All right, the book of Philippians. Now, before we read the scripture this morning, I want to help you with our name because once you get our prayer card and, you know, you try to read our last name, you might twist your tongue, you know, or bite it with your teeth. But, so I want to have you, and so I have, I put a, I put a, for the phonetics below, job way. And so here's a way I like to help people remember our name. It's the way to do the job. job away. Okay. And so, so that way you can remember our name. And so we are the job way family. Um, so if you find your place in the word of God, the book of Philippians and, uh, this morning we will be reading, um, I guess a little bit all over the book of Philippians, but, uh, but we'll begin, uh, in Philippians chapter one, Philippians chapter one and a verse number Verse number 27 Philippians chapter 1 verse number 27 and before I read the text this morning, my subject this morning is how to keep the church. God has called us to be church planning missionaries to the city of Frankfurt, Germany. And many months ago, God began to speak to me from the book of Philippians about a church. And obviously, as someone who is called by God to start churches, I was very interested in what the Lord wanted to tell me about a church. And so the Book of Philippians, in so many ways, it's also, it's a book about the Apostle Paul speaking or writing by the Holy Ghost, spending this book through the Holy Spirit about how to keep that wonderful church that the Church of Philippi was. And I believe it was probably the most wonderful church that God ever started through the ministry of the Apostle Paul. He was filled with joy. when he thought about the Church of Philippi. It was not a church that really had doctrinal issues. In many of the other books of the Bible, we see him dealing with doctrinal issues in the church, but not this church. It was a church that was doctrinally sound, it seems. It was a church that rejoiced the heart of God, and the Apostle Paul, to the Holy Spirit, he just wanted to keep it that way. They didn't want it to change, you know. And so God then wrote and gave this book to help this church remain what it was, a church that pleases God and that is used for the furtherance of the gospel. And so I believe this is a good church. I believe this is a great church. But I also believe God wanted to stay that way, you know, don't you? God wanted to keep using this church to reach people all across the world, not only in this community, but all across the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. So we're going to read, starting at verse number 27. Verse number 27, and so the spirit of God says here to the apostle, only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ. So he's writing here because of the gospel. That whether I come and see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith the gospel striving together from the faith of the gospel notice with me what the scripture says here it says here that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. And so this morning, I'd like to bring this message, how to keep the church. There are different subjects that the scriptures addresses here in the book of Philippians, but this morning, I'd like to bring to you this subject about the book of Philippians on how to keep the church, keeping divisions out of the church, how to stay united, if you will. as a church and so let's bow our head for prayer and then we'll get into the message. Father, we thank you for your grace and we thank you for your mercy. I thank you Lord for saving me as a young man. I thank you for opening my eyes to see that I was lost and I couldn't be saved myself, that I had no hope in my own works and showing me that I needed Christ to be saved. I thank you. For the gospel, I thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Father, we got here this morning and you brought this crowd here. Everyone is precious in your sight. I pray that you speak to every heart this morning. Let us hear from you. And Lord, use me, I pray, with your power. Give me wisdom. Give me utterance. Fill me with your spirit. I may be used by you that all of us will hear from heaven this morning. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen. And so this church at Philippi was the most wonderful church that God started through the ministry of the Apostle Paul. And if anybody knew the value of the church, it was the Apostle Paul. God called him to start churches. And as we read the Book of Acts or throughout the scriptures, we see how he traveled all over the known world. He traveled in the Middle East. He went to Europe. And he started so many churches. And God used him greatly to further the cause of Christ. And so he knew the value of the church. He knew the importance of the church. And I thank God for the church. I thank God what God has done in my life to the local church. I still remember, I still remember, almost every church I've been in, I still remember messages that I heard that were a turning point in my life. I remember coming, you know, in church sometimes for years, and then one message. God just took that one message, got a hold of my heart, and changed my life in a whole different direction. There's