1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:19,000 We are going to finish our journey in chapter one of Philippians. There's a lot to really 2 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:25,660 cover through this entire book, a lot of doctrine. We will be hitting some more doctrine today. 3 00:00:25,660 --> 00:00:35,000 If I was to exhaust this, you can't exhaust it, I'll say that. So we will stick with where 4 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:40,920 God has taken us in this conversation and again we'll get to it another day. But this 5 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:45,600 is part two of the perseverance of the saints and the importance of the perseverance of 6 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:55,600 the saints is the reason why we should persevere. Okay? The reason why we will persevere and 7 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:59,640 I want to thank the Lord for this amazing doctrine, the perseverance of the saints that 8 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,920 not only will we persevere when it's all said and done, we persevere every single day of 9 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:12,600 our lives. So he keeps us. That being said, we're going to go back a little bit into verse 10 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:19,360 15. I'm going to read that so that when we get into verse 19, you kind of understand why 11 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:27,240 it reads the way it reads. Okay? I'm not a real big fan of subtitles. I get why they 12 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:34,320 do it, kind of gives you an idea of what possibly is being said. But it kind of takes away from 13 00:01:34,320 --> 00:01:41,500 really the continuance of the conversation that Paul is using here. You guys know already 14 00:01:41,500 --> 00:01:47,920 we talked quite a bit about Philippians and this is the one church Paul has nothing bad 15 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:53,160 to say. He doesn't rebuke them for anything they've done wrong specifically. He actually 16 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:59,400 exhorts them, encourages them to continue. It's one of the things I love about this letter 17 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:06,520 and you will hear today again if God calls you to be a good Berean, study the word. He 18 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:13,360 also calls you to be a good Philippian, to preach the word. So be a good Berean and a 19 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:21,560 good Philippian. Verse 15, some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from 20 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:28,520 goodwill. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the 21 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:37,280 gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but thinking to afflict 22 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:45,800 me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, 23 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:53,400 Christ is proclaimed and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice for I know that through 24 00:02:53,400 --> 00:03:00,440 your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, this will turn out for my deliverance 25 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:08,040 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with 26 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:14,880 full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by 27 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:22,520 death. What do you see? There's this constant clear message that Paul starts, not really 28 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:28,240 starts, he's clarified throughout this entire chapter that the gospel is our purpose. The 29 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:34,680 gospel is our mission. The gospel is what we focus on. I know it's going to bother you 30 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:40,800 a little bit, I don't care. You're like, yeah, that's mean pastor. No, there is no other 31 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:51,040 purpose for your life besides gospel. Okay, as you guys know, I don't like Rick Warren, 32 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:56,160 to say the least. Why? Because there's no such thing as a purpose-driven life in a purpose-driven 33 00:03:56,160 --> 00:04:03,600 church. God does not have a particular purpose for you and a particular purpose for our church. 34 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:10,760 Every church and every believer has a single purpose. What is your purpose? Gospel. That's 35 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:16,000 your purpose. There is no other purpose. Now there are things that we do, right, that we 36 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:22,200 participate in, but the whole purpose of those things is the gospel. If you look at spiritual 37 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:28,600 gifts, the purpose of spiritual gifts is the gospel. The whole purpose of our existence 38 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:36,480 is to proclaim the goodness of God, the gospel. That is what we do. If we don't focus on that 39 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:44,960 truth, then we will try to find other reasons to find purpose in our lives. And people wonder 40 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:48,480 why, well, I can't figure out what my purpose is. That's because you don't like the purpose 41 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:54,200 that you've been assigned, instead of just doing the gospel. If you do the gospel, you're 42 00:04:54,200 --> 00:05:01,520 going to find joy, contentment, happiness, excitement. But pastor, you're