Unfortunately this message recording ended without the final prayer. This message originally delivered June 16, 1991.
Philippians chapter two. And we continue to continue our study in this joyful epistle of Philippians Philippians chapter two follow along and your Bibles as I read verses 14 through 16. Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed Jesus, I guess I picked up in verse 12, once you start there with me, therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation, with fear and trembling for his God who works in you, to will and to act according to His good purpose. Now, here's our text for today, get this, do everything without complaining or arguing. So that you may become blameless and pure children of God, without fault in a crooked and depraved generation in which you shine like stars in the universe. As you hold out the word of life in order that I'm a boast on the day of Christ that I did not run, or labor, for nothing. So much of evangelism today is based on methods. Think about that. All the emphasis on evangelism today in America anyway, seems to be on methods, training people to do evangelism, or to do witnessing. Right. But as our missionary Kent Craig spoke to the Amen group Friday morning to the group that made over at the roars house, he made a great comment and that is in Acts chapter one, verse eight, Jesus said, you shall be My witnesses. He didn't say you shall do witnessing he should, you shall be My witnesses. Now listen, there is a world of difference between doing witnessing. And being a witness, you realize that quite a difference. In my opinion, one of the greatest problems in American Christianity or in evangelism is that we try to make witnessing evangelists and it's something we do rather than something we are. That is so very important. So here's what we do today, because we've made it into a method get this now, we take the powerful, awesome, deeply offensive, or richly welcome message of the gospel. And we make it as palatable as possible. We make it as as easy to ask someone to agree with as we possibly can. Therefore, we can put another notch in our belt or we can either we can mark up another person that has made a decision instead, in fact, this the message has become so man centered that the goal of the message is decisions rather than regeneration to the glory of God. So listen to this, we'll go across town to do witnessing when we're not being witnesses to our neighbors or to our co workers get that we'll go do witnessing somewhere else where it's easy, rather than be witnesses at our workplace, or to our neighbors. heard women say one time about that. He said, You know, I used to go out a ghost to go all the way across town and witness to a stranger and tell that stranger about a stranger named Jesus Christ and I was a stranger to that stranger. He says when my next door neighbor who I knew I never witnessed at all. They wonder what in the world are you talking about him? What do you little hobbyhorse around today about evangelism? No, this is what Philippians 214 through 16 is about. You see, last week we considered in Philippians, what the doctrine of progressive salvation is all about progressive sanctification is all about. And that is this. If you look at verse 12, we have the responsibility to work out our salvation. If you look at verse 13, you realize also the other side of the coin, and that is this, God will also do his part. So we've got our part, God will do his part. But here's what I want you to see. If we really are progressing and sanctification, that is this if we are really becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. If we're really developing and growing as Christians, there is going to be benefits from that as we go deeper. And it wasn't a lot of people say this, oh, we've been accused of this here. In fact, minds will know what our enemies say about us. And that is just they say, Oh, well, that's yours. It's all on teaching. There's no heart for evangelism. For people say this about us. But here I'm gonna tell you something. This text perfectly proves what we're trying to say. As we do make progress in sanctification as we know the God that we claim to be our Savior. As we get to know him and grow in relationship with Him. Guess what automatically happens? A good testimony, a good witness. Evangelism automatically takes place from people that grow some good people have gotten to their mind that the deeper Christian life is some type of dunkery When you go off into some mountain someplace, and you're all by yourself, and it has no relationship now listen, as you become like Christ, what did he do? He loved people from early morning till late at night, he ministered and loved people. And as we grow closer in a relationship with Jesus Christ, we are going to be better witnesses. Actually, we could title this section verses 14 through 16, the horizontal side of the of sanctification, and that is you be a witness. Now, considering all that, go back to verse 14, and consider what it says. It says in verse 14, do everything without complaining and arguing. In fact, let's see if we had to get a breakdown of Philippians 214 through 16. We could say like this, the main point is this. Do everything without arguing, or complaining or without complaining and arguing? I'm not sure. Let me just work through the text with you real fast as I see