nothing like the church. There's nothing in the world that compares to the church. There's no place where you could go and have your life transformed like the church, where we can hear the word of God, and hear God speak to your life, see God change your family, see God transform your life, and so he knew. about the value of the church. Now in the book of Colossians, and if you would you could turn there, but in the book of Colossians chapter 1, the possible description tells us what the church means, what the church means to God. And here's a possible pen in this world in Colossians chapter 1 verse number 25 he says whereof I made a minister according this is the next book according to the dispensation of God which is given to me to fulfill the word of God even the mystery which had been hid from ages and from generations but now it's made manifest to his sense To whom God will make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. He speaks about his ministry. But now, if you go back in verse 24, he speaks about, you know, the passion, the cause of his passion in reaching people with the gospel of Christ. He says, when I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake. which is the church. You see brothers and sisters, the church is the body of Christ. It is his body. It's not just an organization. It's not just a gathering of people. It's not just a place where we have good friends and people who have trusted Christ like we do. It is the case, but it's much more than that. It is Christ's body. It is his body. And the Apostle Paul realized, being taught by the Holy Ghost, that the church was something precious. It's something divine, if you will. It's the body of our risen Lord, who is now in heaven, at the right hand of the Father. You remember, the Apostle Paul persecuted the church. He was a lost man. He was zealous, full of zeal, but religious, but lost. And he was traveling on the road to Damascus, and the scripture tells us that as he was traveling to persecute Christians and put them in jail, he was on his way, and he was on a horse. He was riding with his people, and it tells the testimony how he saw a great light shining from heaven. And he fell from the horse. He was on the ground. And he heard a voice crying out to him from heaven. And it was the Lord Jesus. He says, Paul, Paul, why dost thou persecute me? And you can imagine his thinking. He said, who art thou, Lord, who is talking to me? And here was the answer from our Lord. He says, I am Jesus whom thou persecutes. Where had Paul ever persecuted Christ? He was persecuting Christians. You know, he will hell them, the scripture says, take them, put them in jail because of their faith, because he thought that was blasphemy. But when Jesus speaks to Paul, he says, why are thou persecuting me? See, whenever Paul persecuted one Christians, he was persecuting Christ himself. Because the church is his body. The church is his body. Go back with me to the book of Philippians if you would. So how do we keep the church united? How do we keep the church united? You know our Lord said, the Lord Jesus Christ said, a house divided against itself cannot stand. There's no army that can stand unless it is united. There's no family that can stand unless it is united. So unity is so important. And so the scripture tells us here in verse 27, it said, with one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel. We are not only to strive for the faith of the gospel, but God says we are to strive together. We got to be united. We got to strive being one mind. having the same purpose, having the same goals. But though it is important that we be united, we are not to have unity at any cost. There are certain things we are to divide upon. And the Apostle Paul mentions that if you turn in Philippians chapter 3, Philippians chapter 3, The scripture tells us that though we ought to be united, there are certain things that we cannot compromise. You know, what is the point of being united going in the wrong direction? That doesn't help the church. What is the point of keeping the peace when we are walking downhill to the ditch? And so the scripture says we ought to be united, but there are certain things we cannot compromise for the sake of unity. In Colossians chapter 3 verse number 16 the scripture says, nevertheless where to we have already attained let us walk by the same rule that's unity. Let us mind the same thing that's unity. And he says, Brethren, be followers together of me. Mark them which walk so as ye have us for an example. And here comes verse 18. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and I tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. Whose end is destruction, whose God is the belly, who glory in their shame will mind earthly things. He says, mark them. He says, mark them, because we ought to be united, but we ought to be united in the truth. We ought to be united in what glorifies Christ for certain doctrines and certain people are enemies of the cross. You know, as we go to Germany to start a church, as we go to Germany to reach people with the gospel, we realize there are certain things we cannot compromise. We cannot compromise on the virgin birth of Christ. For if Christ is not divine, if he has an earthly father, then he cannot be sinless. And if Christ has sinned, then we cannot be saved. We will not compromise on the virgin birth that God became flesh and Christ was conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost. We will not compromise on the sinless life of Christ, that he was without sin, that though he was tempted like us in all things, nevertheless, he never sinned. We never compromise on this sinless life, for if Christ has sinned, he cannot be the sacrifice for our sin. He cannot be accepted if he has any sin. He must be sinless. We're not compromised on the death of Christ. There are people who say, well, Christ just stood on that cross and he swore and didn't really die. Well, if Christ did not die, then we have no hope of heaven. For God commanded his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Without the death of Christ, we have no hope. We're not compromised on the resurrection. That after three days in the grave, he rose again to life. that the tomb is empty, that they couldn't find his body because he is risen from the dead. And if Christ is not risen, then we have no hope that one day this corruptible body will put on the incorruptible. Then we have no hope of heaven. We're not compromised on the resurrection of Christ. We're not compromised on salvation by grace through faith. That salvation is without work, lest any man should boast, will not compromise on justification by faith. That no man can work for his salvation, for if salvation depends on my works, that I can never be sure that I can lose him tomorrow. or in three days or a month from now. But thank God. Salvation depends on Christ alone. I met a man yesterday. We were in Dayton, Ohio. And I was trying to witness to him. He was sitting in his car. And I gave him a track. And my wife was in Aldi. And so I just rushed to Aldi. I wanted to use the restrooms. And I got there and knocked on the restroom. It was locked. Somebody was inside. And I'm waiting there. And I mean, it just takes forever. And finally, finally I just, you know, the thought just crossed my mind and, you know, I felt like God was telling me, you know, maybe he should have witnessed to that man because he was, his car was just beside our car. He was sitting in the car just reading a newspaper. And I just thought maybe the Lord just, you know, don't want me to get in because I got to talk to him. And so I walked back and he was just sitting there reading. And so I asked him, I said, do you already have received the forgiveness of your sins? That's what I asked. And he said, well, maybe, he wasn't really sure. And so I asked him, do you know for sure if you die you will go to heaven? He said, well, I hope so, I hope so. And then he began to tell me, he says, you know, I was born Catholic. I was born Catholic. And I grew up in a Catholic church. And then one day somebody invited me to another church, a Baptist church, and I heard the gospel. And then he told me that he had given, he had received Christ, and that, you know, things had began to change. But he wasn't sure. And he said, well, because, you know, I can't promise that I will always live. in a way that pleases God. And so I asked him the question, and I said, Brian, Brian was his name. I said, Brian, have you ever committed your souls to Christ for salvation? Have you ever given your soul to him? And he said, Lord Jesus, I give it, I turn it over to you, and I trust you to save me, because you're down on the cross for my sins. He said, yes, I have. He said, well, yes, I have. I said, well, I have some news for you. Christ is an advocate, the Bible says. He's a lawyer. And I said, I have some news for you. He has never lost a case. He's never lost a case because he had the greatest argument and the only argument that God would accept. And that is a sinless blood that he shed for our sins. I said, well, if you committed your soul to Christ, you'll be the first person to get lost after trusting Christ because he's never lost the case. I said, but if you're handling your case yourself, you have reason to doubt because you won't make it. And then he said this. He said, well, yes. I've committed my case to Christ. And he was thankful. And so we'll never compromise on this truth. And we're willing to divide over those differences. Anything that affect the cross of Christ, anything that affects the works of salvation, we'll never compromise on those. And so the scripture says, let's go back to Philippians chapter one. It says we are to be one spirit and one mind. Now you see in this good church, The Apostle Paul had heard about things that begin to happen. Divisions are started to creep into the church. Now it was still a good church, it was still in general a united church, but you know it was brewing, it's almost like divisions was brewing in the church and he got wind of it. And if you turn with me, I'm sorry, but Philippians chapter 4, Philippians chapter 4, in verse number 2 he says, verse number 1, Dearly beloved, I long for my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. Now listen to this, I beseech Eugeus and beseech Syntyche that they be of the same mind in the Lord. Now there were two sisters in that church. Their names were Eugeus and Syntyche. and somehow Paul