All righty, all righty, all righty, guys. Well, let's get into it this morning. If we will, we're gonna finish up, I hope, with... Philippians chapter 2, we're going to look at verses 12 through 16. That's where we're going to start today. If I'm not mistaken, I'll just double check my notes here real quick, we should finish up with the passages this morning. Let's read the text verses. Philippians chapter 2 is where we begin, verse 12. Verse 12, we'll read down to verse 16, and we've looked already, I believe, up to verse 15. We'll get into that here in just a moment. The Bible says in verse 12, it says, Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you, both the will and to do of His good pleasure, Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world. Holding forth the word of life, that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain. Father in heaven, thank you, Lord, for the opportunity again to be here this morning. Do pray that you bless the teaching and preaching of thy word in Jesus' name. Amen. So we've already looked, guys, verses 12 through 14. We concluded last week. We tied together John 7, 12, and Acts 6, 1 with the murmurings that we see in verse 14. And I want to get in verse 15 here real quick this morning, verse 15. And we'll reread it real quick. It says that she may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom You shine as light in the world. So the goal for us, again, we're all tying this together to remember, if we go back into chapter two in the front end of it, where number one, we see in Paul saying in verse two, fulfill you my joy, that you be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord and of one mind. That's where peace comes from. That's where peace comes from. And verse 3 says, let nothing be done through strife or vain glory. And verse 5 says, let this mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus. So as we fast forward back to verse 15, and we see here that it says, that ye, that means y'all, that means everyone, the child of God, born again believers, that ye may be blameless and harmless. So the goal is for us to have enough unity within ourselves so a Christ-rejecting community will have no charge, No viable accusation to bring against the church. You can go back to verse three, let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. So guys, in this particular verse, the address is specifically referencing internal strife of the local church. Again, using the built-in commentary of the scriptures, we see verses such as 1 Peter 2 and verse 12, whereas the Bible says, having your conversation honest among the Gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. What Paul is telling us in Philippians 2, guys, is that a Christ-rejecting, paganistic world, a world that hates God and everyone and anyone that's associated with it, would have nothing to say evil, even though they want to make it up. Our good works, as Peter ties into this, they will behold and they will glorify God on the day of visitation. Paul tells us to be blameless and harmless, the sons of God. 2 Peter 3, verse 14 says, wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless. Deuteronomy 32, 5, they have corrupted themselves. Their spot is not the spot of his children. They are a perverse and crooked generation. And in 1 Thessalonians 5, 16, rejoice evermore. rejoice evermore." So when we stop and we look and we think about what Paul's telling us in verse 15, we are in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation. That's not just referring to, say, Wales. That is the world in which we live in today. I mean, you could turn the news on for literally three minutes and find out how perverse My goodness, you can look in the adverts, a 26 second spot for Cadbury, or for Lloyd's Bank, or for Citron, and you can find out how perverse our world is today. I said this in the Bible college lesson earlier. God didn't wake up this morning and go, what in the world did I do in sticking them down there in 2023? Like he didn't know we was going to live in a time where it's a perverse generation and a crooked nation in the world. He knew when we were going to be alive. He knew when you were going to be alive. So if you choose not to be blameless and you choose not to be harmless, you're doing that yourself, not God. I want to take a little bit of liberty here, if you don't mind. Verse 2 says, fulfill you my joy. Go back to verse 2 as we build upon verse 15, then we'll get into verse 16 in just a moment. Fulfill you my joy that you be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. That's peace. Now guys, I want to tell you this right here. We hear a lot about the movement and the work of the Holy Spirit of God amongst Christian people, brothers and sisters in Christ, and I mean of all walks of whatever Christian faith you want to call, okay? And I mean really people who are saved and born again. You hear a lot about the movement and the association of the Holy Spirit of God. We especially hear the movement of the Holy Spirit of God and the work of the Holy Spirit of God in our circles, you know, independent Bible-believing Baptists that we are. But can I tell you something right here, and I'm working on a lesson, probably for March, on the Holy Spirit, on the comforter that he is to us today. As Jesus Christ said, John 14, that he had to go, it was meaningful for him to go. John 15 reveals that working of the mighty comforter as well. You know something that I've noticed? And I heard some guy, I don't know who he was, I'm not gonna call names, I can't even think of his name, number one, number two, I'm not even gonna call. He's part of the, well he ain't in my circle, but he's part of a larger circle that we know of. And he started making fun