it, outline that is this. So that, look at verse 15. If you do everything without arguably complaining, there's going to be some results, natural results, what is it so that you may prove yourselves to be number one blameless and pure, right? Number two children of God without fault. Number three shining stars in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. And we'll look at the logic in this text with the way Paul breaks it down, of course, inspired by the Holy Spirit, do all things without complaining so that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and pure children of God, without faults, shining the stars in the universe, as you hold out the word of life. Notice this point A, so that you may prove yourselves to be all these things here, point B, as you hold out the word of life, that's verse 16. A by the way, and then get this so that on the day of Christ, I may boast that I did not run or labor for nothing. Well, let's go back here to the beginning. And that is the main point, the main thrust of this, and that is this, do all things without complaining or arguing we may get back to that in just a minute. All right. Now notice this, the text says everything. In fact, in the Greek text, it starts off like this, everything I do, and the reason is that way, is because the emphasis is on the first word, and that is this, everything or all. And the word do is just the common word. Well, but it's a present imperative, in other words, continually be doing this and it's an imperative, the command of the King always be doing everything without grumbling and complaining. Now, when it says everything, the way it reads, The reason that Ponta is first in the verse is because the emphasis is this in everything, every single stinking thing in your life. You do it without arguing and complaining. Now, these are one of those verses that we usually don't like because the Bible says this, give thanks in some circumstances. So what it says, Give thanks in what all circumstances for this as the will of God, Philippians four four says this Rejoice in the Lord on Friday. Rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice. You see, the key to in everything, doing everything without complaining or arguing is this. If all things work together for good, then there is not any circumstance that can come into your life, that you are not to give thanks and praise God for and that you are not to face without complaining. And without arguing. Why? Because there is a sovereign God that we can fully trust that says, Look, no matter what has happened to you, if you absolutely can know that I am sovereign I am control over your life. Now, let's go break this down a little bit farther. Look at the first word complaining, actually, it's grumbling. I believe in the New International, the New American Standard. Here it is complaining, arguing, grumbling. But it's very, very interesting word. It means to monitor or to grumble. It's low suppressed grumbling. If I were to say every one of you sort of lean your head over to the person sitting next to you and sort of just right now let's just do this. Just sort of go ahead and try that. We'll just go ahead. That's grumbling. You're here, right there. All right. In John, chapter seven, guess what happened? Jesus is teaching and he's teaching some tremendously hard truths. And it says everyone started to go ahead. Yeah. And he said to them, would you Stop grumbling? But the idea is more than just low muttered sounds. You know what it actually means this? It's an expression of inward rebellion. You get this inward rebellion that causes you to speak in a grumbling complaining type of way. Is the expression get this it is the expression of secret and Solon, this content. The Grecian Jews complained against the Hebraic Jews that the widows were not being taken care of X six, one same word. Or how about this? First Peter four nine, offer hospitality to each other without grumbling, offer hospitality without secret and Solon discontent. Don't be in your heart. And guy you have to do that. That's an attitude that is wrong. Listen, Paul says as you are growing your relationship with God, one of the signs of growing and maturing is this, you do everything without complaining. Oh, you see an illustration of this, go with me the Exodus, the 14th chapter. Keep your finger right there in Philippians and go over to Exodus chapter 14. In Exodus, chapter 14, here are the children of Israel, they're starting to get into some serious trouble. And it says this started with verse 10 of Exodus chapter 14. Follow along and look what it says. As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians marching after that. Remember, they had left Egypt, they'd had the 10 plagues, they left Egypt, here, the Earth, the Red Sea, they're caught there at the Red Sea. And behind them, here comes the Philistine army. And notice what happened to this people. They said, verse 11, was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? They're saying this to Moses, what have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you and Egypt to leave us alone? Let us serve the Egyptians, it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert. By the way, if you go back and study, they were miserable people in Egypt, because it was oppressive and they were slaves. They were building buildings with the Egyptians had very