heard that something was going on there. He says, I entreat thee also through your fellow help those women which labored with me in the gospel with Clement also and with other my fellow laborers whose names are in the book of life. By the way if you're here this morning and you don't know you're going to heaven. The only way you'll be in heaven someday is that your name gets written in the book of life. And so he was speaking here to save people in the church that received Christ as their savior. And these two ladies, Eugeus and Syntyche, they labored with Paul in the gospel. They were faithful servants of Christ. There were saved ladies that had trusted Christ as their savior, but somehow it seems they did not get along anymore. Something started there. Maybe it was because of the children didn't get along. You know, have you seen that before? I've seen it before in a church where when, you know, two families, they just love each other, they serve Christ, they all love the Lord, but then the children gets into a fight. And then something happens, and it breaks that communion. Maybe it was envy, I don't know, that someone was envious of the others, that it was more used of God. Or maybe somebody had a better, one of them had a better, you know, had a greater work serving in the church. Whatever it was, though they were saved and faithful servants of Christ, divisions crept in. And Paul needed to remind them, you need to get along. You need to get along for the sake of the gospel. So how are we to get along for the sake of the gospel? Well, Philippians chapter two, verse number three, the scripture says, let nothing be done to strive of in glory. But a lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. So what was the cause? What is the cause of divisions? What is the cause of a good church at some point, you know, being broken because people cannot get along together? Well, the scripture gives us the answer here. It is strive of in glory. He's talking about pride, about the desire to be seen, the desire to be recognized. And so God says, let nothing be done to strive of inglory. Don't do anything because you want to be seen, because you want to be recognized. You know, I've been in church where wonderful people have left because the pastor didn't recognize what they did. That's what he says, that's what they strive, be in glory. win glory. Let nothing be done to strive or win glory. The cause of divisions is pride in the heart of men. I was told the story many years ago of a After the Civil War, there was a general who went to a church in DC. And the story goes like this. After the service, his heart was moved, and he went forward. And as he went forward, there was a black man. This is just after the Civil War. There was a black man praying there, and he kneeled. The general kneeled beside the black man and prayed. And so after the service, somebody came to me and said, how could you kneel beside this black man? How could you do that? Well, he said, The ground is leveled at the foot of the cross. You know, we all deserve the same hell. We've all transgressed against God, and we all be saved by the same precious blood of Christ. There is no difference. There's neither Jew nor Greek, but we are one in Christ. But this is pride. and being glory. I heard many years ago about the, a man walking down the streets and he saw a bunch of kids playing, well not playing but sitting there. And, you know, it was in the middle of the day, wonderful weather, and they all had, you know, make guns with woods, you know, it's just toys, you know, gun toys. But they were all sitting there, and their faces, they had like a cemetery, you know, funeral face, you know, they were all sad, sitting, you know, a bunch of kids. And he was just stunned, you know, how could so many kids, you know, beautiful day, just sit there, All sad. And so he couldn't but stop and he asked, he says, you know, why you guys not playing? They say, well, we have a problem. We have a problem. He said, wait, what's the problem? Maybe I can help you. He said, well, we started, you know, we wanted to play war, you know, one army against the other. But everybody wanted to be the general. And so no one can fight. You know, that's what happens sometimes. you know, in the church. Everybody wants to be a general. But if everybody is a general, we'll go forth for battle. And so, he said, let nothing be done to strive or win glory. So what should we do instead of having, instead of acting out of pride? Well, the scripture tells us In the next phrase, he says, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves. That is the golden rule to keep from pride. Let each esteem others better than themselves. Now, do you esteem others better than yourself? Well, you meet a brother that has a lower social status than you, than you do. Do you esteem him better than yourself? When you meet a brother that is less gifted than you are, do you esteem him better than yourself? God says, as a Christian, when I'm in the church, when I look at people, when I deal with my brothers and sisters, he said, whenever I look at a brother and sisters, I must look at him as being better than myself. Now, do you know the old flesh does it the other way around? The flesh always