WEBVTT 00:00:01.380 --> 00:00:06.700 Welcome to NECF Sermons. Each message here is 00:00:06.700 --> 00:00:09.720 designed to uplift and strengthen you in your 00:00:09.720 --> 00:00:14.019 walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until 00:00:14.019 --> 00:00:17.960 the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive 00:00:17.960 --> 00:00:22.879 right in. Hallelujah. If what you think is making 00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:25.300 you right with God is your works, then you will 00:00:25.300 --> 00:00:29.920 not understand the joy that is in the Lord. Which 00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:32.420 is from the law but that which is through faith 00:00:32.420 --> 00:00:35.159 in Christ. The righteousness which is from God 00:00:35.159 --> 00:00:39.500 by faith. And I may know him and the power of 00:00:39.500 --> 00:00:41.960 his resurrection that in the fellowship of his 00:00:41.960 --> 00:00:45.240 sufferings being conformed to his death. If by 00:00:45.240 --> 00:00:48.439 any means I may attain to the resurrection from 00:00:48.439 --> 00:00:51.520 the death. Not that I have already attained or 00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:54.520 I'm already perfected. But I praise him that 00:00:54.520 --> 00:00:56.679 I may lay hold of that of which Christ Jesus 00:00:56.679 --> 00:01:01.679 has also laid. uphold for me. Hallelujah. And 00:01:01.679 --> 00:01:05.519 we sang a song about a man that is blessed. And 00:01:05.519 --> 00:01:07.739 that is the reality of every single man that 00:01:07.739 --> 00:01:10.359 has believed in Jesus Christ. You are a blessed 00:01:10.359 --> 00:01:12.980 man. You are a blessed woman. You are a blessed 00:01:12.980 --> 00:01:14.200 man. You are a blessed woman. Tell your neighbor, 00:01:14.280 --> 00:01:18.560 say, I'm a blessed man. I'm a blessed man. I'm 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:20.859 a blessed man. And that should be the reason 00:01:20.859 --> 00:01:24.739 for rejoicing. Amen? We are rejoicing because 00:01:24.739 --> 00:01:29.150 we are blessed in Christ. The psalmist said that 00:01:29.150 --> 00:01:31.810 blessed is that man to whom God does not what? 00:01:32.549 --> 00:01:37.870 Does not impute to your account iniquities. And 00:01:37.870 --> 00:01:41.730 pastor made us to read in Romans. Hallelujah. 00:01:42.150 --> 00:01:45.629 In Romans chapter 4. It's amazing. Let's go back 00:01:45.629 --> 00:01:48.590 to read and see. In Romans chapter 4. He read 00:01:48.590 --> 00:01:53.450 from verse 1. And then he was giving us a context 00:01:53.450 --> 00:01:55.430 of Abraham. Remember the person that wrote this 00:01:55.430 --> 00:02:01.599 was. Paul, right? He says, what then shall we 00:02:01.599 --> 00:02:04.500 say that Abraham, our father, has found according 00:02:04.500 --> 00:02:07.719 to the flesh? That means the blessedness or the 00:02:07.719 --> 00:02:09.580 blessings of Abraham wasn't according to the 00:02:09.580 --> 00:02:13.900 flesh. The flesh here refers to works. Hallelujah. 00:02:14.419 --> 00:02:18.740 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has 00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:23.379 something to boast about. Amen? If his justification 00:02:23.379 --> 00:02:26.080 was because he did something right, Or he did 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:27.860 something good. Then he will have something to 00:02:27.860 --> 00:02:32.639 hold on to. To boast. To be proudful of. But 00:02:32.639 --> 00:02:36.159 not before God. Verse 3. For what does the scripture 00:02:36.159 --> 00:02:41.259 say? Abraham believed God. And what? And it was 00:02:41.259 --> 00:02:43.879 counted to him for what? For righteousness. So 00:02:43.879 --> 00:02:48.439 Abraham believed in God. And he was made righteous 00:02:48.439 --> 00:02:53.560 by God. Now to him who works. The wages. Are 00:02:53.560 --> 00:02:58.259 not counted as grace but death. So all of us 00:02:58.259 --> 00:03:02.900 are partakers of this grace. For we believe as 00:03:02.900 --> 00:03:06.639 Abraham believed. We are partakers of the blessedness 00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:09.620 of Abraham. Because Abraham believed and it was 00:03:09.620 --> 00:03:13.039 according to him as righteousness. Verse 5. But 00:03:13.039 --> 00:03:16.439 to him who doesn't walk. Believes on him who 00:03:16.439 --> 00:03:19.620 justifies the ungodly. Amen. This is where we 00:03:19.620 --> 00:03:24.919 are. God justifies us. We were ungodly. We were 00:03:24.919 --> 00:03:28.039 not worthy of coming to him. We were not accepted. 00:03:28.419 --> 00:03:31.180 The pastors say that we were cursed. It means 00:03:31.180 --> 00:03:35.520 that we were cut off. We were disengaged from 00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:38.319 the family of God. But then we see in Christ 00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:42.659 we are blessed. We are united in him. But to 00:03:42.659 --> 00:03:46.219 him who does not walk. but believes on him who 00:03:46.219 --> 00:03:49.520 justifies the ungodly. His faith is accounted 00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:53.360 for righteousness. Just as David also described 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:56.800 the blessedness of the man, say the blessedness 00:03:56.800 --> 00:04:00.419 of I, put your name, the blessedness of Fred, 00:04:00.599 --> 00:04:03.759 if you are blessed, you put your name there. 00:04:05.580 --> 00:04:08.139 Just as David also described the blessedness 00:04:08.139 --> 00:04:11.669 of that man, and that man, I am that man. To 00:04:11.669 --> 00:04:14.590 whom God imputes righteousness apart from works. 00:04:15.389 --> 00:04:17.029 Imagine that you have to work for righteousness. 00:04:17.589 --> 00:04:21.910 I'm telling you, you'll be living with a lot 00:04:21.910 --> 00:04:28.910 of burden that you cannot bear. Hallelujah. Blessed 00:04:28.910 --> 00:04:32.709 are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven. And 00:04:32.709 --> 00:04:36.529 I'm that man. And whose sins are covered. Blessed 00:04:36.529 --> 00:04:39.529 is a man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin. 