little pay. And it was a miserable situation. Look what they're saying they're griping. Now we have it, we can give them a little bit of a break. Right? Why? Because my goodness, they're at the Red Sea. They're leaving this nation, they're really sort of defenseless. And here comes the Egyptian army after them. And they're sort of in a slightly tight spot. But what happens? God opens the Red Sea, they crossed the Red Sea. The Egyptians say, Hey, look at this, the Red Seas open, let's go. They go out the Red Sea closes the Egyptians are dead, right? So now let's go to the 15th chapter and see what happens in fifth chapter 15. Look at verse 24. By the way, most all of chapter 15 is a song of Moses and Miriam, praising God for his great deliverance. But look what happens in verse 24. It says, so the people grumbled against Moses saying, what are we going to drink? They, the Red Sea has been crossed. They saw it with their own eyes. And now they're out and they're starting to get thirsty and they start grumbling and complaining inward rebellion of secretly Solon discontent, even though God had just done a great thing. So what happens? Moses throws his stick into the water, the bitter water becomes sweet and they're all filled again. So that's what happens. Go to chapter 16. Look, again, is unbelievable. It says in verse one of chapter 16, the whole Israelite community set out from Elam and came to the desert of sin, which is between such and such and such and such. Now verse two in the desert, the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them to get this, if you want to know a definition of when Paul says, do all things without complaining, here it is. Here's what it's like when you complain. Look at verse three. The Israelites said them, if only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt, there we sat around pots of need and had all the food we wanted. But you brought us out into this desert to start the entire assembly to death. Think of what God had already done for these people. And here they are griping and complaining again against Moses and against God. Okay, we're not done yet. So guess what happens? God says, Oh, you want some food, you're afraid that you're not gonna take care of, here's some mana, and here's some quail. They wake up in the morning, there's man on the ground, they put up some nets, a bunch of quail fly into them. Better hunting luck than I ever had, that's for sure. And these tremendous things happen. And now we get to the 17 chapter and get this. Look at this. Though, verse one, the whole Israelite community set out from the desert of sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded they kept it rough hidden, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they called with Moses and said, Give us water to drink. Most replied, Why do you call with me? Why do you put the Lord of the test but get verse three, but the people were thirsty for water and they grumbled against noses. They said, Why did you bring us out agent to make our children last eyes don't die of thirst. Now, you want to know what the psalmist thought about that action? Go to Psalm 78. I want you to see something. Move over to the 78 Psalm. And I want you to see exactly a commentary, a Bible's commentary on the Bible Whenever the Bible comments on the Bible, it's always the right commentary. By the way. Look, look what happens in Psalm 78. Go with me to verse 17. And it says this. He is describing about all that has just happened. We can pick up with it from the very beginning. But he says in verse 17, but they continue to sin against Him rebelling in the desert against the Most High. They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food that they craved. Get this verse 19. This is complaining. They spoke against God, saying, Can God spread a table in the desert? When he struck the rock, water gushed out and streams flowed abundantly? But can he also give us food? Can he supply meat for his people? And look at the Lord's response? When the Lord heard them? He was very angry. His fire broke out against Jacob, his wrath rose against Israel, for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance. Now, that was God's response, anger, by the way, every time you hear a commentary about Israel in the wilderness, what do you find? You find the god is frustrated with these people? What was it about them? Well, basically was unbelief that God was good that God would take care of them. And so what happened? They complain and they complain, and they gripe and they grumbled. Paul says in first Corinthians 10, I'll go back over to First Corinthians 10. I want to show you one last New Testament commentary on this whole passage, and it comes by way of a warning to us. So First Corinthians, chapter 10. And look with me to verse one. Hope you're with me today. You got to work hard out, I promise to work hard to preach and you better work hard listening. Alright. Look here. First Corinthians 10 verse one, here's another commentary about grumbling and complaining. Look what it says. Paul says in verse one, I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact brothers, that our forefathers were all under a cloud and they all pass through the sea. Now look at verse six. Now these things occurred as examples, to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did all wait a minute. There, you start to get an