thinks I'm better. Now, you say, Brother Patrick, how do you know that? Because I've been hearing that a lot since I was born. You know, my flesh always wants to tell me that I'm better than other people, you know, always trying to see why I'm better. But the Spirit of God says, You look at others, you esteem them better than yourself. Now, it did not say that they're necessarily better, but the attitude God says we ought to have is to esteem others better than ourselves. But then, you know, brothers and sisters, sometimes we know what we ought to do, but we find ourselves incapable of doing it because of that flesh in us. You know, he said, Brother Patrick, well, I know I ought to esteem others better than myself, but I, you know, I've tried, but I can't. You know, the pride always kicks in. And so the scriptures gives us the greatest motive to be humble. In verse number five, he says, let this mind be new. which was also in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation took upon him the form of a servant was made in a likeness of man and be found in fashion as a man he humbled himself became obedient unto death even the death of the cross. Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him, giving him a name which is above every name. And so God says, let this man be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. The Lord Jesus is our example. He's our example of humility. He was born in a manger. He had no room in the inn. His parents couldn't find a room in the inn when Mary was ready to be delivered. and he will hold the earth in his hands. Did not have a place to be born. You say why? Because he humbled himself. Because he humbled himself. When he was walking down this earth on those dusty streets of Nazareth, in John chapter four, the scripture tells us that the son of God was tired and he had to stop by a well. How could the God who gives strength to those that are weary, who gives them wings like eagles, be weary himself, because he humbled himself. I think about the man that was pulling his beard when they arrested him. The Bible says they pulled his beard, they disfigured him. In the book of Isaiah, the scripture says that he was so disfigured he didn't look like a man anymore. But yet while they smashed on him and beat him and baffled him, the scripture says, and pulled his beard, he was holding in his hand the breath of those who were hurting him. Any moment, he could have taken the soul away from the body. But he didn't do that. Why? Because he humbled himself. I think about the time when he hung on that cross, and they said, you know, you say you're the Messiah, you're God. He said, save yourself, save yourself. He saved others, but he cannot save himself. Why did he hang on that cross when he could have called a legion of angels any time? Because he humbled himself. But thank God he humbled himself. Because if Christ had not humbled himself, but I claimed that power immediately, we'll have no salvation. I couldn't be saved this morning. I'm saved because he humbled himself. And so God is saying to you and I, we've trusted Christ. If our Savior humbled himself to save us, why could not we humble ourselves so that others might be saved? Why could we not accept some wrongs sometimes, even in a good church, for the sake of the gospel? Why could we not accept to not be recognized maybe in a church over what we do? Because we realize that we are laboring together for the furtherance of the gospel. You know, there's some young people here that God will call tomorrow to be missionaries. There's some young people here that God would call someday to be pastors or maybe pastor's wife. It would be a terrible thing that a mom and dad would get mad someday because of inglory and pride and leave this place. Because you see, there's a greater cause. There is a cause. You know, I was so thrilled when a pastor told me, how many missionaries this church supports? You know, what you are doing as a church is that you're laboring together for the fullness of the gospel. There's so many missionaries all across the world whose work really depends on what's going on here. And so the scripture says, we have a great example. We have Christ himself. And let us live like he lived. Let us lay down ourselves. Let us die to selves. Let us humble ourselves understanding that this work is for the furtherance of the gospel, that there are people all across this community and all across the world that needs to be saved. There are missionaries that need to be supported as they continue to preach the gospel to those that are lost. And may God help us. May God help us. Let's bow our head for prayer. Father, we thank you for your grace. We thank you for your mercy. And we thank Lord Jesus that you gave yourselves on the cross for our sins. I thank you for the blood that was shed. And I thank you, Father, that we are part of your body and that somehow you've chosen to use us for the furtherance of the gospel. Help us to be united. Help us to remember, like David, that there is a cause. I'm going to ask Pastor to come and the pianist to come here this morning. What has God spoken to you this morning? What is the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart? Preach. Heavenly Father, we