of people and mocking them out who used the phrase, the Holy Spirit is a gentleman and he's not gonna force himself on you. And he went on this little, you know, tangent and, you know, he browbeat everybody and jumped on every sin and, you know, bless God, showing ankles and all that, you know, ridiculous nonsense that men say just to get some person in the back to say amen. But let me tell you something. Do you know where the Holy Spirit of God is not gonna dwell? He ain't dwelling in chaos. He's not going to be involved in a chaotic life. The Bible tells us to grieve not the Holy Spirit, whereby you're sealed until the day of redemption. You know what grieve means? It means to willfully cause pain, to mourn, to suffer. If your life today does not have joy inside of it, if you don't have peace in your life, if you don't have some form of happiness in your life, if you're living in misery, complaining and murmuring, number one, there's a dissection in your life from where the Holy Spirit of God wants you. Number two, you're not esteeming your brethren better than yourself. Number three, You're not doing what Paul said about fulfilling his joy, being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord. If you have chaos in your life, the Holy Spirit of God is over here. It hasn't that he's forsaken you, he's still inside of you, but you got him stuck in a closet somewhere, and that's why peace is not in your life. That's why you're miserable. If you want to rejoice evermore, spend some time with the Holy Spirit. Amen? Quit dipping in and out with the Holy Spirit. Quit going to visit him, then come back over here, back to yourself, whining and moaning and crying and all this and that. Paul said, rejoice evermore. My soul, man, to our knowledge, the first letter he writes is 1 Thessalonians, okay? Now I know there's some argument. I believe Paul wrote Hebrews, and if that be the case, that's his first letter. Anyway, if he writes 1 Thessalonians as his first letter, He writes back unto these Christians of where they saw the turmoil he dealt with. And he says, rejoice evermore. That's a short little verse. If you can't memorize that verse, man, I can't help you. He tells us to rejoice. And so guys, here's what, and I think we all know this by personal experience, and I can personally tell you, I know I get frustrated, and I know I get irritated, and I know when those frustrations and irritations that come into my life, number one, they're 100% carnal, number two, the Holy Spirit of God is not involved. Amen? There's a dissection from unity. Paul is telling us here that we need to be blameless, but not only blameless, harmless. Can somebody tell me, just real quick like and in a hurry, what animal is considered harmless? Go ahead and say it. Did you say a possum? They're hideous. What animal? I purposely said animal other than the type of animal. Think about it. Be a little more biblical, rather than redneck. What'd you say? Thank you. A dove. But harmless, wise as serpents, harmless as doves. Now when the Lord Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, and the Holy Spirit of God descended on him like a dove, Noah used dove, did he not? Noah sent that good-for-nothing sorry old raven, and he never returned. Ravens are devils. Noah sent that dove out there, and that dove came back because he couldn't find any place to land for his feet. He sent that dove out again, and the dove came back, right? What'd he have in his hand? He had an olive branch. What's the symbol of universal peace in this world today? I'm extending an olive branch. But I'm here to tell you, if you want to have peace in your life, you're gonna have to remove the chaos. because the Holy Spirit of God is not working and involved in chaos. Good night, we taught six, seven months on Psalm 23, and one of those verses we got in there, he leadeth me beside what? Steel waters. Understand that today. So Paul is telling us guys here in verse 15, He says that ye may be blameless and harmless, these sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world. We spoke about perverse nations before, and how we are to shine as lights in the midst of this world. Not as Israel, but guys, as the local New Testament church, we are to shine as a light in this world today, but the only way we're gonna be able to do that is if we rejoice evermore, if we are led, guided, and directed by the Holy Spirit of God, and if we're blameless and we're harmless without rebuke, that even though the world wants to be able to rebuke us, they'll see our good works, our life that we're living for the Lord Jesus Christ. How do we do that? Verse 16. Verse 16, holding forth the word of life, that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain. So we do this, we rejoice evermore, we have a like-minded woman, we have peace in our life, we remove the chaos, we're led by the Holy Spirit of God, we're blameless, harmless, without rebuke, how? By holding forth the word of life. The local New Testament church, guys, is instructed as we are. to hold out the Word of Life, to hold forth the Word of Life, which is the bread of life. Satisfies the starving, satisfies the lost, satisfies the dead, the perverse, the lying, the lonely, the crooked, sinful people of this world today. That's what the Word of Life does. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 12 says, But then at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. What made the difference? The Word of Life. Remember guys, what does this Word of Life do? What is it said about the Word of Life? Well, the Word of Life gives life. The Word of Life is alive. The Word of Life came from the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. It lives forever. It speaks of eternal life. These are the five most precious truths regarding the living Word of God. You know, the first institution that God ordained in the Garden of Eden was what? The family, right? Let me ask you this question here. How did Lucifer, how did Satan, he wasn't Lucifer, he was Satan, how did he, in the form of a serpent, how did he destroy the family? How did he show up that day to destroy the family? How did he do it? What was that? Lies. Lies about what? Exactly. He challenged the word of God. and it destroyed the family. Man, we see it today, and again, I don't want to, I'm not gonna, guys, I'm not gonna get on my drum on this or a soapbox and bang the drum, but we see people today, good intentions, all this and that, and uses something that's not the Word of God. Let's just say what it is. Oh, but it's just one word. Oh, but it's just one small, well, you know, I can read from the NIV and I can get just as much of a blessing out of it as I can from the King James. I'm gonna tell you verbatim, no, you can't. No, and if you think so, something's wrong in your head and something's wrong in your heart. You say, well, preacher, I've never known anything different. Okay, then fine, come here, we'll educate you. We'll help you out. The Word of Life, guys, is what gives life. It is alive. It came from the life. Jesus Christ, John 14, 6, I am the way, the life, and the truth. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. I am the way, the truth, and the life. Sorry. It lives forever. It speaks of eternal life. And these are the things that the Apostle Paul is saying, holding forth the Word of Life. We are to hold it forth to be a guide to our steps, to be a director in every step, every path that we make. We are to hold it forth as a lens to look through in our life today. We are to hold it forth to listen through so they may interpret that what we should be hearing and should not be hearing. We are to look at it to what we should say, what we should not say, when we should say it, where we should say it, how we should say it. That's what we find, and that's how you're going to have the same mind, one with another. This is what Paul's telling us in Philippians 2, that you may be blameless, harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life. Keep reading here in verse 16, it says, holding forth the word of life, that I may rejoice in the day of Christ. Paul speaks of the day of Christ here. Specifically, he's stating that I may rejoice in the day of Christ. Too many guys, too many self-proclaimed Bible scholars have butchered the application of this portion of the verse, or verses, and continue to teach a false teaching within the churches. Rather than studying to show themselves approved unto God, they listen to what one man says, and then they run with it. Guys, it's not talking about the second coming of the Lord. Just as Paul warned the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 2 that to be not soon shaken in mind, or troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as the day of Christ is at hand. This is not what that's referring to when we're looking at it right here. The day of Christ, guys, the day of Christ in this phrase, in this ideology, I'm sorry, in this one, is clearly dealing with the judgment seat of Christ, when the bride of Christ may make herself ready for the wedding day, where all saved souls, born-again believers, those who've been converted by the word of God, this word of life, can bear fruit this day and be judged accordingly. 1 Thessalonians 2.13. For this cause also think we God, without ceasing, because when ye received the word of God, which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. Guys, those who receive the word of life as it is truth, the word of God, which worketh also in you. Guys, this is the grave and terrible problem with the translations today. This is the issue and the problem that we find. Not only grammatically do they not make sense, but they disallow the chain reference of the King James Bible. And you can argue that point all you want to, but that point is futile to argue. Look at Acts chapter eight, verse 35 through 38. Very clear. So what we have here, guys, this Day of Christ, you look at the context rather than anything else, and you study that and you understand that. Paul says, I want to rejoice in the Day of Christ. Let me ask you a question. If Paul's Day of Christ in Philippians 2 is the day of the Lord, of 2 Thessalonians 2, all right, or the Day of Christ, if those are the two, what's he rejoicing about? The destruction of millions upon millions upon millions of people? in the second coming of Jesus Christ? No. That I may rejoice, go back there, verse 16, that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain. He is speaking about those who will give an account for what they have done based upon what he has done, built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians chapter three, at the judgment seat of Christ. The fruit that you'll be given an answer to. So those who have received the word of life as the truth, the word of God, which worketh also in you, that's verse 13, that is what Paul is referring to. That is what is important today. So when Paul says that I might rejoice in the day of Christ, this is what we learn. We learn four things, guys, and we'll be finished this morning. We learn that the day of Christ will reveal Paul's work to its fullest. Look over there, if you will, 1 Corinthians chapter 3 with me. 1 Corinthians in chapter 3. It's time to turn. I've done work for you already. Now you do a little work this morning, warm your hands up. 