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:45.160 And that is the reality of the believer. So, 00:04:45.259 --> 00:04:50.500 with this context in mind, in Philippians chapter 00:04:50.500 --> 00:04:53.319 3, we see Paul will tell the Philippian church, 00:04:53.500 --> 00:05:00.480 do what? Rejoice in the Lord. For me to tell 00:05:00.480 --> 00:05:03.399 you this thing over and over and over again is 00:05:03.399 --> 00:05:09.300 for your safety. For me to tell you to keep rejoicing 00:05:09.300 --> 00:05:12.779 is for your safety. It's for your preservation. 00:05:13.300 --> 00:05:16.759 It's for your protection. It's to your advantage. 00:05:18.319 --> 00:05:21.220 Hallelujah. That is the reason for rejoicing. 00:05:22.959 --> 00:05:26.300 That we are blessed. That is the reason for rejoicing. 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:29.779 That we are blessed men. Now one of the most 00:05:29.779 --> 00:05:33.439 important virtues of the kingdom of God is joy 00:05:33.439 --> 00:05:38.439 in the Holy Ghost. Amen. It's what? It's joy 00:05:38.439 --> 00:05:41.519 in the Holy Ghost. And let's look at Romans. 00:05:41.620 --> 00:05:50.779 Romans 14, verse 17. Romans 14, verse 17. Romans 00:05:50.779 --> 00:05:53.439 14, verse 17. It says, for the kingdom of God 00:05:53.439 --> 00:05:59.920 is not what? It's not eating and drinking, but 00:05:59.920 --> 00:06:03.730 it's righteousness. And this righteousness is 00:06:03.730 --> 00:06:06.990 not out of the works you do, but it's the righteousness 00:06:06.990 --> 00:06:10.250 that is imputed to our account. And what? And 00:06:10.250 --> 00:06:14.569 peace. And then we see what? We see joy in the 00:06:14.569 --> 00:06:18.329 Holy Spirit. And when we're asking ourselves 00:06:18.329 --> 00:06:22.329 to rejoice, I see some people standing. And I 00:06:22.329 --> 00:06:24.129 can assure you that if you're not rejoicing, 00:06:24.310 --> 00:06:27.329 it's only a reflection of your knowledge of what 00:06:27.329 --> 00:06:35.019 we're talking about. Amen. It's a litmus test 00:06:35.019 --> 00:06:39.740 to your understanding of what Christ has done. 00:06:41.660 --> 00:06:43.879 Because as Pastor said, they were on their way 00:06:43.879 --> 00:06:47.459 to Emmaus and then suddenly there's a revelation. 00:06:48.040 --> 00:06:51.220 Their journey changed. They came back rejoicing. 00:06:51.800 --> 00:06:54.579 Hallelujah. That should be what will happen to 00:06:54.579 --> 00:06:57.319 us daily as we come across the revelation of 00:06:57.319 --> 00:07:00.779 Christ. Our mentality about living and about 00:07:00.779 --> 00:07:04.410 life changes totally. We have joy in us. Joy 00:07:04.410 --> 00:07:06.110 is not something that will come from somewhere 00:07:06.110 --> 00:07:09.949 else as a believer. You already have joy in you. 00:07:10.310 --> 00:07:13.910 Galatians 5 verse 22. Give me an amplified. Galatians 00:07:13.910 --> 00:07:17.850 5 verse 22. Galatians 5 verse 22. It says, but 00:07:17.850 --> 00:07:22.689 the fruit of the spirit that is a result of his 00:07:22.689 --> 00:07:25.990 presence within us. If you are born again, you 00:07:25.990 --> 00:07:29.170 have the spirit in you. He lives in you. When 00:07:29.170 --> 00:07:32.110 he became born again. So the fruit or the result 00:07:32.110 --> 00:07:36.610 of his presence within us is what? Is love. Unselfish 00:07:36.610 --> 00:07:39.810 concern for others. And we see joy. This joy 00:07:39.810 --> 00:07:43.189 is inner joy, inner peace. Patience, not ability 00:07:43.189 --> 00:07:45.470 to wait, but how we act while waiting. Kindness, 00:07:45.529 --> 00:07:47.870 godliness, goodness, faithfulness. Let's look 00:07:47.870 --> 00:07:52.410 at this text in the TPT, the Passion Translation. 00:07:53.290 --> 00:07:58.199 It says, but the fruit produced. By the Holy 00:07:58.199 --> 00:08:02.480 Spirit within you is what? Is divine love. And 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:05.639 this is how love expresses itself. In all its 00:08:05.639 --> 00:08:09.939 various expression, joy that overflows. Hallelujah. 00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:14.000 So when you are a believer, you have the Spirit 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:16.680 of God in you. And what we see in the Spirit 00:08:16.680 --> 00:08:18.980 of God that is within you is an expression of 00:08:18.980 --> 00:08:25.639 joy. Always we see the expression of joy. Regardless 00:08:25.639 --> 00:08:28.899 of situations, we see joy. The varied expression, 00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:33.620 joy that overflows. Not just being happy. Amen? 00:08:33.860 --> 00:08:36.019 You know, you can be happy because of a moment. 00:08:36.700 --> 00:08:38.720 You can be happy because of something that has 00:08:38.720 --> 00:08:42.519 happened momentarily. But this joy is an eternal 00:08:42.519 --> 00:08:45.759 joy. It's an inner joy that is within us, that 00:08:45.759 --> 00:08:49.399 is imputed in us. It's a work of the Holy Spirit. 00:08:50.960 --> 00:08:53.539 So we see Paul kept emphasizing to the church. 00:08:54.849 --> 00:08:58.610 About rejoicing or joy in this letter in Philippians. 00:08:58.690 --> 00:09:02.590 For example, in Philippians 1 verse 4. We see 00:09:02.590 --> 00:09:10.590 enumerated in a text. Chapter 1 verse 4. Let 00:09:10.590 --> 00:09:12.730 me read from verse 3. It says, I thank my God 00:09:12.730 --> 00:09:15.830 upon every remembrance of you. Always in every 00:09:15.830 --> 00:09:21.450 prayer of mine. Making requests for you all with 00:09:21.450 --> 00:09:27.039 joy. It's his lifestyle. And his prayer is full 00:09:27.039 --> 00:09:33.299 of joy. Alright? Verse 18. Even when people were 00:09:33.299 --> 00:09:35.519 saying bad things about him. Even when people 00:09:35.519 --> 00:09:38.179 were criticizing him. Even when people were preaching 00:09:38.179 --> 00:09:40.159 the gospel in order to haunt him. Let's see what 00:09:40.159 --> 00:09:44.559 it says. What then? Only that in every way, whether 00:09:44.559 --> 00:09:48.600 in pretense or in truth, Christ is what? Is preached. 00:09:48.759 --> 00:09:51.190 So even when they are blackmailing him, Even 00:09:51.190 --> 00:09:53.490 when what they were preaching was meant to do 00:09:53.490 --> 00:09:59.250 what? To hurt him. He says, and in this I what? 00:09:59.529 --> 00:10:03.549 I rejoice. Yes. And I will what? I will rejoice. 