All right, what a blessing it is to worship the Lord. Amen. All right, do we have any children for Children's Church? We have Evelyn here. Who else do we have for Children's Church? All right. What a blessing. All right. All right, well, before we open up the word together, let us let us go before the Lord in prayer. Lord, we are so thankful for the opportunity once again to gather together and to worship you by hearing your word. And Lord, as we take a look at the very end of the book of Philippians and we review what we have learned, Lord, I pray that the truths of this letter as it relates both to us individually, but also as it relates to the church, would cut deeply into our hearts, would change our lives. I pray the words that I speak would not be my own, but rather they would be yours. And I pray this in Jesus' name, amen. I invite you to open up your Bibles to the book of Philippians. We're going to take a look at chapter 4, verses 20 through 23. Again, that's the book of Philippians, chapter 4, verses 20 through 23. And as you're turning your Bibles to that text by way of introduction, we have been in the book of Philippians now for the past seven months. But today we reach a sort of a historical moment as we come to its conclusion. As we have walked through this letter together, Paul has taught us how to experience joy and contentment even in this fallen world of heartache, of pain, and of disappointment. He's also taught us the importance of striving together in unity for the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And he has brought us to the theological mountaintop of Christ's incarnation, which allowed us to get just a glimpse of the vastness of God's love for us, that the God who created the entire time, space, matter, universe would humble himself in order to die the excruciating death of the cross. Well, today, as we finish the book of Philippians, I want to draw your attention to a word that we see used twice in these four short verses. And it is the word saint. Turns out that the word saint is Paul's favorite word. for to describe a Christian. He used it over 60 times in all of his letters. And this morning, I want to unpack both of the definition, but also the conduct of people that Paul calls saints. And in doing so, we'll have the opportunity of reviewing some of the core teachings that have been in this letter that we've gone over the past seven months. And so let us read this text, these last four verses, and then we'll unpack it verse by verse. But here, starting in verse 20, Paul says, Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar's household. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Thus ends the reading of God's holy and inerrant word. Let me just say, if there's one takeaway that I want you to walk away with this morning, it's that as believers, God has ordained you as saints, but he also wants us to conduct ourselves as saints. And that brings the question, well, what is the conduct of a saint? What is a saint anyways? Well, in this text, Paul really provides for us. He describes three ways saints conduct themselves. And we're going to see that one of the ways that they conduct themselves is they worship the Most High God. Secondly, we're going to see that they fellowship with one another. And thirdly, they count it all joy. Again, as we take a look at this text, since the word saint is used twice in this text, before we address the conduct of a saint, it probably makes sense to define what a saint is. The word saint, it simply means holy one or set apart. And it describes one who's been separated from sin and set apart unto God for his purposes. You know, I was reading about a young boy who was attending a church and the church was adorned with these beautiful stained glass windows and on those stained glass windows were pictures of St. Matthew and St. Mark and St. Luke and St. John. And so it was that in the back of his mind that when his Sunday school teacher asked, what is a saint? The boy replied, a saint is a person whom the light shines through. That's actually not a bad description when you think about it. A saint could certainly be defined as one whom the light of Jesus shines both in and through. Now, I know some of you come from a Catholic background, and you may be familiar with the Roman Catholic definition of sainthood. In the Roman Catholic system, saints are revered people who have been officially canonized after their death because they have met some sort of a demanding requirement or perhaps they had some sort of a special vision. And when we consider the Roman Catholic definition of saint, we generally think, well, I don't really qualify for that. I mean, I'm just your regular run-of-the-mill Christian. But the Roman Catholic idea of saint completely misses the point. New Testament, a saint is declared not based on what he or she has done, but based on what Jesus Christ has done on our behalf. That's why in verse 21 here, it references a saint in what in Jesus Christ. When we place our trust in Christ alone, we are declared righteous, we are declared holy, we are declared set apart, and thus we are called saints, meaning we are only saints because of Christ. That's why when Paul addressed even the immature and sometimes immoral Christians that were in the church in Corinth, he still addressed them as saints. because that's who they were positionally. And so really the definition of a saint is simply one who's placed their trust in Christ alone. But with that said, the book of Philippians and elsewhere in the New Testament, Paul implores us not just to have the position of a saint, but also to