insight. When someone is grumbling and complaining, it's because their heart is not set on God. It's because their heart is set on something else. Look what he says, Do not be idolaters verse seven, don't commit sexual immorality, verse eight, do not test the Lord verse nine and look at verse 10. And do not grumble as some of them did and were killed by the destroying angel led this commentary, verse 11. These things happen to them as examples, and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. They were written down to warn us You see, when bad things come into your life or into my life, the natural reaction that you have is to blame God is to get bitter, is to become griping and complaining or to blame other people. And there is usually a stubborn refusal to trust God and to rejoice in trials. Usually look at things that we just constantly and the natural reaction is to grumble. The children of Israel grumble, it didn't matter what God did for them, he grumble, he gives them quail, he gives the man and he gives them water out of the rock. He delivers them from the Egyptians over and over again. And what do they keep saying? They keep saying this, we're gonna die out here who would have been better off for us to go back? Listen, at the heart of a grumbling person, is this fact that the grass always seems greener somewhere else? You can never be content with where you are. Because you're all the time wishing that you were someplace else doing something else, always in some better circumstance, because you're not satisfied with what God has done for you. The bottom line is this. It's rebelling against God's character. It's saying God can't take care of me. God doesn't really love me. And you argue and you complain, and you fight against God. That's what it means to complain. Oh, man, I'll tell you, you're looking at a complainer. Now I don't want to be a complainer. But you're looking at one that all sudden circumstances will come that I don't like. And as a result of it, they'll be some grumbling you know who it usually is first to my wife, sometimes to my closest friends, but it's grumbling and complaining. At the heart of it is unbelief. At the heart of it is saying God really isn't good. He won't take care of us. And this is what we are supposed to do all things without complaining. Now let's go to the word arguing. We won't quite spend that much time on the bulk of the word arguing. You know what the Greek word is? It's where we get the word dialog. That's the word for arguing. It actually has the idea of evil thinking or evil reasoning, which leads to disputes and arguments is translated in Romans 121 vain imaginations is translated into Romans 14 One disputable matters, but get this. It is the idea that we're complaining and we're grumbling is the first word. The second one is at least two arguments. At least to dialogue with each other, which hurts each other. The complaining and arguing can be against both God and man. But I want you to see one thing friends, listen, everybody here I think if you love the Lord, if you know that you're saved, not by any good works in yourself or any good thing about you, but you're completely saved by Christ, there is that flicker to want to grow. And if that flicker to want to grow is in your heart, then there is one thing that you better know. Listen to your tough self talk. Listen to the way you talk to your spouse. Listen to the way you talk about the people you work with. Listen to yourself talk because guess what? Out of the abundance of your heart if you really want to know where your heart is, the mouth speaks. And when you hear bitterness, complaining, arguing these findings coming out of your mouth, guess what is your sis reveals one thing, guess what it reveals? It reveals just like the children of Israel, you are in rebellion against God. That's what it means. The fruit of the Spirit when someone is full of the Holy Spirit, and they have yielded themselves to God, guess what comes out of their mouth. Praise, Thanksgiving. Goodness, love. Peace. When someone is in the flesh, and is living life in their own strength and taking on circumstances, and there's this basic attitude, I'm not satisfied, I want more, I'm unhappy. You know what comes out of your mouth, complaining, arguing, hatred, fighting and strife. If you're making progress, in your sanctification, you're becoming more and more like Christ. And more and more of the things of gratitude and praise will come out of your mouth and less than less will bitterness come out of your mouth? What would happen if we could listen to what went on in your home this last week? Or this last month? Would you be here for people to see? Know what you say? I want to tell you something friends. It wouldn't surprise me number one, because I know what's come out of my own mouth in the last month. But secondly, if nobody in this room has ever heard it, I want you to know something. God heard it. Because God heard every word that the children of Israel said to Moses, and they're complaining and they're arguing. And you heard it. And you don't want to know something. You can say pastor, you're putting me on a guilt trip, man, I thought I supposed to come to church to feel good. Well just find that in the Bible that you're supposed to come to church to feel good. And then I'll change my preaching. But I want you to know this. That if