00:10:03.750 --> 00:10:07.610 And his rejoicing is because of his position 00:10:07.610 --> 00:10:12.070 in Christ. Because of his eternal reality. Because 00:10:12.070 --> 00:10:14.929 of his eternal what? Blessings that he has in 00:10:14.929 --> 00:10:21.480 Christ Jesus. Chapter 2, verse 2. He says, fulfill 00:10:21.480 --> 00:10:24.200 my joy by being like -minded, having the same 00:10:24.200 --> 00:10:28.879 love, being of one accord, of one mind. We see 00:10:28.879 --> 00:10:34.580 also in verse 17. It says, yes, and if I am being 00:10:34.580 --> 00:10:38.700 poured out as a dream offering on the sacrifice 00:10:38.700 --> 00:10:44.259 and service of your faith, I'm glad and rejoice 00:10:44.259 --> 00:10:49.509 with you all. For the same reason, you also be 00:10:49.509 --> 00:10:54.850 glad and rejoice with me. Chapter 3, verse 1 00:10:54.850 --> 00:10:57.649 that we read, of course. And later on, we'll 00:10:57.649 --> 00:10:59.490 go to chapter 4. We'll see him making emphasis 00:10:59.490 --> 00:11:04.850 again. Chapter 4, verse 1. It says, therefore, 00:11:04.889 --> 00:11:08.750 my beloved and longed for brethren, my joy and 00:11:08.750 --> 00:11:11.750 crown. So stand fast in the beloved. Verse 4. 00:11:11.850 --> 00:11:14.610 It says, rejoice in the Lord. Always again, I 00:11:14.610 --> 00:11:18.490 will say what? Rejoice. Always I say rejoice. 00:11:20.389 --> 00:11:26.429 Why the emphasis on rejoicing? Joy is not a result 00:11:26.429 --> 00:11:30.330 of an external situation. Either good or bad. 00:11:31.409 --> 00:11:35.710 Hallelujah. We rejoice not because our week has 00:11:35.710 --> 00:11:38.629 been good. We rejoice not because our enemies, 00:11:38.929 --> 00:11:42.009 you know some people, what makes them happy is 00:11:42.009 --> 00:11:46.259 to see others. When they see others failing, 00:11:46.460 --> 00:11:54.700 that's a sign of witchcraft. What gives you joy 00:11:54.700 --> 00:11:59.580 is to see the downfall of others. Listen, even 00:11:59.580 --> 00:12:02.100 if the failure of your enemy makes you happy, 00:12:02.360 --> 00:12:06.419 makes you joyful, and there's a problem, it's 00:12:06.419 --> 00:12:11.860 a question mark on where your heart is. Hallelujah. 00:12:14.090 --> 00:12:16.269 So what does it mean to rejoice? What does it 00:12:16.269 --> 00:12:20.169 mean to rejoice? That word rejoice in chapter 00:12:20.169 --> 00:12:28.509 3, verse 2, verse 1 rather, is a verb, is a word, 00:12:28.649 --> 00:12:33.309 kairo, a verb which means to be glad. It means 00:12:33.309 --> 00:12:36.549 to express joy. Let me spell it, it's C -H -A 00:12:36.549 --> 00:12:41.250 -I -R -O in the Greek. It means what? To be glad, 00:12:41.389 --> 00:12:44.429 to express joy is something that is not just 00:12:44.429 --> 00:12:48.690 a feeling inside, but is an expression. It's 00:12:48.690 --> 00:12:51.330 an expression, and we do rejoice, and we rejoice. 00:12:51.950 --> 00:12:55.549 We express joy from outside. And we see in the 00:12:55.549 --> 00:12:58.169 Bible also, Jesus Christ himself rejoiced. Amen? 00:12:58.549 --> 00:13:02.169 Luke chapter 10, verse 17. Luke chapter 10, verse 00:13:02.169 --> 00:13:07.450 17, briefly. We see Jesus himself rejoicing. 00:13:08.190 --> 00:13:15.169 Luke chapter 10. Verse 17. Very important that 00:13:15.169 --> 00:13:21.850 we open our Bibles. We participate. Then the 00:13:21.850 --> 00:13:26.549 servant returned with joy. And this joy is a 00:13:26.549 --> 00:13:31.590 noun, right? It's a noun. They returned with 00:13:31.590 --> 00:13:34.269 joy saying, Lord, even the demons are subject 00:13:34.269 --> 00:13:42.440 to us in your name. Verse 18, quickly. And he 00:13:42.440 --> 00:13:45.139 said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning 00:13:45.139 --> 00:13:48.659 from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority 00:13:48.659 --> 00:13:52.340 to trample upon serpents and scorpions and over 00:13:52.340 --> 00:13:55.139 all the power of the enemy and nothing shall 00:13:55.139 --> 00:14:00.960 by any means hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice 00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:04.139 in this. Do not rejoice in what? Do not rejoice 00:14:04.139 --> 00:14:08.460 in the downfall of the demonic forces. Do not 00:14:08.460 --> 00:14:10.639 so much be filled with... What should motivate 00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:14.059 you is not the demons and what has happened to 00:14:14.059 --> 00:14:18.000 them. Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:22.419 are subject to you, but rather rejoice because 00:14:22.419 --> 00:14:27.360 of your heavenly reality. Amen? What should prompt 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:30.740 joy from us is what? Is that our names are written 00:14:30.740 --> 00:14:38.299 in heaven. And in verse 20, We see Jesus himself 00:14:38.299 --> 00:14:43.120 rejoicing. He says in that very hour, verse 21, 00:14:43.340 --> 00:14:47.279 in that hour, Jesus rejoiced in the spirit and 00:14:47.279 --> 00:14:51.019 said, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and 00:14:51.019 --> 00:14:53.340 earth, that you have hidden these things from 00:14:53.340 --> 00:14:55.940 them, wise and prudent, and revealed them to 00:14:55.940 --> 00:15:01.159 babes. See, revelation, right, will birth rejoicing. 00:15:03.080 --> 00:15:07.289 Amen? Revelation. In what God has done for us. 00:15:07.409 --> 00:15:13.730 We give back through rejoicing. Even so father. 00:15:13.929 --> 00:15:16.970 So it is seem good in your sight. So Jesus asked 00:15:16.970 --> 00:15:19.309 his disciples. To rejoice not because of the 00:15:19.309 --> 00:15:22.529 miracles. But rather because of their heavenly 00:15:22.529 --> 00:15:26.269 reality. And this should be the reason we rejoice 00:15:26.269 --> 00:15:29.909 always. Not for anything but else. Our spiritual 00:15:29.909 --> 00:15:33.809 reality. That we are forgiven of our sins. Hallelujah. 00:15:34.889 --> 00:15:40.669 That in our account is not sin imputed. That 00:15:40.669 --> 00:15:43.330 we are members of God's household. We are members 00:15:43.330 --> 00:15:47.269 of God's family. That we are sons in the kingdom. 00:15:47.830 --> 00:15:52.149 We rejoice because God is our inheritance. God 00:15:52.149 --> 00:15:55.169 is our heritage. God doesn't just give us an 00:15:55.169 --> 00:15:57.789 inheritance. But he becomes our inheritance. 