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verses 5 through 8. I know I mentioned it just a moment ago. 1 Corinthians 3, verses 5 through 8. The Bible says here, who then is Paul and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believe, even as the Lord gave to every man. I have planted of Paul's water, but God gave the increase. So neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one, and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. So this day of Christ reveals Paul's work to the fullest, okay, to the fullest. That's what he's referring to there in Philippians chapter 2. Secondly, we find that the genuineness, if you will, the genuineness of his ministry will be apparent, will be apparent. Look over the next chapter there, 1 Corinthians 4 and verses 4 and 5. For I know nothing by myself, Yet am I not hereby justified, but he that judgeth me of the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart, and then shall every man have praise of God." All right, so the genuineness of his ministry. Thirdly, we find his converts, his converts will prove his own fidelity to the word of life, and if they prove faithful, he will rejoice in the day of Christ. That's verse 16 from Philippians 2. His converts will prove his own fidelity to the word of life. And if they prove faithful, he will rejoice in the day of Christ. And then fourthly, we find that converts refuse to hold the word of life. If they refuse to hold forth the word of life, there's a heartache and sorrow upon man, upon the man who tried to train them, all right? We'll see how many will profess Christ, be baptized, yet barely dart the door of the church. And this is a great heartache to the man of God who seeks to train them, teach them in the word of God so they may go forth and doing the same thing. Paul is concerned about running in vain. Paul is concerned about laboring in vain. which two major figures of the ministry we find, 1 Corinthians 9, verse 7, it's on the screen, who goeth to warfare at any time at his own charge, who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof, or who feedeth the flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock, know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiving the prize, so run that you may obtain. Guys, one of the things that we need to be concerned about today, in holding forth the word of life, is to encourage folk that when they are saved and born again, that they don't just get saved, get baptized, and then never feed. They'd say a babe for the rest of their life. But rather, they have this same mind that Paul speaks. And again, I know that we've looked at Philippians 2 kind of backwards. We worked from the back end of the chapter to the front end, and now we're finishing up with the middle. But we're going back, still referring to the same context of the chapter, that Paul's joy may be fulfilled." How is his joy fulfilled? That we be of the same mind, like-minded, and have the same love, being of one accord. That's that peace tied together with the Holy Spirit of God, having that one mind. That we do nothing in strife and vain glory, but with a lowliness of mind, esteeming others better than ourselves. But then we have this mind, verse 5, let this mind be in you. What mind? The mind that was lowly, esteeming others better than themselves. like-minded, having the same love, one of cord, one of mind. What mind is that? That's the mind that Jesus Christ had when he was on this earth. And I realize a lot of this ties into what we're bringing on Sundays about the vision 2023, the legacy of living a life worth leaving to others today. I know it ties together in Philippians chapter 2, and I'll be frank with you, that's completely unintentional. But at the end of the day, this is what it's about. At the end of the day, guys, so I'm gonna say this to you here this morning, then I'll be done. We're done with Philippians 2, we'll move on to something else next week. Check yourself. Where is the peace that passeth all understanding? Are you miserable today? Are you just unhappy? Are you not rejoicing evermore? Are you not finding joy in your life? If you're not finding joy in your life, something's wrong. Something's off kilter. And I can promise you it's not the Holy Spirit of God, but rather what you're doing with the Holy Spirit of God. He leads us besides still. That doesn't mean we're not gonna have problems in our life. Paul had plenty of problems. But in the midst of problems, in the midst of storms, in the midst of sieges, he said, rejoice evermore. In the midst of dark days, in the midst of rain, in the midst of snow, in the midst of cold, you know what? He said, rejoice evermore. In the midst of these things, we are still to hold forth the word of life. for those that are around us, so they may come to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and they may get locked in, and they too hold forth the word of life. We bow your heads this morning. Father, again, thank you for the opportunity. Thank you for this midweek service. We pray you bless this message to the hearts of the hearers. Lord, I pray that we would take it on board. Lord, as you're beginning to work, I know at least in my life, on this lesson of the Holy Spirit, I pray, Lord, that we would be mindful that he is the comforter. And let us think about what a comforter does, dear God. Let us think about his intentions, his purpose here to lead God and direct us to bear witness, to convict us, and to comfort us. And I pray that we'd be willing to take it on board, that we sear not our conscience with a hot iron, Lord God in heaven that we would be mindful that when chaos is present, the Holy Spirit is not leading. I do love you and I thank you, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Well, I hope and pray that preaching and teaching the Word of God is a blessing to your heart. Guys, we're dismissed, obviously, for our midweek service.