you did speak like that, if your mouth and your wife has been characteristic of griping and complaining, then mark this down, God is grieved with you. And the only hope that you have is in repentance. Because it's sin, it's sin, for a person that has tasted of the grace of God, for a person that was once under the wrath of the all mighty. And you have been forgiven of all of his sins and all of his transgressions to have been wiped away. For that person who is now reconciled to God and now at peace with God for that person to complain against God or to complain against others, which is really complaining against God. That is a tremendous sin. What should make our life you think you're in first Corinthians But go over to Philippians and then go back one book to Ephesians. In other words, just go to Ephesians. And I want you to see something here. He's writing to Christians in the in the in emphasis. And he says this in verse three, please get this of Chapter Five Ephesians chapter five and verse three, please get this. But among you, there must not even be a hint of sexual immorality or of any kind of impurity or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people to get this verse For nor should there be obscenity fully bullish talk course joking which are out of place but rather Thanksgiving. What is the saying there? What should more Your Life. Once you mark the life of someone redeemed to God is Thanksgiving, once you mark your life as praise, once you mark your life as thankfulness to the Almighty God, that you're no longer under his wrath, and now you're his children, you could go to Colossians chapter three, and read verses five through 14. And you'll see the exact same one. But you know what, Friends, listen. Someone told me the other day that in their businesses, they try to interview people to see if their person wants to get involved in the business. They're in. You know, one of the questions they ask them, they say this to them, listen, they say this. How do you like your job? I bet it's a great job. I bet you're really happy where you're at. And you know why they say that? Because they're assured of them getting all of the complaints about that job. You just ask the question, why? How what's it like? I bet you real happy, and all of a sudden the person like oh, yeah, well, it's not what you think it is. Let me tell you. Oh, yeah, you think it's probably both chairs, let me tell you what it's really like. You can see the grass is always greener, the heart of man is never satisfied. People, Christian people look at their homes and think if I only had this other home, they'll look at their cars if I could only have this kind of car. They looking for money. If I can only have this Paul said be content with what you have. The Bible says those that chase after money and chase everything's they've pierced themselves through with many sorrows. It's gonna lead to all kinds of trouble. Because you cannot fill up a heart with satisfaction. In a world that you think is going to satisfy only God in a relationship with God can bring satisfaction to your heart. So do all things. Let's look at this again, do all things without arguing and complaint. Are you ready? You think what a long sermon man, he's only here on the first point. Look here, so that you may prove yourselves to be in fact, let's just move it down and get the rest of this verse 15. Look what it says. So that you may prove yourselves to be in a better way. That's what the new meta standard says the New International Version says that you may become but the point is this, that you might be impractical living what you already are in Christ, that you may approve yourselves to be Christians. In other words, if you knew all things without griping and complaining, here's what's going to happen. You're going to prove that you're really a Christian, because once you mark your life as a new heart, and what what reflects the new heart proper speech. And as we speak properly, we are showing that we really is and notice this number one that we will be blameless and pure. It's very difficult to develop distinguish distinction between the two. But the word blameless is without blame when judged by others, other people look at you, and they don't blame you. Pure means this unmingled unmixed, unadulterated it is solid gold jewelry without any alloy. It's translated in Romans 1619. Concerning evil, be simple. It's translated Matthew 1016, harmless as doves. But the idea is no mixture, that you really are not on the fence. Remember, a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. You're not on the fence. One thing I'm trying to get satisfaction in the world. The other thing I tried to get it from God, no, you're absolutely committed to his ways. Now, as a result, we get this, you'll be children of God without fault. How many times have you heard this by unsaved? People? Or if that's what Christianity is, man, I don't want any part of it. You know, the sad thing about that statement? Usually the people that are saying it are right. If there isn't unity and oneness among believers, the Bible says the world has the right to believe that Jesus did not come from God. And one of the key things here is this. We are to be without fault that is this. Nothing to disfigure our witness, what is the best way that you can be a good witness? You are to be witnesses not do witnessing