00:15:59.509 --> 00:16:04.080 And we lack no good thing. We rejoice because 00:16:04.080 --> 00:16:07.460 we are eternally united with him. We are not 00:16:07.460 --> 00:16:11.039 cursed, but we are what? We are blessed. We are 00:16:11.039 --> 00:16:14.299 united with God, and this unity is an eternal 00:16:14.299 --> 00:16:18.039 unity. Nothing shall separate us from the love 00:16:18.039 --> 00:16:23.340 of God. Not even sin has the ability to separate 00:16:23.340 --> 00:16:25.080 the believer from the love of God because Christ 00:16:25.080 --> 00:16:29.940 has died. Hallelujah. Because Jesus has died 00:16:29.940 --> 00:16:32.559 for us. Because Jesus has died for you. So we 00:16:32.559 --> 00:16:39.879 what? So we rejoice. We rejoice always. Of course, 00:16:39.899 --> 00:16:41.899 the word here that Jesus, we see another word 00:16:41.899 --> 00:16:44.919 for rejoicing, agaleo, which means to rejoice 00:16:44.919 --> 00:16:49.519 greatly. It means to leap for joy. To exalt, 00:16:49.559 --> 00:16:54.899 to leap for joy. So we rejoice always in what? 00:16:55.299 --> 00:16:59.179 In the Lord. In the Lord simply means in the 00:16:59.179 --> 00:17:05.119 understanding of what he has done for us. And 00:17:05.119 --> 00:17:10.759 the second part of Philippians 3 verse 1. It 00:17:10.759 --> 00:17:13.359 says, for to write the same thing to you is not 00:17:13.359 --> 00:17:17.880 tedious. But for you it is saved. It is saved. 00:17:18.980 --> 00:17:21.119 Probably in his meeting with them he always tells 00:17:21.119 --> 00:17:25.940 them to rejoice. Been telling them the same thing. 00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:28.880 Their reality, what God has done for them in 00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:31.359 Christ Jesus. And his emphasis always for them 00:17:31.359 --> 00:17:35.160 is to express joy. He says, for me to write the 00:17:35.160 --> 00:17:38.440 same things to you is not tedious. It's not burdensome 00:17:38.440 --> 00:17:42.460 for me. But it's for your own safety. So even 00:17:42.460 --> 00:17:45.200 for us as a church, to keep emphasizing a certain 00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:50.579 truth is for our safety. To write the same thing 00:17:50.579 --> 00:17:55.400 is repetition. So when Paul was in Philippi, 00:17:56.039 --> 00:17:59.700 He has disclosed many of the same points as he 00:17:59.700 --> 00:18:01.680 has subsequently recorded in his letters to them. 00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:04.920 We see the consistency of his communication, 00:18:05.140 --> 00:18:07.259 revealing to the believer, even when we read 00:18:07.259 --> 00:18:10.420 in Romans, to the church, the Roman church, we 00:18:10.420 --> 00:18:14.740 saw him emphasizing what? The blessedness that 00:18:14.740 --> 00:18:17.819 we have received, which is a function of faith 00:18:17.819 --> 00:18:21.779 and not of works. Repetition is very important 00:18:21.779 --> 00:18:27.839 in mastery of biblical truth. And applying them 00:18:27.839 --> 00:18:36.180 in our lives. You know, one popular theologian, 00:18:36.220 --> 00:18:38.380 a preacher, Charles Swindon, said something, 00:18:38.440 --> 00:18:40.619 and I caught it. He says, I preach the grace 00:18:40.619 --> 00:18:45.180 message every week because my people forget it 00:18:45.180 --> 00:18:50.279 every week. That's the reason for the emphasis. 00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:53.720 And sometimes you hear him saying something over 00:18:53.720 --> 00:18:55.480 and over and over again throughout the year. 00:18:56.690 --> 00:18:59.710 Listen, there is no message apart from the message 00:18:59.710 --> 00:19:02.490 that we've preached. There is no new message. 00:19:05.589 --> 00:19:07.690 And then a pastor says something. He says, when 00:19:07.690 --> 00:19:11.049 I first began to preach, I was so afraid to repeat 00:19:11.049 --> 00:19:19.450 myself. Now I am afraid I won't. He says he's 00:19:19.450 --> 00:19:23.809 afraid that he wouldn't repeat himself. How much 00:19:23.809 --> 00:19:26.829 of a message do people understand? How much do 00:19:26.829 --> 00:19:31.049 they retain? Will they recognize if they heard 00:19:31.049 --> 00:19:36.869 it in a slightly different form? So the emphasis 00:19:36.869 --> 00:19:39.230 of the truth concerning the grace of God can 00:19:39.230 --> 00:19:43.089 never be overemphasized to the believer. And 00:19:43.089 --> 00:19:45.410 when we are filled with this understanding, it 00:19:45.410 --> 00:19:47.829 changes the way we live daily. It seems as though 00:19:47.829 --> 00:19:50.529 we walk through the week and we forget that we 00:19:50.529 --> 00:19:53.369 are saved by grace. And we want to manipulate 00:19:53.369 --> 00:19:56.630 our way to pleasing God. And when we come back 00:19:56.630 --> 00:19:58.569 to church, if we are not reminded that we are 00:19:58.569 --> 00:20:00.809 saved by grace, we will maintain our stability 00:20:00.809 --> 00:20:05.309 there. And that takes away our joy. That takes 00:20:05.309 --> 00:20:07.569 away the blessings that we have. That takes away 00:20:07.569 --> 00:20:11.230 the enjoyment, the flow of what God has done 00:20:11.230 --> 00:20:15.190 in us. It limits us from enjoying the blessedness 00:20:15.190 --> 00:20:20.529 that we have in Christ Jesus. So I say we have 00:20:20.529 --> 00:20:25.589 no new truth, but one truth. No new message, 00:20:25.650 --> 00:20:29.230 but the same message. No fresh revelation, but 00:20:29.230 --> 00:20:34.109 the revelation that is in the scriptures. We 00:20:34.109 --> 00:20:37.710 only have a better understanding of what has 00:20:37.710 --> 00:20:42.710 been taught in the scriptures. To some, it may 00:20:42.710 --> 00:20:47.650 be boring. But that's where our safety lies. 00:20:47.910 --> 00:20:52.170 Hallelujah. It's told them rejoice. To repeat 00:20:52.170 --> 00:20:54.589 the same thing to you again is not tedious for 00:20:54.589 --> 00:21:01.289 me. But it is to your advantage. And we see Paul 00:21:01.289 --> 00:21:06.450 enter another admonition in verse 2. He warns 00:21:06.450 --> 00:21:11.650 the church about a certain group of people. He 00:21:11.650 --> 00:21:13.549 warns the church about a certain group of people. 00:21:13.589 --> 00:21:19.250 He says, beware of dogs. This is popular. I don't 00:21:19.250 --> 00:21:22.170 know. How do they write it in Turkish? Here, 00:21:22.250 --> 00:21:29.509 you see houses? They put decat, right? Copec, 00:21:29.529 --> 00:21:37.910 var. Caution. That's beware of dogs. And when 00:21:37.910 --> 00:21:39.970 I saw this word in the scripture, I went on to 00:21:39.970 --> 00:21:42.789 make research, and I discovered, actually, that 00:21:42.789 --> 00:21:49.390 this sentence, beware of dogs, came into prominence 00:21:49.390 --> 00:21:53.650 in the first century. During the Roman Empire. 