preaching every 43 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:09,920 Sunday morning about the gospel. That's my purpose, right? If you're a dental hygienist, 44 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:15,380 it's gospel. Clean teeth with the gospel. You know what I mean? If you do other stuff, 45 00:05:15,380 --> 00:05:20,320 it's about the gospel. If you're a teacher, it's about the gospel. Every opportunity you 46 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:26,480 have is about the gospel. You're like you're a Jesus freak. That's the point. That's the 47 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:33,800 point. And Paul clarifies this over and over again. So I have three principles that we're 48 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:39,820 going to learn specifically through the rest of this chapter. Okay? First principle, whether 49 00:05:39,820 --> 00:05:47,760 we live or we die, Christ is our ultimate prize. Christ is our ultimate prize. If I 50 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:55,320 live, I live for Christ, and he's my prize. If I die, I die to Christ, he's my prize. 51 00:05:55,320 --> 00:06:01,720 Either way, Christ is the answer, right? Whether we live or we die, Christ is our ultimate 52 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:11,160 prize. In life, all you should want and need is Christ Jesus. In death, all we will have 53 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:16,320 is Christ Jesus if you know Christ. So if you're going to live, all that you should 54 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:23,000 want and need in this life is him, and when you die, all you'll have is him. Because you 55 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:28,600 won't need or want for anything at that point. What more do you need? We were like, well, 56 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:36,800 I want more. If you want more, then Jesus isn't going to be enough for you. And this 57 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:43,000 is what it says, Philippians chapter 1 verse 19 and 21. And yes, I will rejoice for I know 58 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:47,400 that through your prayers and the help of the Holy Spirit and the help of the Spirit 59 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:54,200 of Jesus Christ, this will turn out for my deliverance. As it is, my eager expectation 60 00:06:54,200 --> 00:07:04,600 and hope, I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage, now as always, Christ 61 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:13,560 will be honored in my body by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is 62 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:17,840 gain. Everybody knows this Bible verse. If you're a Christian, you've heard this. Probably 63 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:22,960 have it on your desktop or somewhere in your house. For to me, to live is Christ, to die 64 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:31,440 is gain. Though that is true, are we going to miss the point of why Paul gives this statement? 65 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:38,480 We talk about to live is Christ and to die is gain. And then we read a book by a gentleman 66 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:44,780 who tells you, now you have a different purpose. See, if we really focus on what God calls 67 00:07:44,780 --> 00:07:51,720 us to do, which is gospel, then to live is Christ and to die is gain is everything that 68 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:59,080 Paul says it is. But if we're trying to find more, then you're going to miss the wonderful, 69 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:08,760 beautiful, majestic God of all creation. So I want you guys to think about that. Is really 70 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:19,840 living to be alive, is it really Christ? And if I was to die, am I really going to gain? 71 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:28,960 Or am I really trying to find something else? Second principle. If in life, make the most 72 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:35,800 of every opportunity for the sake of the gospel. We all have a ministry. It's called the ministry 73 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:43,160 of the gospel. So give it away. Yes, there is no other purpose for your life but the 74 00:08:43,160 --> 00:08:48,600 gospel. Whether you're going to work doing anything else, the whole purpose why you're 75 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:54,200 there is for the sake of the gospel. That's your mission. We all have the same mission. 76 00:08:54,200 --> 00:09:00,020 There is no other mission given to man, given to mankind who belongs to the body of Christ 77 00:09:00,020 --> 00:09:07,240 than that one mission. We all have a ministry. That's called the ministry of reconciliation, 78 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:14,680 called the gospel. In 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 2 through 5 says this, preach the word, 79 00:09:14,680 --> 00:09:21,120 be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with complete patience and 80 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:27,680 teaching for the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching and having 81 00:09:27,680 --> 00:09:32,160 itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and they 82 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:38,420 will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always 83 00:09:38,420 --> 00:09:45,160 be sober minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 84 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:50,680 Pretty clear. So not only does Paul clarify this in the reality of Timothy's life to 85 00:09:50,680 --> 00:09:56,760 the church in Ephesus but he also deals with this in Philippians. What's