what's the best way to be a witness to live your life without complaining and arguing? When you live your life without complaining and arguing, you are going to be a good witness. I'll illustrate that more in just a minute. But notice what else the text goes on to say then, shining stars in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. I believe it's scoliosis of the spine. Isn't that the word? Scoliosis inside? This is the Greek word scoliosis is where we get it. It means crooked, the Mr. Back appear in the midst of a crooked where am I? It's crooked, right? They're crooked and perverse generation. be curved. In other words, here's what's right. It's right and wrong straight this way. We are weaker than bent in needs. The second one is even stronger. And that is the word depraved and that needs to be permanently twisted or to be so distorted that it's actually perverse or, or weird. And the whole point here is this. The world in which we live is crooked and perverse. If anyone should understand the newspaper, it should be the Christian. Right? So many people, I can't believe what's happening to you but what the doctor did Did you hear about this? Do you hear about that? The world in which we live in is crooked and perverse. Read the newspaper, read the magazine, watch the news. And then tell me this is man basically good or basically bad. Come on. I told you about witnessing before I went to the witness to man dying of cancer. His wife was involved in a cult. And as I sat there, I started trying to get the gospel presentation off. The man only had a few weeks to live. And I said, Well, she was just hovering over him like a chicken. She didn't have a mother, hen. She didn't want him to be touched by anything. I was gonna say. That's it only just asked you. I just thought I just talked to her and let him listen. I see that is according to what you believe is man based? Oh, I believe the Bible I say the Bible backwards and forwards. I know everything about the Bible is what she said. And it will tell me that his man basically good, or basically that Oh, basically good without doubt. And I said, Great. You take pick up your Bible, please. Could you show me one verse that says that? Now know, I said, Could you show me one phrase that says that? Could you show me one word that says that? She said no. And I said, well, then how come Ma'am, I don't mean to be a snot. But I'd say this. How come that I can stay here the rest of the night and could show you that man from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. There is no soundness in it but bruises and wounds and putrifying sores that there is nothing to do with good no, not one, that we are all once children of wrath, or All we like sheep have gone astray. But there is a wicked perversity that the heart of man is desperately wicked deceitful, above all things who could know it. And that's just the first of the 50 verses that I know. And then if I got my Bible started looking, there'd be another 500 verses to follow. And I'm not exaggerating. Unbelievable that we are perverse, there's a twist and bet nature in us, as a result of the fall in this world in which we live is crooked and perverse. But notice what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to be shining stars, we're supposed to appear on the black night as the shining stars in the universe, I love to look up at the stars, I've learned a couple little things about the stars. And you know what I know you could fill a thimble up and still get a big drink of water out of it. But the fact is this, I love to think about the stars and to see them and in fact, is this this beautiful to consider in the dark night, there's a shining star. And the point here is this the Christian is to be different in the world, the world is crooked, the world is perverse. The generation in which we live men are far from God, we're in desperate need of the grace of God and the relationship of Christ. And the work where we're supposed to be are shining stars, would it be different? Namely, how are you namely to be different, that you do all things without arguing and complaining? That's how you're to be different. We are not shining stars often think of what has happened in Christianity in the last few years. You don't want shiny stars. Let me give you an illustration. You know what will shock people? I haven't been doing it recently. But I used to have regular times to play basketball at the YMCA over the lunch hour. And you know what, you got to hear the way the guys talk about their wives. It's pretty sick. You think of them after you listen to those guys like they're just some sex object, or that they can absolutely hate him. And if there's any way they could possibly get away, they would. It's if it's, you know, the old ball and chain routine literally just for me to talk about how much I love my wife. It's been a tremendous way to be a shining star in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. Because the average person is so discontent with their spouse because their heart is far from God. And when your heart is not right, it doesn't matter what you're driving, who your wife is, what, who your husband is, it doesn't matter. You're going to be discontent. But our hearts are right with God. There's going to be praise. Listen, shining light stars means this we are to be separate from the world. separation has