00:21:54.150 --> 00:21:56.049 So since from then they used to write beware 00:21:56.049 --> 00:21:59.549 of dogs in their houses up to today. People still 00:21:59.549 --> 00:22:04.769 write beware of dogs. He went on to say beware 00:22:04.769 --> 00:22:11.289 of dogs. Beware of what? Of evil walkers. Beware 00:22:11.289 --> 00:22:17.069 of the mutilation. These are heavy words. These 00:22:17.069 --> 00:22:22.359 are heavy words. Who are these dogs? Or what 00:22:22.359 --> 00:22:25.619 does it mean to be? Is it literal ducks? That 00:22:25.619 --> 00:22:27.359 he doesn't want them to be bitten by a duck? 00:22:29.619 --> 00:22:33.700 Here, a duck is a metaphor for people. I read 00:22:33.700 --> 00:22:36.599 together. Duck is a metaphor for people. The 00:22:36.599 --> 00:22:39.539 ducks in the first part of this verse are similar 00:22:39.539 --> 00:22:41.839 to evil workers. He's talking about the same 00:22:41.839 --> 00:22:44.339 set of people. Ducks are not different from evil 00:22:44.339 --> 00:22:48.579 workers. The ducks are the evil workers. The 00:22:48.579 --> 00:22:53.039 evil workers are what? Are the mutilation. Or 00:22:53.039 --> 00:22:55.480 I would say the mutilators. These three categories 00:22:55.480 --> 00:22:58.859 are all the same people. So what does it mean 00:22:58.859 --> 00:23:04.140 ducks, evil workers, and mutilation? Now mutilation 00:23:04.140 --> 00:23:09.579 is in reference to circumcision. Amen? Mutilation 00:23:09.579 --> 00:23:12.220 is in reference to circumcision. And when we 00:23:12.220 --> 00:23:14.819 talk about circumcision, we are talking about 00:23:14.819 --> 00:23:20.019 works. We are talking about, you know, the establishment. 00:23:21.539 --> 00:23:28.859 Of the law. In the Jewish nation. The word mutilation 00:23:28.859 --> 00:23:32.420 comes from two words. To cut and down. It means 00:23:32.420 --> 00:23:35.359 to cut off. Of course we know what circumcision 00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:39.440 is. This probably means the removal of the foreskin. 00:23:40.559 --> 00:23:44.059 Now Paul was using this phrase. contemptuously 00:23:44.059 --> 00:23:46.740 for the Jewish circumcision in contrast to what? 00:23:46.859 --> 00:23:49.579 To spiritual circumstance of their heart. In 00:23:49.579 --> 00:23:52.960 verse 3, he will say, for we are the circumcision 00:23:52.960 --> 00:23:58.099 who worship God in the spirit, rejoice in Christ 00:23:58.099 --> 00:24:03.099 Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. So, 00:24:03.180 --> 00:24:08.779 these dogs, this mutilation or these evildoers 00:24:08.779 --> 00:24:12.720 are those who Put their trust in works of the 00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:17.400 law for their justification. Those who put their 00:24:17.400 --> 00:24:20.859 trust in efforts of men to make themselves right 00:24:20.859 --> 00:24:24.299 with God. So Paul is warning them after saying 00:24:24.299 --> 00:24:27.980 rejoice in the Lord. Be careful because these 00:24:27.980 --> 00:24:31.200 dogs are capable of taking away your joy. These 00:24:31.200 --> 00:24:33.980 evil doers are capable of cutting away your joy. 00:24:34.119 --> 00:24:37.559 This mutilation is capable of taking away your 00:24:37.559 --> 00:24:41.460 joy. Beware. And we see Paul explain circumcision 00:24:41.460 --> 00:24:44.799 in the Bible and subsequent scriptures. Paul 00:24:44.799 --> 00:24:48.599 would stress that true circumcision is a spiritual 00:24:48.599 --> 00:24:52.019 thing, is an inward thing, an act of the heart 00:24:52.019 --> 00:24:55.480 by the spirit, not merely an external ritual. 00:24:56.880 --> 00:25:00.460 Of course, there was instruction for circumcision. 00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:04.619 And what was given in the Old Testament was a 00:25:04.619 --> 00:25:06.980 foreshadowing, right? We've talked this several 00:25:06.980 --> 00:25:09.759 times in church. Of what will happen in Christ. 00:25:12.880 --> 00:25:16.180 Was a mode of communicating what God will do 00:25:16.180 --> 00:25:19.880 in Christ. Circumcision itself is not what make 00:25:19.880 --> 00:25:23.359 a man right with God. Because Abraham, who we 00:25:23.359 --> 00:25:27.500 saw around on Passover Galatians 3, he was made 00:25:27.500 --> 00:25:30.779 right with God even before circumcision. Hallelujah. 00:25:31.579 --> 00:25:33.500 Even before the instruction for circumcision, 00:25:33.720 --> 00:25:37.240 Abraham was declared righteous before God. So 00:25:37.240 --> 00:25:41.019 what makes a man righteous is not anything physical 00:25:41.019 --> 00:25:45.339 and ceremonial. So we see Paul explaining in 00:25:45.339 --> 00:25:49.319 scriptures about circumcision. That is something 00:25:49.319 --> 00:25:52.559 spiritual, not merely an external ritual. Romans 00:25:52.559 --> 00:25:59.980 2, verse 28 and 29, quickly. Romans 2, 28. Romans 00:25:59.980 --> 00:26:05.720 2, 28. Talking about who a Jew is. It says, for 00:26:05.720 --> 00:26:09.480 he is not a Jew who is one outwardly. So being 00:26:09.480 --> 00:26:15.299 a Jew is not about physical appearance, nor a 00:26:15.299 --> 00:26:17.799 circumcision, that which is outward in the flesh. 00:26:20.740 --> 00:26:27.259 Verse 29. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly. 00:26:28.299 --> 00:26:32.299 And circumcision is that of what? of the heart, 00:26:32.559 --> 00:26:37.740 in the spirit, not in the letter, whose praise 00:26:37.740 --> 00:26:41.000 is not from men, but from God. So there are two 00:26:41.000 --> 00:26:43.920 types of circumcision. There's a physical circumcision, 00:26:43.940 --> 00:26:46.359 which is of the law, which is physical, which 00:26:46.359 --> 00:26:48.500 is outward, and there's a circumcision that is 00:26:48.500 --> 00:26:51.140 of the heart, which is spiritual, which is of 00:26:51.140 --> 00:26:58.079 God. Now, that which is of men is a foreshadowing 00:26:58.079 --> 00:27:02.940 of what is spiritual. It's Moses' mode of communication. 