have the conduct of a saint. That's why Paul's first command that he gives in the book of Philippians is in chapter one, verse 27, when he says, only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. Paul has been making the argument throughout the book of Philippians that that you're a saint positionally now act like who you are. You need to walk worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Well, as Paul uses this word saint in his closing remarks, he reminds us what it means to act like who we are. And he reviews for us how to conduct ourselves as saints. And the first way that he references is saints are those who worship the Most High God. And he shows us this by example. in one of the last lines that he makes in this letter in verse 20, when he says, Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Fittingly, Paul concludes this great letter with a doxology, which is simply a liturgical or a public praise of God. And the heart of this doxology is this phrase, be glory to God, be glory. That's what a doxology does. It gives glory to God. It adores him. It honors him. It respects him. It fears him. It worships him and it praises him. And furthermore, a doxology or a public praise to God is a fitting response to God's truth. And that's what Paul is doing here. He's communicated to us four chapters of God's glorious truth, which culminated with the great truth statement that was found in the verse prior to this in verse 19, when he says, and my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches by Christ Jesus. And then here in verse 20, what Paul does is he uses the word now. Now because of this, to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. He uses now to introduce the appropriate response to God's truth. And the appropriate response to God's truth is to worship him. Because when one thinks of the riches of God that has been lavished on us in Christ Jesus, that God shall supply all our needs, what else is there to do but to praise and worship him? You know, I had a friend. He was a really, really big guy and he used to be a police officer, but the Lord led him out of law enforcement and he went into full time ministry. And he went to a particular seminary, but by the time he paid off the debts that they needed to pay off and they sold their house and they made the trip to where the seminary was and they got an apartment, they looked at their bank account and they realized they didn't have enough money to pay for his tuition for that first semester. He had gotten a job and so they'd be able to save up. And so he sheepishly went to the registrar's office and just prayed that the registrar would have some grace and some mercy, and maybe they could work out an installment plan. And so he goes to the registrar's office, says his name, and is about to tell him the situation. And the registrar says, yep, I see you here. You're all set. And he said, what do you mean you're all set? I'm all set. No, I've got a tuition to. No, we see here it's all paid for. Somebody had paid for it ahead of time. And he saw firsthand that the truth of Philippians chapter four, verse 19, and my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. And you know what he did when that happened? This big burly guy in the middle of the registrar's office gets down on his knees and he starts praising and worshiping God. Why? Because that's what saints do. And so one of the ways the saint conducts himself is by worshiping God. In fact, ultimately, that's the reason why you and I have been saved. You and I have been saved to worship. Some of you may have heard the saying before that we've been saved to serve. And that's partially true, but only because service is a form of worship. Ultimately, we have been saved in order to worship. Do you remember in John chapter four, when Jesus comes across the woman at the well and he offers her the living water that springs up into everlasting life? And do you remember what Jesus said to her? She said to her, the father is looking for worshipers. the purpose of our salvation, that we are saved to worship. But more specifically, Jesus says in John chapter 4, the Father are looking for true worshipers. Well, what's a true worshiper? Well, Jesus explains in verse 24 of chapter 4. He says that God is looking for those who worship Him in what spirit? Referencing the human spirit, referencing all of who we are. but also it says to worship him in truth. You see, so oftentimes we relate worship to a feeling. You know, if I feel just right, if the music is just right, whether it happens to be a classical hymn or a more contemporary praise song, you know, I can get into the spirit of worship and praise. Well, you know what? That's not what God's looking for. He's not looking for people to worship him based on a feeling that a certain song conjures up in their heart. He's looking for people to worship him in spirit and in truth. In other words, God is looking for us to praise him based on the truth of who God is and what he's done. He's looking for us to worship Him based on His holiness, His righteousness, His grace, His mercy. He's looking for us to worship Him based on the truth that when He spread His arms at Calvary, that nails were pounded into His flesh and He suffered the most agonizing kind of death that has ever been invented by man. And so we worship God based on who He is and based on what He's done. You know, one of the things I really appreciate about our music team here is that they consciously look for music that conveys theological truths so that we can worship God in spirit with all our being, but also in truth. But as Paul