been so perverted in Baptist circles these days. It doesn't mean separation from brothers. In the Christ. It means separation from the world. No, listen, I did not say isolation. I said separation. We are to be in the world but not of the world. Jesus Christ was called a wine deliver a drunk and in the glutton. Why? Because people just made up stories about him. No, because he was with wine, bevers drunks and gluttons. If you wanted to find Jesus one Tuesday night in Israel someplace, you could have gone to the bar and you could have found him because he hung out with people that he knew needed him. Was he in there whipping it up and drinking it up like my friends? Of course not. He was different, and that's what made him attractive. I must give credit that credit to our missionary Kent Craig, he gave me this illustration but listen to how it fits. It's a true story. While attending a university in London, England, a young man was nearly convinced of Christianity and converted to Christ. He was Nearly converted to Christ. After graduation he was still weighing the evidence of Christianity against the his native Hinduism. He accepted employment in East Africa and lived with a family who professed Christ and attended an evangelical church. He thought that there were there he would find the proof of Christianity he was searching for. But as the months passed, what impressed him was the worldly lifestyle apathy towards the religion, disharmony with other Christians. He concluded that Christianity was a good religion, but not the one true supernatural religion he was searching for. He rejected Christianity clung to Hinduism and explained I would believe in Christ and embrace Christianity, if it were not for Christians. Who said that Mahatma Gandhi the Hindu nationalist and social reformist? Let me ask you this. What would he have said if he would have lived with you? I don't mean live with you putting on your little show to look good. I mean, if he would have lived with you day in and day out and could have heard every What if he would have lived with you this last month? What would he have heard? What would he have believed about Christianity. We live in a crooked and perverse generation, which is displeased and happy. You remember the old illustration think about it. Friends, this is the perfect illustration. The guy is on the golf course with his buddies. And he stands there like this. And he lines up his shot. And he hits a beautiful shot down the fairway is absolutely perfect. Just bouncing on the fairway. Just picture in your mind rolling closer and closer to the green. Those of you golf players you love this part. That's why you go out and play golf. It's fun. And what does the buddy say? Great shot George. What does he do? Little Barney five action. Right. You take the same guy, he does it again. And then he gets up another six stroke. He slices one off the tree into the lake, and what comes out of his mouth. long as man has anything good. He'll take the credit for it. As soon as something bad happens. God gets blamed for it. And cursings come out of the mouth. There is such dissatisfaction in our hearts. Well, look at this, we are to be different from all that. And what's gonna be the difference. If I just said it a few times right now let's don't be that way. Come on. No, the difference, the strength is going to come right here. As you hold out the word of life. As you hold out before you to the lost world, the word of life and as you live, holding on to the word of life and scholars disagree was the which means we'll just take it as both meanings here. I think it's pretty simple. And the fact is, as you hold on to the word of life, what happens? Well, here's what happens. Follow my logic. That put his present participle you're continually holding on to the word of life. You give a light of God's word to others, but you also have a renewed mind. Remember Romans 12, one and two. It says in the second part there, be not conformed to get this you got to follow my logic here. be not conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, right? That you may be able to discern the will of God. That's what it says. Am I right on that? No, listen, don't be conformed to the world. Don't think like the world but have your mind renewed how? As you consider the Word of God as you consider the mercies of God as you have the light of God's Word in your life. Now just listen. Without the word at work in your life, you will not have a renewed mind. Without a renewed mind. You will become conformed to the world. When you are conformed to the world, you will forget God's mercy. Eventually you'll become hopeless and despairing like those who live in this world and have no hope. Now listen, when your heart becomes hopeless and despairing, you no longer are grateful and rejoicing but you start complaining started arguing and you are no longer an effective witness for Christ. Hits pitch without this, you don't have the strength to do this. But it is the word of God which is active and that work and brings revival to the heart and what is so 19 What is Psalm 119? What is Hebrews four what is the whole Bible say the word of God see people say, Oh, you're gonna tell me to memorize a verse that's gonna help me. Well, no of us memorize verses I can help you. Alright? But the point is this. If you take the word of God who lives in your heart, and