00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:09.039 Give me this same text in NLT. Romans 2, 28, 00:27:09.039 --> 00:27:14.140 29 in NLT. It says, no. It says, for you are 00:27:14.140 --> 00:27:16.359 not a true Jew just because you were born of 00:27:16.359 --> 00:27:19.420 Jewish parents or because you have gone through 00:27:19.420 --> 00:27:24.559 the ceremony of circumcision. No. A true Jew 00:27:24.559 --> 00:27:27.420 is one whose heart is right with God. He was 00:27:27.420 --> 00:27:30.019 communicating to the Jewish people. Because some 00:27:30.019 --> 00:27:32.099 of them were bragging of their identity. They 00:27:32.099 --> 00:27:33.599 were bragging of their nationality. They were 00:27:33.599 --> 00:27:36.500 bragging of their inclusion in the plan of God. 00:27:37.740 --> 00:27:40.740 And what are they bragging about? Their ceremonial 00:27:40.740 --> 00:27:43.579 activities that they do that makes them right 00:27:43.579 --> 00:27:47.960 in their own eyes. And true circumcision is not 00:27:47.960 --> 00:27:51.299 merely obeying the letter of the law. Rather, 00:27:51.440 --> 00:27:55.339 it is a change of heart. Now, this is what is 00:27:55.339 --> 00:27:59.410 circumcision. It's a change of heart. Produced 00:27:59.410 --> 00:28:05.609 by God's spirit. So circumcision is a separation 00:28:05.609 --> 00:28:10.569 of man from what? From works. From dead works. 00:28:11.369 --> 00:28:15.849 By the spirit of God. Through faith. And a person 00:28:15.849 --> 00:28:18.250 with a changed heart seeks praise from God. Not 00:28:18.250 --> 00:28:24.549 from people. Hallelujah. Paul argues that physical 00:28:24.549 --> 00:28:29.349 circumcision has no value in Christ. What matters 00:28:29.349 --> 00:28:32.670 is faith expressed itself through love. Galatians 00:28:32.670 --> 00:28:38.630 chapter 5 verse 6. Galatians 5 verse 6. NLT, 00:28:38.809 --> 00:28:43.509 Galatians 5 verse 6. For when we place our faith 00:28:43.509 --> 00:28:46.670 in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being 00:28:46.670 --> 00:28:51.349 circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important 00:28:51.349 --> 00:28:54.970 is faith expressed itself in love. John chapter 00:28:54.970 --> 00:29:05.720 6 verse 11 to 15. Galatians 6, 11. Yes. To 15. 00:29:05.859 --> 00:29:08.220 He says, notice that large letters I use as I 00:29:08.220 --> 00:29:11.680 write these words in my own handwriting. Those 00:29:11.680 --> 00:29:14.039 who are trying to force you to be circumcised 00:29:14.039 --> 00:29:18.140 want to look good to others. They don't want 00:29:18.140 --> 00:29:20.299 to be persecuted for teaching that the cross 00:29:20.299 --> 00:29:23.259 of Christ alone can save. So they tell them you 00:29:23.259 --> 00:29:28.450 can believe but be circumcised. That's what makes 00:29:28.450 --> 00:29:32.210 God accept you. Adding some little works here 00:29:32.210 --> 00:29:38.549 and there. Verse 18. And even those who advocate 00:29:38.549 --> 00:29:41.569 circumcision don't keep the whole law themselves. 00:29:42.670 --> 00:29:45.509 They only want you to be circumcised so they 00:29:45.509 --> 00:29:50.650 can boast about it and claim you as their disciples. 00:29:51.769 --> 00:29:56.529 As for me, may I never boast about anything except 00:29:56.529 --> 00:29:59.599 what? Except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:29:59.880 --> 00:30:04.400 Because of that cross, my interest in this world 00:30:04.400 --> 00:30:08.539 has been crucified. And the world's interest 00:30:08.539 --> 00:30:12.440 in me has also died. Verse 15. It doesn't matter 00:30:12.440 --> 00:30:15.200 whether we have been circumcised or not. What 00:30:15.200 --> 00:30:17.819 counts is whether we have been transformed. What? 00:30:18.000 --> 00:30:23.400 Into a new creation. Hallelujah. It's a transformation. 00:30:24.519 --> 00:30:26.839 Of the heart is the circumcision of the spirit. 00:30:27.240 --> 00:30:32.599 And that happens when a man believes. When a 00:30:32.599 --> 00:30:39.240 man believes. 2 Colossians 6. Colossians 2 verse 00:30:39.240 --> 00:30:46.440 6. Colossians 2 verse 6. And now just as you 00:30:46.440 --> 00:30:50.019 accepted Christ as your Lord. You must continue 00:30:50.019 --> 00:30:52.789 to follow him. Because in Galatians chapter 5, 00:30:52.890 --> 00:30:54.829 the apostle read and he was saying, oh foolish 00:30:54.829 --> 00:31:00.250 Galatians, who bewitched you? Who cast a spell? 00:31:00.329 --> 00:31:05.069 Who did you do on your mind? But after you've 00:31:05.069 --> 00:31:08.609 studied in faith, you've believed God, you trust 00:31:08.609 --> 00:31:11.230 God, you trust the finished work of God on the 00:31:11.230 --> 00:31:13.650 cross, of Christ on the cross, then you drift 00:31:13.650 --> 00:31:16.630 into ceremonies, activities to make yourself 00:31:16.630 --> 00:31:20.579 accepted. Are you not foolish? Are you not? I 00:31:20.579 --> 00:31:24.180 am not dumb. And now, just as you have accepted 00:31:24.180 --> 00:31:27.799 Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue 00:31:27.799 --> 00:31:35.160 to follow him. Quickly, please. Verse 7. Let 00:31:35.160 --> 00:31:40.220 your roots grow down into him and let your lives 00:31:40.220 --> 00:31:44.019 be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong 00:31:44.019 --> 00:31:46.359 in the truth you were taught. And what were you 00:31:46.359 --> 00:31:48.930 taught? You were taught about faith. And you 00:31:48.930 --> 00:31:51.009 will overflow with what? With thankfulness. That 00:31:51.009 --> 00:31:53.569 is rejoicing there. You overflow with thankfulness. 00:31:53.569 --> 00:31:58.170 Verse 8. Don't let anyone capture you with empty 00:31:58.170 --> 00:32:02.490 philosophies and high sounding nonsense that 00:32:02.490 --> 00:32:05.410 comes from human thinking and from spiritual 00:32:05.410 --> 00:32:08.369 powers of this world rather than from Christ. 00:32:09.789 --> 00:32:14.269 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in 00:32:14.269 --> 00:32:19.650 a human body. So you also. Are complete. How 00:32:19.650 --> 00:32:22.130 are you complete? You are complete through your 00:32:22.130 --> 00:32:26.029 union with Christ. Who is a head over every ruler 00:32:26.029 --> 00:32:30.730 and authority. When you came to Christ. You were 00:32:30.730 --> 00:32:34.109 circumcised. Hallelujah. When you came to Christ. 00:32:34.170 --> 00:32:36.890 What happened to you? You were circumcised. But 00:32:36.890 --> 00:32:40.650 not by fiscal procedure. Christ performed a spiritual 00:32:40.650 --> 00:32:43.789 circumcision. This is a spiritual circumcision. 