Welcome to another program with Truths to Live By, a ministry of Harriman Baptist Tabernacle located at 1420 Old Roan Street in Harriman, Tennessee. You're now listening to Evangelist Brother Cam Clark. Thank you for joining us again for another broadcast. I'm Evangelist Cam Clark. In light of what Christ said in Matthew chapter number four, in verse number four, that man should not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. I would like to encourage you to follow along as we study through God's eternal word. Thank you for joining us once again on Truths to Live By. It is a wonderful day to be saved by God's grace and to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank the Lord for his goodness to us. The Bible says he daily loadeth us with benefits and we want to be grateful for the blessings that God has given to us as his dear children. Now we're in the book of Philippians, if you can turn with us to Philippians, that would be wonderful. Philippians chapter number two, we've been looking at the book of Philippians now for several months, and we've had this main theme in mind, that being the Christ-centered life. And we're looking specifically at the theme verse that we believe that God wants us to deal with in this book, chapter number one, and verse 21 where Paul the Apostle says, for to me to live is Christ and our burden has been and is today for each listener to exhibit and experience the Christ-centered life. Now, I have not mentioned this, I do not believe, but joy is a strong theme mentioned throughout the book of Philippians. And I must say that the only way for you and I to know that joy is by being a Christian who lives the Christ-centered life. If you want joy in your life, if you want to rejoice in the Lord always, you must begin living a Christ-centered life. And we've wanted the listener to ask themselves, am I living the Christ-centered life. Is Jesus Christ everything to me? Is he the center of my heart, the center of my desires, and where I go to for all things? In the past couple weeks, we've looked at the humility of Christ and the exaltation of Christ, and how that those things factor into our sanctification. We saw last week in verses 12 and 13 of chapter 2 how we are to work out that which God has worked in. We as believers ought to put forth diligent efforts to make manifest to the world what God has done in our heart. He saved us, He gave us a new heart, He regenerated us and cleansed us from within, and now we are to make known that salvation by outwardly manifesting it in our day-to-day progressive sanctification. You find in verse number 13, where the Bible says, for it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure, we find that God has worked the desire for holiness into the heart of every believer, and that in the end, God will receive all the glory. The reason you and I want to be holy and righteous and just is because God has put that desire in our heart. And so verse 13, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do. Look at this phrase, of his good pleasure. There are some things that please God. And there is one thing in specific that brings God such wonderful pleasure, and that is seeing His children live life and walk as His dear Son. And you and I, we have a promise in the Scriptures that God is conforming us to the image of His Son, and we're confident of this very thing. He which hath begun a good work in us will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ." And we understand that God receives pleasure viewing His Son in you and I. He takes delight in seeing Christ manifest in us. And so as we begin thinking on this today, ask yourself, do I live a life that pleases God? Does God delight in my lifestyle, in my character? Does He delight in me because I portray that of Himself? I portray that of His dear Son, Jesus Christ? You and I, we can live a life that pleases our Father if we will work out the salvation which we have been provided. If we will simply do what God has put in our hearts to do, and that is to be like Jesus, then we can please the God who has given us eternal life. I, as a young man today, desire to please my Father who has given me eternal life and life more abundantly. It's been put in my heart a strong desire and passion to please Him who loved me and gave himself for me. And I know that's in your heart if you were saved by his grace. And so as we consider these verses and continue to read in our scripture, let us look at some characteristics or some attributes which please the Father. And all these things, these attributes and characteristics are found in our great example, the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the theme we're looking at in chapter two, the leadership. Jesus first, our primary example, and we see these attributes in him. So in verse 14 he continues, "...do all things without murmurings and disputings." So God takes pleasure in his children that are avoiding discontentment. Murmuring, disputing, complaining are all rooted in discontentment. The reason you murmur or complain about your circumstances is because you are dissatisfied and discontented with what God has given you. That word murmur It has to do with secret displeasure, not openly avowed. So it is something that might not be openly professed to the world or to the church, but it is something that is deep in your heart that is secret or private, or maybe among your wife or your children, something that reveals great discontentment and dissatisfaction with your circumstances or that which God is working into your life. that we're disputing, it has to do with an argumentative mindset. And so this would be as though you and I, if we're murmuring and disputing, we are privately complaining about the circumstances in our life and having an argumentative mindset towards God for allowing or producing these things in our lives. And we are being exhorted here not to be a people who have discontented hearts concerning what God is doing or allowing in our lives. And we certainly aren't to argue with Him concerning it. When we are discontented or when we are murmuring or complaining, We, without confessing it, are claiming to know what is best or better for our lives. We think that what we are choosing is better than what God is choosing. Can I say that the circumstances that we have today are best for us? Though at times we cannot see it or understand that, we know that God is doing what is best for us. We are commanded not to complain over where we are in life, for God takes pleasure in a contented, satisfied, and thankful man. We know that Jesus Christ didn't have a place to lay his head. Yet he was contented. He was satisfied with his father. We find in verse 15 the reason we are to do this. He says that you 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 lights in the world. Can I say, discontentment will always lead to many other snares and sins. One man said it this way, discontentment always leads to disobedience. You consider the children of Israel, a people delivered from bondage and slavery, brought forth and promised a land that flowed with milk and honey. But because of unbelief, because of murmuring and complaining, because of dissatisfaction with their Redeemer, they were unable to enter the promised land. And as a saint of God, you and I will not live the spirit-filled life as long as we are complaining and murmuring, as long as we are dissatisfied with what God is doing and has done for us. These in the wilderness were not blameless, they were not harmless, and they were not without So we see God takes pleasure in those who are striving to live a lifestyle that is unrebukable. We find there that we are to be blameless. Can I say, if you're discontented, you will not be blameless. for your discontentment will lead you into all kinds of snares and iniquity." Then he wants us to be harmless. Discontentment will lead you and I to hurt others. How many instances, how many circumstances, how many marriages, how many churches have been destroyed because one individual became discontented and dissatisfied with God, and fell into so many hurtful passions and lusts that could have been resisted. Then he wants us to be the sons of God. We cannot be the children of God. We're called to be, as long as we're complaining and murmuring towards our Father, who is giving us all things which pertain unto life and godliness, and has given us all things to richly enjoy in this life. Then he says, without rebuke, With this murmuring and complaining, we cannot be without rebuke. The world beholds us and sees us as hypocrites. Then he tells us, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world. So God takes pleasure in those who are his, that are harmless, blameless, and unrebukable. For when we do so, we are shining as the lights of the world. In a world of darkness and sin, in a crooked and perverse world, You and I can be the true light that shines among the world. You will never be the light of the world you are called to be. as long as you are complaining and murmuring. As you in this continue to seek what you feel and think is best and better for you, you will continue to bring reproach and shame to the name of Jesus Christ. And let me say in closing that God is doing what is best for us. Let us rest contented in his goodness to us that we might be blameless harmless, and without rebuke in the midst of the crooked and perverse nation. That concludes another broadcast of Truths to Live By, a ministry of Harriman Baptist Tabernacle located at 1420 Old Roan Street in Harriman, Tennessee. You can also find us on the web at www.hbtchurch.com. This program has been a blessing. We would love to hear from you. Please send all correspondence to P.O. Box 575 Harriman, Tennessee 37748 or by email to info at hbtchurch.com. We thank you for listening today, and until next time, we leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul, who said in Romans 15, 13, Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. you