demonstrated here, music is not the only way in which we worship God. You know, in the past, I've actually had some people before come up to me and say, you know what the problem with you, Joel? You don't spend enough time in worship. You spend too much time in teaching and preaching the scriptures. You need to spend more time in worship. And my response to that, well, our teaching time is in fact a time of worship. Because it is in going over the theological truths of God's word that we're able to understand the truth of who God is. that we might be able to worship Him. You know, we also worship God in our obedience. You know, over the past couple of weeks, we've learned in the Philippian church that they worship through their sacrificial giving. You remember what it is that God called that? He called that a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice. well pleasing to God. And so we worship him in our giving. But as I just mentioned, we also worship him in our obedience. What did Jesus say? He says, if you love me, keep my commandments. You see, we worship. Worship is an expression of our love for God. And Jesus says we show him our love through our obedience. Do you know when the first time the word worship was used in all of scripture? It's found in Genesis chapter 22, the chapter when God tested Abraham's obedience by asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac. And Abraham described what was going to happen to the young man that was with him. And he said, you know, stay here with the donkey and I and the boy, we're going to go over there to what? To worship. I want you to think about that for a moment. It is precisely in the middle of the most heart-wrenching and tenacious kind of obedience that the scripture first uses the word worship to describe Abraham's obedience. For Abraham, worship wasn't an emotionally charged song. It wasn't spiritual head knowledge. It was an act of obedience that put everything on the line because of who he knew God to be. And he knew that God always keeps his promises. And he knew that one of the promises was that God was going to bless Abraham and that there was going to be this great nation, this nation of Israel that was going to come in. And who was that nation going to come through? It was going to come through Isaac. And so the author in Hebrews tells us in Hebrews chapter 11 that Abraham had so much faith in the promises of God that he reasoned that God was going to raise Isaac from the dead. And in a sense, that's what happened when the angel came and told Abraham not to hurt his son. And so Abraham worshiped God through his obedience. As I mentioned earlier, we worship God through our service. In Romans chapter 12, verse 1, it says, therefore, therefore, based on all that I've told you in Romans chapter 1 through 11, how it is that you've been saved, how you've been justified, how you've been made right with God, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, present your bodies. That word bodies, it means all of who you are as a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Yesterday, Some of you gathered together and we had the opportunity of passing out some bags that include, among other things, some tracks and included some invitations to church. And we have a young family that I know they were up till midnight making sure that the vehicle was set so that we could do this trunk or tree. You know what that was? That was an act of worship. Before most of you came this morning, we had a saint who printed the bulletins that we need, who paid for the rent. We had saints that were preparing for children's church, saints that were preparing for adult growth group, saints that were practicing music, saints that were setting up the AV equipment, saints that came in early in order to greet and to usher. And you know what they were doing? They were worshiping God in spirit and in truth. And in their work, they gave the living God the glory, because that's the conduct of a saint. But I also want you to know something else here in this text. We as saints do not worship an impersonal being. Paul uses the phrase, our God and Father. That is who we worship. He is our Heavenly Father. While it's true that we worship the one who created the entire time, space, matter, universe out of nothing, he's also the one who desires for us to call him Father. Romans 8, verse 15 tells us that we have received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father. Saints worship The God of the universe who has adopted us as his children, purchased us with the blood of his own son, and cares for you better than any earthly father ever could. Three ways saints conduct themselves. Number one, they worship the most high God. Number two, they fellowship with one another. In verse 21, Paul writes, and here's the last command that we find in all of the text. Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you. It's fitting that the last command that Paul gives us is to greet every saint in Christ Jesus. And in fact, Paul uses the word greet here three times in this short text. The underlying word for the word greet is much more than a simple hello. It's not a mundane, you know, how are you doing? But rather the word it references showing genuine care for one another's being. It implies a New Testament Koinonia fellowship between the saints where we're encouraging and we're exhorting one another. And Paul is saying, I want you to express to each one of the saints how much I care for your spiritual well-being. Please share my love and my passion for their spiritual growth. And Paul's command here to greet every saint, he reinforces an extraordinary important principle that we find in this great letter. And that's the importance of doing the hard work of loving one another. As I mentioned earlier in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 3, Paul reminds us that it's the Holy Spirit when we place our trust in Christ that unifies us as brothers and sisters in Christ. And it says we are to endeavor, we're to work hard to keep the unity that the Holy Spirit has created. You know, there's an old adage that goes, to dwell above with the saints we love, that will be glory. But to dwell below with the saints we know, that's a different story. Sometimes it's hard to get along and to love one another. Though Paul's letter to the saints in Philippi was generally a positive letter, it was a thank you note as we talked about before. The church in Philippi, like so many churches today, struggled with the hard work of loving one another. And more specifically, at the beginning of chapter 4, Paul warned about the dangers of a dispute that had broken the relationship between two sisters in Christ, Iodia and Syntyche. And while the scriptures don't give us all the details, as we mentioned when we went over that text, we can probably surmise, just based on experience, what probably happened. You know, one of them said something or did something to offend the other and probably may not have even been aware of it. And the other person got hurt feelings. And because they didn't really want to deal with the situation, that hurt manifested itself. And they allow it dwell in itself. And it came out for just a little bit of sarcasm or just a subtle jab to the other person. And the other person responds the same way. And pretty soon the sin of gossip is added to the conflict because each person wants to get the other person on their side. And each person ends up wounding the other person. And that relationship that was bound together by the Holy Spirit is now broken. I mean, we can surmise this because we've seen it happen over and over again, even within the church. And Paul says to these two sisters in Christ, I implore you to resolve this. This isn't something that you can put off. There is an urgency to making sure that this conflict doesn't continue and that the relationship is restored. And so he says both to the to the church and to these ladies, you need to make it a priority to restore this relationship. Why are relationships with the saints so important? Well, Jesus certainly points out at least two reasons. The first one is found in John chapter 13, and we've gone over this text before. But to provide the context, this is the evening before Jesus is to be crucified. And he gathers together his 11 disciples. Judas is already left to betray him. And so he gathers together because there's some things that he wants to go over that he wants to make sure they get right. Now, keep in mind, Jesus has been has been with these disciples for three years and he's been teaching them and he's been discipling them and he's been preparing them for that time, which they're going to be on their own and they're going to be spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost ends of the earth. And Jesus says, There's one thing you really got to get right. And he says in verse 34, a new command I give to you that you love one another as I have loved you. And then in the next verse, verse 35, he references one of the reasons why he says by this, all will know that you are my disciples because of your love for one another. Francis Schaeffer wrote based on Jesus's words, That when the world sees us in the church failing to love one another, when the world sees our bitterness, our divisiveness and our disunity, we provide for the world a plausible reason the love of Jesus isn't real. That's why Paul's first command to the Philippians was only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. So that whether I come and see you or or whether I hear of your affairs that you stand fast, how in one spirit, with one mind, striving how together for the faith of the gospel. Paul says your conduct with one another needs to be worthy of the gospel. And there's no room for a spirit of bitterness, a spirit of gossip, or a spirit of divisiveness with one another. As Philippians chapter four, verse five reminded us, we need to let our gentleness, meaning our graciousness, meaning our forbearance, meaning our slowness to be offended, be known to all. Because what is at stake is much bigger than our petty arguments and our bruised egos. Resolving conflicts in our relationships is not something we can procrastinate on because the advancement of the gospel is at stake. The second reason that we see Jesus gives us in terms of the importance of our relationships with one another is found two chapters afterwards in John chapter 15. And in what is, I believe, the third time that he repeats this new commandment. He says, these things I command to you that you love one another. And he says that in chapter 15, verse 17, he reminds us that you need to love one another. And you know what he says in verse 18? He says, oh, and by the way, the world is going to hate you. And you shouldn't be surprised because it hated me first. Now, I don't think there's a coincidence that verse 18 follows right after verse 17. I believe there's a point to be made here that since we live in a hostile world, that's going to hate us as believers. We better love on one another and we better pray for one another and we better have one another's backs. We better encourage one another and we better be exhorting one another. That's why when writing to the