00:32:44.240 --> 00:32:47.900 The cutting away of your sinful nature. The separation 00:32:47.900 --> 00:32:51.839 of man from sin is circumcision. It's a separation 00:32:51.839 --> 00:32:55.839 of the flesh. It's a picture of what Christ has 00:32:55.839 --> 00:32:59.839 done in a man that believes through the works 00:32:59.839 --> 00:33:03.960 of the Spirit. Verse 12. For you were buried 00:33:03.960 --> 00:33:06.359 with Christ when you were baptized and with him 00:33:06.359 --> 00:33:08.660 you were raised to new life because you trusted 00:33:08.660 --> 00:33:11.359 the mighty power of God who raised Christ from 00:33:11.359 --> 00:33:14.869 the dead. You were dead because of your sins 00:33:14.869 --> 00:33:18.089 and because your sinful nature was not yet cut 00:33:18.089 --> 00:33:21.730 away. Then God made you alive with Christ for 00:33:21.730 --> 00:33:25.089 he forgave all our sins. Verse 14. He canceled 00:33:25.089 --> 00:33:28.130 the record of the charges against us and took 00:33:28.130 --> 00:33:31.730 it away. That is circumcision. Took away by nailing 00:33:31.730 --> 00:33:36.710 it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed spiritual 00:33:36.710 --> 00:33:42.130 rulers. Amen. Authorities. He shamed them publicly. 00:33:42.839 --> 00:33:46.779 By his victory over them, where? In your works, 00:33:46.940 --> 00:33:54.240 in your fasting and prayers, on the cross. Hallelujah. 00:33:55.759 --> 00:33:59.940 So the dogs in Philippians 3 verse 2 were religious 00:33:59.940 --> 00:34:05.640 workers. They were those who believe in the flesh. 00:34:06.039 --> 00:34:10.400 They believe in upholding rituals for righteousness 00:34:10.400 --> 00:34:16.880 rather than faith. Their religion involves deceitful 00:34:16.880 --> 00:34:21.880 works. It is deceitful because it distorts the 00:34:21.880 --> 00:34:28.360 true gospel and the Christian life. That is why 00:34:28.360 --> 00:34:33.659 it is called evil works. It's called evil works 00:34:33.659 --> 00:34:36.719 because it distorts the true gospel which is 00:34:36.719 --> 00:34:41.519 focused on what Christ has done. So, if you are 00:34:41.519 --> 00:34:44.980 a believer, And you are believing in something 00:34:44.980 --> 00:34:47.380 other than what Christ has done. You are in evil 00:34:47.380 --> 00:34:52.239 works. You are doing evil works. If any preacher 00:34:52.239 --> 00:34:54.699 who comes to give you a formula to pleasing God, 00:34:54.800 --> 00:34:58.400 A, B, C, D, on how to be accepted, on how to 00:34:58.400 --> 00:35:00.880 make heaven rather than faith, it's evil works. 00:35:04.199 --> 00:35:06.659 It's an attack, just like the way a dog attacks 00:35:06.659 --> 00:35:12.000 a man. It's an attack on the truth of the gospel. 00:35:12.639 --> 00:35:18.119 That is why he used the metaphor of a duck. He 00:35:18.119 --> 00:35:23.159 used and described that as what? As evil works. 00:35:23.800 --> 00:35:27.559 Those who believe in the mutilation. Paul again 00:35:27.559 --> 00:35:31.000 calls religious works, deceptive works, 2 Corinthians 00:35:31.000 --> 00:35:35.340 11, 13. And later on, yes, he says, these people 00:35:35.340 --> 00:35:38.880 are what? They are false apostles. They are deceitful 00:35:38.880 --> 00:35:42.150 workers. who disguise themselves as apostles 00:35:42.150 --> 00:35:45.070 of Christ. And we'll see later, he will call 00:35:45.070 --> 00:35:48.429 them, he will name them enemies of the cross. 00:35:48.570 --> 00:35:51.309 Chapter 3, Philippians 3, verse 17 and 19. You 00:35:51.309 --> 00:35:53.630 see later, he will call them what? Enemies of 00:35:53.630 --> 00:35:58.929 the cross. Philippians 3, 17 to 19. It says, 00:35:58.989 --> 00:36:00.690 dear brothers and sisters, pattern your life 00:36:00.690 --> 00:36:03.869 after mine and learn from those who follow our 00:36:03.869 --> 00:36:08.119 example. For I have told you often before and 00:36:08.119 --> 00:36:11.699 I say again with tears in my eyes that there 00:36:11.699 --> 00:36:14.880 are many whose conduct shows they are really 00:36:14.880 --> 00:36:17.659 enemies of the cross of Christ. How are they 00:36:17.659 --> 00:36:19.659 enemies of the cross of Christ? Because they 00:36:19.659 --> 00:36:24.079 believe in something else than the finished work 00:36:24.079 --> 00:36:32.880 of Christ. They are enemies of the cross. Verse 00:36:32.880 --> 00:36:37.190 3. It says, for we are the circumcision who worship 00:36:37.190 --> 00:36:42.590 God in spirit. Rejoice in Christ Jesus and have 00:36:42.590 --> 00:36:46.030 no confidence in the flesh. For we who worship 00:36:46.030 --> 00:36:48.309 by the spirit of God are the ones who are truly 00:36:48.309 --> 00:36:52.090 circumcised. Are we truly circumcised? Are we 00:36:52.090 --> 00:36:56.690 truly circumcised? Circumcised from what? From 00:36:56.690 --> 00:37:01.949 sin. Hallelujah. We are disconnected from sin. 00:37:02.829 --> 00:37:06.590 We rely on what? What Christ Jesus has done for 00:37:06.590 --> 00:37:10.889 us. We put no confidence in the flesh. The flesh 00:37:10.889 --> 00:37:15.050 here means human efforts. Any efforts you put 00:37:15.050 --> 00:37:21.190 your confidence in is evil works. It's anti the 00:37:21.190 --> 00:37:25.130 cross. It's against the gospel, the message of 00:37:25.130 --> 00:37:29.409 the gospel. We rely on what Christ Jesus has 00:37:29.409 --> 00:37:33.150 done for us. So in contrast to verse 2, Paul 00:37:33.150 --> 00:37:35.949 mentions four fundamental things about the believer, 00:37:35.969 --> 00:37:38.989 about our reality. He says we are the circumcision. 00:37:39.050 --> 00:37:43.449 Hallelujah. We are the cut off from sin. Paul 00:37:43.449 --> 00:37:47.969 accepted circumcision, but only a certain kind. 00:37:48.309 --> 00:37:51.570 It was a circumcision of the heart. It was spiritual 00:37:51.570 --> 00:37:55.530 rather than physical. But the Judaizers believed 00:37:55.530 --> 00:38:00.409 in the physical ritual. They made a virtue of 00:38:00.409 --> 00:38:03.719 the rituals. Their religious practices was physical 00:38:03.719 --> 00:38:08.500 act of circumcision. And he makes another emphasis 00:38:08.500 --> 00:38:11.500 in verse 2. Verse 3 rather. He says we worship 00:38:11.500 --> 00:38:16.300 God in the spirit. So worship is not something 00:38:16.300 --> 00:38:19.340 physical. Worship is what? It's spiritual because 00:38:19.340 --> 00:38:23.920 we are spirits. We are spirituals. We are spiritual. 00:38:25.780 --> 00:38:27.860 Jesus will mention in John chapter 4 verse 24. 