amazing about 86 00:09:56,760 --> 00:10:02,240 the Philippian church is they understood what their purpose was. All of them were committed 87 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:12,480 to this one purpose, this one goal. But we know, because we live in the days that we 88 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:21,440 live, there are all kinds of stuff going out there. All kinds of gospels. Philippians chapter 89 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:28,320 1 verse 22 through 26 says, if I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for 90 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:37,280 me. Yet, which I shall choose, I cannot tell. I want you to think about that. Paul's saying, 91 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:45,840 if I'm to live in this body, then that means fruitful labor. Christ is gained. Which one 92 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:49,360 would I choose? I'm having a hard time with that. I'll be honest with you. I think we 93 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:55,160 all would say that. I mean, if I could be with Jesus now for all eternity, then I think 94 00:10:55,160 --> 00:11:01,120 I'm in with that, right? I mean, we would say that, I hope. And that's what Paul says 95 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:06,240 here. I don't know what I would choose. I mean, I get Jesus or I get Jesus, Jesus is 96 00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:16,960 wonderful labor. Either way, I get Jesus. Verse 23, I am hard pressed between the two. 97 00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:26,680 I want you to get that. He's so torn between the two that he's like, you know what? One 98 00:11:26,680 --> 00:11:33,600 or the other would be great. My desire is to depart and be with Christ. And that is 99 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:37,400 far better. Why? Because he doesn't have to deal with sin, he doesn't have to deal with 100 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:40,280 being persecuted, he doesn't have to deal with suffering, he doesn't have to deal with 101 00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:44,360 pain, he doesn't have to deal with any of that stuff. Along with all the other stuff, 102 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:48,960 it comes along with people. He won't have to deal with any of that. But then he says 103 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:55,080 in verse 24, but to remain in the body, to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your 104 00:11:55,080 --> 00:12:03,480 account. So if I was to stay, it's more important that I stay because it's necessary for you. 105 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:10,160 And verse 25 says, convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all. 106 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:16,440 I will finish the work that God has for me to do. And for your progress and joy in the 107 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:25,360 faith. In other words, me staying is for your growth and for joy in the faith. I find joy 108 00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:34,200 in the faith because of you. So that in me, verse 26, you may have ample calls to glory 109 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:43,040 in Christ Jesus because of my coming to you again. In other words, I'm going to stay around 110 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:49,120 because I have a purpose to stay around. I'm going to give you the gospel. You notice he's 111 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:55,760 giving the gospel to a church that's already been gospelized. Why? Because we should be 112 00:12:55,760 --> 00:13:04,140 reminding ourselves all the time of this wonderful gospel. It's important. It's our purpose. 113 00:13:04,140 --> 00:13:08,600 When you wake up, do you think about gospel as soon as you wake up? Is Christ on your 114 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:16,440 mind when you wake up? Are you worried about all the other things happening? Have you reoriented 115 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:22,480 yourself to the purpose by which God has called you? Or are you reorienting yourself to another 116 00:13:22,480 --> 00:13:33,380 purpose? Principle number three, the highest motivating factor of all believers must be 117 00:13:33,380 --> 00:13:39,280 the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's the one thing that should keep you going and get you going 118 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:48,000 in the morning. Wake up, gospel. So I have three questions for you. This will help you 119 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:56,160 to see if the highest motivating factor for you is the gospel. How are you living? Second 120 00:13:56,160 --> 00:14:03,360 question, how are you in Jesus? And then third, are you living in a manner worthy of the gospel 121 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:12,640 or living a life of excuses and compromise? Well, that's for you, pastor, because you're 122 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:23,520 a pastor. Nope. Listen, my responsibility to God is much higher than yours. But there's 123 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:29,880 one thing that motivates me every single day, Jesus and his gospel. Nothing else matters. 