you meditate on it, and you let it do its work, there is nothing more powerful than the Word of God. It brings life it brings hope it brings renewal it gives you strength and the way to be able to handle whatever comes your life. For instance, some big trial James chapter one, First Peter chapter one, the store We have John Joseph, the story of Joshua, the story through what is it? We kind of we say, Yes, God is sovereign, he has the reason I have hope and victory. And so we are holding on to the word of life. Jesus really said something when he said, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out the mouth of God. We don't really believe that. But the fact is, we can't make it without his word. You show me somebody who has been slow here, I'm going to show you somebody who's complaining and arguing. It's just plain simple. It's all there is to it, friends. But here, we are now at the conclusion. And it's too much of a conclusion for the time we have, so you better hang on. Because look at the last part is quite shocking. All of a sudden, now the clearblue liquidy says the last part of our 16 He says this, so that on the day of Christ, I'm a boast that I did not run or labor for nothing. Did you get that there's two main points here. If you do all things without complaining and arguing, number one, you're going to be a good witness. Number two, at the Judgement Day, it's going to be good. That is amazing. What a motivation that most Christians don't live by. And that is this. How many times have you made your decisions based upon what Jesus will say to you at the BBC. You want to live by faith, you say, this has to be one of the strongest motivations in your life. Somehow, it doesn't seem to count for so many people, they say yeah, but that's then you know, I want to live now. John MacArthur was saying that out of this college when this war broke out, and everybody started teaching prophecy that all the kids were getting married real fast, because they wanted to experience marital bliss before the Lord returned. See, as if, if the Lord returned, we're really gonna miss out on something here. My freshman year in college, I was like the 11th, man out of 12 on the basketball team. And I would sit there at our home games. And I get to play maybe two or three minutes a game. And I would watch during the game and the place would be full, the people would be screaming, the pep band will be playing. And I'd be sitting thinking, I wish so bad. I was in the game. That made a couple of commitments, the glory and the praise and the honor that from the fans, for an 18 year old sitting on the bench was so great that I made a determination, I am going to come back so well prepared next year that they're going to have to play me. So you know what I did every day at scrimmage for about two hours. All summer. I ran every evening 80% of the evenings, I should say. I ran a mile and a half worth of sprints, there was a mile and a half course. And there were telephone poles about 60 yards apart. And I would sprint run sprint and jog one sprint or run jog run the whole time for a mile and a half till I was absolutely dribble the basketball between my legs, shoot 100, free throws a day. Come up because I wanted it. Now you may think that it'd be sort of a strange thing. But Paul talks about this. In athletic terms. He says I strive not as one that beats the air. I fight not as one who shadowboxes I actually aimed to hit my opponent. Why? Because he's talking that he would be it would not be a cast away, but that he would be rewarded one day. And the fact is this that we have got to keep before us that we're gonna give an answer to God some day. Arguing and complaining. We're gonna give an answer for every word that comes out of our mouth, we will get an answer for it. Did you ever notice how quickly you're sanctified and all of a sudden someone is overhearing your argument? I'll never forget my but my pastor friend, Dan Davis, him his wife were having this huge fight in the summer day, and their doors were open. And all of a sudden they realized that one of the head deacons were not one of the deacons wives, the head deacons wife was at the door and the screen doors and they're having this big argument and suddenly they both were sanctified and holy before God, because we all came to a stop just like that. Why? Because the realization of someone else's presents they were quite embarrassed. My friends, this is what it means that on the day of Christ, you may have grounds for boasting. Paul would have grounds for boasting that he did not run that is wearisome running and he did not labor that is toilsome. Tough labor for nothing. In other words, one of the keys to whether or not you're going to be rewarded the Bema Seat is what comes out of your mouth. Is there going to be complaining and arguing? Is it going to be a terrible testimony for Christ? I'll listen to what a goal what the pastor has As this goal is pulled into the Bema Seat, you don't cater to the rich. You don't worry about numbers on Sunday. Would you please remind me of that? You are concerned about one thing, What will Jesus Christ say about your congregation on that day? Alexander white, the great preacher said this, as long as I'm your pastor, you are never going to get out of Romans chapter seven. And those of you that don't understand that, I'll tell you later. But listen