persecuted saints, the author of Hebrews says in Hebrews chapter 24 verse 25, he reminds us, you know, don't forsake the gathering of yourselves together. Why? So that you can think about one another, so that you can consider how to stir up in one another love and good works and good deeds that you might encourage and that you might exhort one another. And so much more as you see the day approaching when things, by the way, are just going to get worse and worse. One of the purposes for endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit and for real koinonia fellowship with one another is because we need one another. And so if there's someone that the Lord has placed in your heart, another saint, and you know that there's been a relationship that needs to be restored, let me implore you, don't put it off. Resolve to contact that person and humbly own your part. And as we said before, it's easy for us to say, well, actually, you know, I don't have any part in the problem, it was all their fault. But humbly think about, is there something that maybe you'd, maybe it was your response, and maybe it's only 5% of your heart, but humble yourself and own it as if it was all 100% of the problem. One of the purposes of endeavoring to keep The unity of the spirit and for real koinonia fellowship with one another is because we need one another. And so I implore you, if there's someone the Lord places in to restore a relationship, restore that. Why? So that you can have fellowship with one another and so that more importantly those around you can get a glimpse of the love of Jesus through your relationship with one another that you in one spirit with one mind would strive together for the advancement of the gospel. Three ways saints conduct themselves. The third way is saints are those who count it all joy. You know, Paul commands us in Philippians chapter 4 verse 4 to rejoice always. James gives us the same command. He uses slightly different words in James chapter 1 verse 2 that says we are to count it all joy. Well, you know what? There are times when I don't feel like counting it all joy. Remember several years ago. I was working for Fidelity investment I was very very busy, but I was interrupted by a phone call and it was from my wife Nancy and She had just gone to what we thought was supposed to be a routine just a doctor's appointment And she says I've been diagnosed with cancer Where is the joy in that The key when James tells us to count in all joy is in the word count. In the Greek, it's actually, it's an ancient accounting term, and it has absolutely nothing to do with how you feel. And what it simply means is that in the accounting ledger of life, when you go through trials, don't put your trials in the negative column, put it in the positive column. Put it in the joy column. Because in our trials, God is working in us and through us. And that's what Paul has been illustrating for us in the book of Philippians. We count it all joy. We rejoice always, even in our trials, because it is in our trials that God is working in us and through us. And he's making us more and more and more like him. But I want you to notice something about this final greeting, how Paul illustrates God's working in us and through us. Paul says, all the saints greet you, but especially those that are of Caesar's household. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, amen. I wonder why he says, but especially those who are of Caesar's household. You may recall that when we were in the very beginning of Philippians, in Philippians chapter one, we had learned that there were some in the church of Rome that had really written Paul off. They figured that since Paul was in prison, God was no longer using and working through him. In fact, there were some that were in that church in Rome that were actually vying for his position as an apostle. You know, essentially they were saying, I mean, what good is Paul to the cause of Christ? I mean, he's in prison, he's chained to a Roman guard. It must be that God is through with him. But God wasn't through with Paul at all. In fact, he was using Paul to teach us about perspective and about focus, because while Paul was in prison, he wasn't inwardly focused on woe is me. I can't believe I have to suffer this way. I can't believe that I've been I've been wrongly placed in this prison. The food here stinks. Rather, he's outwardly focused on what God is doing in other people. And he's outwardly focused on on who God is. And you know what he did? It says that he rejoiced. And he asked the question, I wonder how God might be strategically using me right now. And so Paul, he's in prison. He's probably hungry. His wounds from the last time he was beaten may not have healed yet. But he's chained to a Roman guard 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And these guards, they rotate three or four times a day. And Paul has a captive audience. And so Paul starts telling these guards, he says, you wouldn't believe what happened to me on the road to Damascus. I saw Jesus. You know, he's the one that you Romans had crucified because we Jews had asked you to. But he rose from the dead and he changed my life. Now, it just so happens that these Roman guards that were guarding Paul, they were also part of an elite force that was in charge of protecting Nero, the Caesar who would go down in history for his particularly harsh treatment of the Christians. And because Nero had to be able to trust, I mean, these were basically his secret service. And so he had to be able to trust the guards that were going to be guarding them. So many of them that he appointed to