124 00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:36,920 And that motivates my love for you, that motivates my love for others, and motivates why I do 125 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:47,120 what I do, gospel. And this is what he says in Philippians chapter 1, 27 through 30, 126 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:55,160 only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ. So I put some parentheses 127 00:14:55,160 --> 00:15:04,680 here. I want you to hear this. Your life should only be lived in a manner that is worthy of 128 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:15,720 the gospel of Christ. How do you conduct yourself? How are you living? Because you have a name 129 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:25,160 by which you represent. I remember when I was a kid, my mom would say, you know, you 130 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:31,480 carry my name. My dad would say the same thing. You carry, you're a cane. Listen, cane don't 131 00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:40,520 mean jack. There's a name that I carry that has a much higher value than cane, and it's 132 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:49,600 not cane enabled. It's Jesus. Jesus' name is on my life. And the gospel which he has 133 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:56,600 given the mission, the purpose of my life that he has given to every believer is on 134 00:15:56,600 --> 00:16:04,520 my life. And how am I living? How am I representing him in my life? Am I living in a way that's 135 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:08,880 just full of excuses and compromise? Or am I really living in a way that honors him and 136 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:19,400 lifts him up and makes him known? Look what it says here. So that whether I come and see 137 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:27,920 you or I'm absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit with one 138 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:35,960 mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. This is what he's saying to the 139 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:43,200 Philippians along with what he said to the Ephesian church. We have one Lord, one faith, 140 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:52,480 one baptism, one spirit, one mission, one God. That's what he's saying here. We have 141 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:58,800 churches all over the country who have their own gospel, their own Lord, with their own 142 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:03,840 faith. Well, that's not my faith. I really don't care about your faith. I care about 143 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:11,880 his faith. This is his gospel. It's not yours. That's what he calls it here. So that you 144 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:24,800 will strive side by side for the faith of the gospel. It's his gospel. It's his faith. 145 00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:33,080 It's his church. I wonder how many times we really think about that. I have a tendency 146 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:36,840 to think sometimes we don't because we're too wrapped up in our life, living a life 147 00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:48,740 of excuses and compromise. Verse 28, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. 148 00:17:48,740 --> 00:17:53,600 So if I am standing in one spirit with one mind striving side by side for the faith of 149 00:17:53,600 --> 00:18:01,320 the gospel and not frightened in anything by your opponents, this is a clear sign to 150 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:08,960 them of their destruction, but of your salvation and that from God. So I want you to kind of 151 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:17,920 get that. If we are committed as a church, as a people of God, to the attitude and the 152 00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:22,840 mind of the gospel, if we're committed to the one faith, the one gospel, and we're striving 153 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:28,680 side by side, working side by side for the sake of the gospel, everyone who is an opponent 154 00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:40,880 of ours will fear. And they know that they're going to be destroyed. Why? Because we have 155 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:50,080 salvation in Christ. Notice what he says in verse 28, but of your salvation and that salvation 156 00:18:50,080 --> 00:19:01,600 from God. There it is again. You can't outrun it. The doctrine of election is all throughout 157 00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:08,840 the scripture. You can't outrun it. He even clarifies it again. For it has been granted 158 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:16,280 to you that for the sake of Christ, you should not only believe in him, but also suffer for 159 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:23,880 his sake. God has granted to you for the sake of himself, for the sake of Christ, that you 160 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:33,440 should believe in him. He granted it to you. It's a privilege. And if it's a privilege 161 00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:42,080 to know him because he has made himself known to you, then why would we live in a way that 162 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:56,380 contradicts that gospel? Verse 30, parentheses. Here's what I want to say. The parentheses 163 00:19:56,380 --> 00:20:06,920 are my words. If we are living for him and we are suffering for his sake, engage in the 164 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:13,560 same conflict, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still 165 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:27,720 have. In other words, we are all engaged in the same conflict. We are at war. Have we 166 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:36,120 really thought about that? That every day you wake up and you're at war. You're battling 167 00:20:36,120 --> 00:20:43,160 every single day. You're contending for the gospel. You're fighting for the gospel every 168 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:51,840 single day. Where does the war start? It starts with you. Why do I do the things I do not 169 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:59,100 want to do? But the things that I hate doing, I keep on doing. So guess what? You're literally 170 00:20:59,100 --> 00:21:06,120 at war with yourself every single day you wake up. Every single day you're at battle. 