrace them and citizenship.

  576. In our country right now. There's a lot of talk about

  577. citizenship and how you get it, and why you gods made.

  578. It simple. Everybody can become a citizen

  579. of the kingdom of heaven. Isn't it amazing?

  580. Ain't I said, plenty about baptism and water this morning.

  581. So I unless you get it, isn't it?

  582. Amazing that God chose the one thing that any place on Earth

  583. that will support life has it. when he was looking for

  584. something to ask his people to surrender to He said be baptized

  585. in water. Somebody asked me one time.

  586. Well what if it's a place that doesn't have water?

  587. I said, show me life. What are there?

  588. It's cheap, it's free. Our citizenship is so easy to

  589. grasp, almost so easy. It's almost like name of the

  590. letter leper. People will go on a real it away

  591. in a rage because you wanted to be baptized when they would have

  592. done something great. We thank you for listening to

  593. our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.

  594. Road in Bakersfield, if you would like any additional

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  596. correspondence, course by mail. Please email us at info at her

  597. Church of Christ Bakersfield.com.

  598. Our service times are on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and

  599. Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Please make plans to join us.

  600. We would love for you to be our honored guest.