00:38:28.000 --> 00:38:30.820 He says God is spirit and those who worship him. 00:38:31.179 --> 00:38:35.480 Must worship him in spirit and truth. Spirit 00:38:35.480 --> 00:38:38.400 which is truth. Spirit which is the right way 00:38:38.400 --> 00:38:42.139 of worship. And he says we rejoice in Christ 00:38:42.139 --> 00:38:47.699 Jesus. So our rejoicing has its focal point on 00:38:47.699 --> 00:38:51.719 Christ. In him. Not in our ability to live up 00:38:51.719 --> 00:38:55.000 to God's expectations. But we rejoice in what? 00:38:55.099 --> 00:38:57.239 In what God has done. In what Christ has done. 00:38:57.400 --> 00:39:02.909 Hallelujah. Is this not relieving? Is this not 00:39:02.909 --> 00:39:05.570 relieving in the heart? Is this not taking away 00:39:05.570 --> 00:39:12.070 your burden? Is this not a good news? Is this 00:39:12.070 --> 00:39:16.429 not the good news? Our bursting is not in ourselves. 00:39:17.070 --> 00:39:21.170 It is in Jesus Christ and his works. We do not 00:39:21.170 --> 00:39:25.889 brag about ourselves. We brag about Jesus Christ. 00:39:26.269 --> 00:39:31.579 See. We don't brag about knowledge. You see, 00:39:31.699 --> 00:39:35.760 there's a temptation to feel that you are so 00:39:35.760 --> 00:39:37.860 important because you know how to interpret Greek 00:39:37.860 --> 00:39:44.300 and Hebrew. It's possible for you to brag and 00:39:44.300 --> 00:39:47.260 you look at your prayer life and you look at 00:39:47.260 --> 00:39:49.500 how you've been consistent. Just one week of 00:39:49.500 --> 00:39:53.679 consistency. Just one week of consistency that 00:39:53.679 --> 00:39:56.119 we've been... trying and trusting God to help 00:39:56.119 --> 00:39:58.940 you, just did one week of consistency, you see 00:39:58.940 --> 00:40:04.179 every other person has a sinner. It's very possible 00:40:04.179 --> 00:40:06.519 because you just made an attempt to go out for 00:40:06.519 --> 00:40:09.480 evangelism, and you spoke to one person in three 00:40:09.480 --> 00:40:11.800 months, in four months, in five months, then 00:40:11.800 --> 00:40:14.099 you see everybody is not doing the work of ministry. 00:40:15.219 --> 00:40:21.579 Everybody is not passionate for souls. And you 00:40:21.579 --> 00:40:24.349 quit God's goodness. In your life because of 00:40:24.349 --> 00:40:28.710 your good conducts. Because you've been in order. 00:40:28.769 --> 00:40:30.489 You've been doing what is right. God is happy 00:40:30.489 --> 00:40:36.489 with you. Oh you know. My life I've not. I've 00:40:36.489 --> 00:40:41.909 not seen. So that's why I'm. I'm enjoying the 00:40:41.909 --> 00:40:45.429 blessings of God. We do not glory in ourselves. 00:40:45.710 --> 00:40:49.510 We glory in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah. He says 00:40:49.510 --> 00:40:52.389 we have no confidence in the flesh. We have no 00:40:52.389 --> 00:40:55.329 confidence in human effort. We have no confidence 00:40:55.329 --> 00:40:58.369 in the good news. Translation would say external 00:40:58.369 --> 00:41:08.849 ceremonies, activities. Activities. Your blessing 00:41:08.849 --> 00:41:10.489 shouldn't be that you're always in church every 00:41:10.489 --> 00:41:13.070 week. You don't miss activities every, you know, 00:41:13.070 --> 00:41:16.590 you attend church here, you go online, there 00:41:16.590 --> 00:41:19.489 are meetings you attend from your country, everywhere, 00:41:19.710 --> 00:41:23.159 you are all over. And that's where your bursting 00:41:23.159 --> 00:41:28.840 is. Those things are good. Alright? We're not 00:41:28.840 --> 00:41:32.239 condemning any of those things. But we are saying 00:41:32.239 --> 00:41:36.800 that you are a product of God's grace. Hallelujah. 00:41:37.280 --> 00:41:40.780 We are all a product of God's grace. And our 00:41:40.780 --> 00:41:45.699 bursting must be in Christ. Amen? Those who live 00:41:45.699 --> 00:41:49.780 by grace not have one ounce, one true plate. 00:41:50.360 --> 00:41:53.460 Of confidence in the flesh. Paul was not persuaded. 00:41:53.519 --> 00:41:55.960 That the flesh could earn any credit. In God's 00:41:55.960 --> 00:42:00.780 eyes. But both his salvation. And his Christian 00:42:00.780 --> 00:42:05.179 walk. Were dependent upon the grace of God. Hallelujah. 00:42:05.860 --> 00:42:09.079 You came in by faith. And you live by faith. 00:42:10.000 --> 00:42:13.099 You cannot start by faith. And continue in works. 00:42:14.860 --> 00:42:18.869 So every day you wake up. From bed. You must 00:42:18.869 --> 00:42:22.510 remind yourself that I'm a blessed person. I'm 00:42:22.510 --> 00:42:24.449 a blessed child of God because God has blessed 00:42:24.449 --> 00:42:27.170 me. I'm a blessed child of God because I enjoy 00:42:27.170 --> 00:42:30.070 the blessings of God. So later on, we'll see 00:42:30.070 --> 00:42:32.110 in verse 4 to 6, we'll look at that subsequently. 00:42:32.630 --> 00:42:35.030 Paul showcases his credentials in the flesh. 00:42:36.230 --> 00:42:38.889 What those people are busting about, he shows 00:42:38.889 --> 00:42:41.670 his credentials. And then in verse 7 to 11, we'll 00:42:41.670 --> 00:42:44.050 see Paul will count all that he had in the flesh 00:42:44.050 --> 00:42:49.780 as rubbish for the sake. of God's way of righteousness, 00:42:49.980 --> 00:42:52.320 which is by faith. So what are you rejoicing 00:42:52.320 --> 00:42:56.079 in? Are you holding to evil works? Or holding 00:42:56.079 --> 00:42:59.699 on to the finished work of Christ? Paul showcases 00:42:59.699 --> 00:43:03.019 his credentials in the flesh. What those people 00:43:03.019 --> 00:43:05.519 are bossing about, he shows his credentials. 00:43:05.920 --> 00:43:08.380 And then in verse 7 to 11, we see Paul will count 00:43:08.380 --> 00:43:12.500 all that he had in the flesh as rubbish for the 00:43:12.500 --> 00:43:16.260 sake of God's way of righteousness, which is 00:43:16.260 --> 00:43:24.980 by faith. So what are you rejoicing in? Are you 00:43:24.980 --> 00:43:28.679 holding to evil works or holding on to the finished 00:43:28.679 --> 00:43:36.159 work of Christ? Hallelujah. I just want to close 00:43:36.159 --> 00:43:41.079 our eyes and just thank God. We appreciate you 00:43:41.079 --> 00:43:43.659 being here today. We hope you carry this word 00:43:43.659 --> 00:43:46.679 with you throughout your week. Don't forget to 00:43:46.679 --> 00:43:48.500 check the show notes for additional insights. 00:43:49.159 --> 00:43:51.860 Stay connected with us through our website or 00:43:51.860 --> 00:43:55.280 follow us on social media. If you are encouraged, 00:43:55.519 --> 00:43:57.719 share this message with someone you care about. 00:43:58.380 --> 00:44:00.559 Until next time, stay blessed.