guard him were actually part of his family. That's what it means when it says they were part of his household. And what this text tells us is because of the witness of Paul while he's in prison, some of them got saved and they became saints. God was far from done with Paul. In fact, he strategically placed Paul in a circumstance where he could reach out to some of the most influential and powerful people in Rome. And so Paul says, even these people, in fact, especially these people, the saints that were in Nero's family, they also greet you. You know what? The knowledge that God was working in and through Paul, that gave Paul extraordinary joy, even as he is under house arrest, chained to a Roman guard. I want you to take a moment and just think about whatever trial you may be facing right now. Maybe it's a trial at home, maybe it's a trial at work, maybe it has something to do with your health, the health of a loved one. And I want you to think, how might God be working in me and through me through this trial? How is he using this to make me more and more like Christ? How might God be strategically using me? Now, you may not find the answer until you reach glory, but I can tell you God is working in you and through you. You know, I can think of a saint in this very church. And she had to fight for her life by going through chemotherapy treatments and it made her very, very sick. And we say, where's God in that? Where's the joy in that? Well, the joy came when this particular saint was able to use her background and her experience with cancer to reach out to someone else who she found out just got cancer. And she shared the gospel with this other person. And this other person got saved. And then five months later, this other person went to be with the Lord. And we took comfort in the fact that she saw the Savior face to face and we counted all joy. I can think of one among us who is a man greatly struggled with drug addiction. And we look at the opioid crisis today and we see so many people, so many young people struggling and dying. And we say, where is God in that? Where is the joy? But God performed an amazing work in this young man's life. And he came to the Savior. And he's been able to use his experience with drug addiction to counsel others who are going through the same problem. And we count it all joy. I can think of a saint who is with us here today, who as a child went through the kind of cancer that one doesn't survive from. Her mom and her dad were told to prepare for the worse. And we asked, why would a family have to go through that? Why would a child have to go through that? Where is God in all of that? But our God, who pays no attention to the medical experts, healed her. And I am convinced that God is using her now and will use her in extraordinary ways. And we count it all joy. You see, your circumstances may be out of your control, but they're not out of God's control. He understands what is going on in your life and he's able to make even the difficult and the painful things like cancer, like a sick child, like a financial downturn or challenges that you don't understand or even an undeserved prison sentence work together to make us more and more and more like Christ to accomplish his purpose. And we count it all joy. But with that said, the truth is that God is working in us and through us is not the only reason for us to rejoice. Another reason is found here in verse 23, where Paul says here, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. We rejoice because of the grace that he gives us. And grace is a great resource. for joy. It not only saves us, but it sustains us through the most difficult trials. You know, I mentioned before James chapter one, verse two, when it says, my brethren counted all joy. When you fall into what does it say? Various trials. Interestingly, when Peter refers to the grace of God, he refers to it as the manifold grace of God. In the Greek, these two words are the same thing. It references a diverse, a multifaceted kind of trial or kind of grace. And so as we go through various and diverse and multifaceted trials, God gives us various and diverse and multifaceted grace in order to get us through those trials. You see, God's grace sustains us through this tough times, through the heartache, through the disappointment, through the pain and through the persecution. And it reminds us not only to look outwardly and upwardly for our joy, but it also reminds us that there is an eternal to have an eternal perspective in the book of Philippians. we were able to ascend to the mountaintop of God's grace. When in Philippians chapter two, verses six through eight, we learned that the God of the universe emptied himself of his divine privileges for a time so that he could humble himself to become a mere man here on earth, that we might know him. And he didn't just become a mere man, he became a mere servant. And he didn't just become a mere servant, but he became a servant who died the excruciating death of the cross. Why? Because of his great grace for us. That is what the God of the universe did for you. That is the Mount Everest. of God's grace. A mountain that is so large that it makes our difficult circumstances in this world seem like molehills in comparison, as we realize, you know what, with our circumstances in this world, this is not our home anyways. For as Paul reminded us in Philippians chapter three, verse 20, we are citizens of heaven. And for that, we count it all joy. Three ways saints conduct themselves. Number one, they worship God, not based on feelings, but based in spirit and in truth. Number two, they fellowship. Saints