171 00:21:06,120 --> 00:21:09,320 Why am I doing this stuff? I don't want to do this stuff. And what do you continue to 172 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:18,040 do? The same stuff. So you're at war with yourself. Not only are you at war with yourself, 173 00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:25,000 you're at war with the culture. Just because there's wars happening overseas doesn't mean 174 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:32,920 there's not a real war happening in your life right now. All of us are at war. Just because 175 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:40,760 you sit at home, you're able to make, on a cold day, make some grilled cheese with tomatoes, 176 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:49,280 have a bowl of soup. That doesn't mean you're not at war. If we wake up and we go out into 177 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:53,760 the day and we realize, you know what, I need to gird myself today. I need to be ready for 178 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:58,640 battle today. Something's going to happen today that I need to be ready for. That's 179 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:09,040 a war mentality. Have we really thought about this? You're at war with false doctrine. You're 180 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:15,200 at war with culture. You're at war with yourself. You're at war with politics. You're at war 181 00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:26,120 with everything that's contrary to God. And that's why Paul says in verse 30, engage in 182 00:22:26,120 --> 00:22:35,760 the same conflict that you saw I had. If you are a contender for the gospel, you will be 183 00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:51,920 at conflict. It will be a battle. How important is that conflict? You see, if my highest motivating 184 00:22:51,920 --> 00:23:01,200 factor is the gospel and the most, and I take the most of every opportunity for the sake 185 00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:08,760 of the gospel, whether I live or die, Christ is my ultimate prize, I'm willing to go to 186 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:24,200 battle every single day. We're at war. Everyone else knows they're at war with you. You experience 187 00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:32,520 it every day. We sit behind our televisions and we go, well, see, and you point out all 188 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:38,840 the things that the culture's doing and you're angry and you're frustrated. They're at war 189 00:23:38,840 --> 00:23:49,360 and they're winning the war. Do you know why? Because they understand their mission. And 190 00:23:49,360 --> 00:23:55,960 the world culture does the same mission all the time. They're one spirit and they're one 191 00:23:55,960 --> 00:24:09,480 mind. That's to destroy Christian value. Let's be honest. We're losing the battle. Why? Because 192 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:13,880 we got churches creating their own gospel and creating their own God and creating their 193 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:19,560 own doctrine because they don't like the gospel and they don't like the God and they don't 194 00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:23,920 like the doctrine that God has. They want their own doctrine, their own ways and their 195 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:33,480 own things and their own ideas. I can do it better. And that's what Paul's reminding the 196 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:41,740 church of Philippi. Continue to contend, continue to fight, continue to be at war, continue 197 00:24:41,740 --> 00:24:55,160 in the gospel. That's the point. I want to close with this last statement. Turn to Revelation. 198 00:24:55,160 --> 00:25:04,400 And this is what Jesus reminds the church in Ephesus. It's interesting when you read 199 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:09,800 Revelation chapter 2, you have the church of Ephesus, the church of Smyrna, the church 200 00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:14,560 of Pergamum, the church of Thyatira, the church of Sardis, the church of Philadelphia, and 201 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:28,120 the church of the Laodiceans. Guess who's not mentioned in this list? Philippi. So everybody 202 00:25:28,120 --> 00:25:37,240 looks, oh, there's the seven churches. But Philippi still existed. Do we forget that? 203 00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:45,720 Why aren't they mentioned in this list? Because they had no issues. Not that they're perfect. 204 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:50,860 Look what it says to the church of Ephesus. The reason why I picked Ephesus to share this 205 00:25:50,860 --> 00:25:55,240 with you is because it's the same kind of message that Paul gives the church of Ephesus 206 00:25:55,240 --> 00:25:59,640 as he gives to Philippi. But church of Ephesus, it's a rebuke. Church of Philippi, it's an 207 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:04,680 exhortation. It says to the angel of the church, to the pastor of the church of Ephesus. That's 208 00:26:04,680 --> 00:26:10,020 what that word angel means, messenger. To the messenger of the church in Ephesus, the 209 00:26:10,020 --> 00:26:15,020 words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven 210 00:26:15,020 --> 00:26:22,420 golden lampstands. I know your works, your toil, and your patient endurance, and how 211 00:26:22,420 --> 00:26:29,960 you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles 212 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:36,840 and are not, and found them to be false. We can assume, first of all, this is the church 213 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:44,800 that Timothy was overseeing. He did a pretty decent job getting these people to this point. 