recognize the importance of the hard work of loving one another, not only for the sake of one another, but also for the advancement of the gospel as the world is able to recognize the love of Christ through our love of one another. Number three, saints count it all joy. A saint is one who amidst the heartache, amidst the suffering, amidst the trial, recognize God is doing something in us and through us. And because of that, we're able to count it all joy. As I've been speaking to you this morning, I've been primarily speaking to those of you who have already placed your trust in Christ alone. When we talk about being able to count it all joy for the difficulties and the circumstances that requires a basis of placing our trust in Christ. Now, I don't know where all of you are in your walk, but there may be some of you here who haven't yet done that. If that's the case, I want to just share with you a couple of verses that we see in Acts chapter 16. We've been going through the book of Philippians, but in Acts chapter 16, we learn the story of what happened when Paul was in Philippi. And he was arrested. And as he was arrested, the jailer recognized there's something different about Paul and Silas. They're praising God and they're worshiping Him at midnight. And so he asked the question, sirs, what must I do to be saved? He knew there was something different about them and he wanted to be like them. What must I do to be saved? Now, the problem is many of us look at that question and we ask a different question. We ask the question, why do I need a Savior? Why do I need salvation? Why do I need to be saved anyways? I mean, I'm basically a pretty good person. We might say, you know, my good outweighs my bad. I mean, I made it to church here, don't I? And I try to live a good life. And so why do I need a Savior? The reality is the Bible reminds us that all of us in our thoughts, our words, our deeds, our pride, our selfishness, all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That word sin, you know, it's just an archery term. When somebody shot an arrow and they missed the bullseye, they would yell sin, meaning they missed the mark. And if all of us were really truthful about ourselves, all of us, one way or another, we've missed the mark. And we've sinned. And the difficulty is because God is a perfectly holy and righteous and just God. And we're not worse than we're separated from God, because God can't have anything to do with sin. In fact, the problem is stated even greater in Romans chapter six, verse 23, when it says there's a result of sin. And it says there that the result is death. And when it's talking about death, it's not talking about a physical death. It's talking about an eternal separation from God. Why? Because God's holy, righteous, and just, and we're not. But that's not God's desire for you, and it's not God's desire for me. And that's why that verse doesn't end there. It goes on to say, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. God loved you so much. that he allowed his own son to die on the cross for you and me. He took the punishment that we deserved. He died that we might live. And it says it's a gift. He's given it to us as a gift. But here's the thing about a gift. The gift isn't actually yours until you receive it. Somebody can give you a gift and you can refuse it, but it's not yours unless you've actually received the gift. And so that's what the jailer's question is. How can I be saved? How do I receive this gift? And the answer is given in the very next verse, when Paul says, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. The key word is this word believe. It's not talking about an intellectual belief, but rather it's talking about a trust. He's saying trust in Jesus Christ and who he is and what he's done. Trust in him that he is the God who rose from the dead. And trust in him and what he did on Calvary, that that was enough to save us of our sins as he died on the cross. Maybe you're here today and you haven't yet placed your trust in Christ. I encourage you, don't wait. No one knows in this world when our time is over and our opportunity for decision has gone. Our time for decision is now. Let's pray. Lord, we are just so thankful for who you are and what you've done. Lord, we're thankful that because of who you are and what you're doing in us, we can rejoice, in fact, in all things. But Lord, I pray that if there's one here today that have not yet placed their trust in you, that they wouldn't allow another day to go by. That today would be their day of salvation. If that's you and you're in this congregation, I encourage you to follow me in this prayer. Let me make it clear. Prayer is not what saves you. It's placing your trust in Christ that saves you. But prayer is a way of of being able to communicate to our heavenly father that trust we have in him. Lord, I'm so thankful for what you've done for me. I recognize I am, I'm a sinner in my thoughts, my words, my deeds, my pride, my selfishness. Lord, I've sinned against you, but I'm so glad that you sent a savior. And even now, I place my trust in you, in who you are, that you are the God that rose from the dead, and what you did for me on the cross, that that was enough to save even me. And I pray this in Jesus' name, amen. Let me just say if you've had questions about what I've said or particularly what I said at the end, please come and see me and I would love to be able to share with you how you can know that you have eternal life and a relationship with the Savior. I'm gonna ask that our music team come up and we stand as we sing our last hymn together.