214 00:26:44,800 --> 00:26:54,800 There's one thing that's missing here. I want you to see this. I know you are enduring patiently 215 00:26:54,800 --> 00:27:02,840 and bearing up for my namesake and have not grown weary, but I have this against you, 216 00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:13,720 that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember, therefore, from where you 217 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:22,020 have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove 218 00:27:22,020 --> 00:27:35,520 your lampstand from its place unless you repent. What have they stopped loving? I'm sure there 219 00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:42,560 have been, I know when I first came across this, I kept having this idea that I had left 220 00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:49,280 Jesus. I hadn't loved Jesus. And so I had this idea that I had to go back and do all 221 00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:53,640 the things I was supposed to do as a believer in order to fall in love with Jesus more. 222 00:27:53,640 --> 00:28:03,280 You know what they are, right? Prayer and studying the Bible. You get this list of do's. 223 00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:08,840 But that's not what Jesus is saying here. What was the first thing you fell in love 224 00:28:08,840 --> 00:28:19,960 with? When you came face to face with the living God, the Holy Spirit, not literally 225 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:31,800 face to face, what did you fall in love with about Jesus? Was it him? Did you love Jesus? 226 00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:40,280 No, it wasn't Jesus. See, if you really look at Jesus, you would not want to love him at 227 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:46,640 all because he's an approach to me in the condition that I was before I came to the 228 00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:53,240 realization of who he is. You know what I fell in love with? His gospel. I fell in love 229 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:58,200 with the story. I fell in love with this amazing, why would this man die on a cross, was buried 230 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:06,280 in the rose again? And how did I come to love the gospel? The Holy Spirit. And what happened 231 00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:11,840 when I came to love the gospel? The Spirit came and dwelt in me and he illuminated me 232 00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:16,920 to the truth of this wonderful gospel. And my response to that wonderful gospel was to 233 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:22,520 surrender my life to this King. And the only way I can understand that wonderful gospel 234 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:30,120 is that the Holy Spirit had to be present for me to understand this wonderful gospel. 235 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:36,520 It's the gospel and that's what he says to the church of Ephesus, you left the gospel. 236 00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:40,760 You left the thing you loved at first. And do you remember what happened when you first 237 00:29:40,760 --> 00:29:51,960 came to Christ? What did you do? You went and told people. Shouted from the mountaintops. 238 00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:58,480 You went and told people. It's the first thing you're going to do. Jesus is Lord. You need 239 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:06,280 to know there's Jesus. You want an example of that from scripture? The woman at the well. 240 00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:14,320 Did she say a prayer? Did she say, Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner and I know you died on 241 00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:21,920 a cross for me, man. If you would, kid, if you would, would you forgive me? No. I'm not 242 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:27,360 a sinner. She came face to face with the living God and ran to the city and told the people, 243 00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:36,760 come and see this man who told me all about my life. A prayer don't save you. God saves 244 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:41,880 you. And your only response to an awesome and living and loving God is to proclaim him 245 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:46,520 to everyone that you come in contact with. That is your responsibility. That's what he's 246 00:30:46,520 --> 00:30:51,160 telling the church of Philippi. Contend for the gospel. Keep the gospel. Fight for the 247 00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:56,400 gospel. We are struggling together for the gospel. That's all he keeps saying in chapter 248 00:30:56,400 --> 00:31:02,200 one. Perseverance in the gospel. The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is not just 249 00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:09,600 that God God perseveres us when he returns. He perseveres us every single day in the gospel 250 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:22,960 and in Christ. Isn't that an amazing thought? Every day you're persevering in Christ. Okay? 251 00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:28,840 Father, I want to thank you so much for your faithfulness and goodness. Thank you, Lord, 252 00:31:28,840 --> 00:31:35,200 for your word. Thank you for this wonderful gospel. Help us to love you supremely for 253 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:43,600 your glory. Amen.