Sermon – “If Any”

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you 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; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. 14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. 17 Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18 For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.

This morning. My message out titled. If any and as I read through the flippy and you’ll see wot titled it that and I’m going to read verses one through eight tame but I’m going to split it up and do verses one through eleven first and then twelve to eighteen. So beginning with Verse one here the word of the Lord. Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love. If any fellowship with the spear if any affection and mercy fulfil my joy by being like minded having the same love being of one accord of one mind that nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit. But in loaded and loneliness of mind that each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interest but also for the interest of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God did not consider robbery to be equal with God but made in self of no reputation taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death even the death of the cross therefore God also has Holly exulted him and given him the name which is above every name a man that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those in heaven of those on Earth and those under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is more to the glory of the Father. They got his blessings to hear it in the reading of His Holy Word. Law. Sabbath I said in the message that if there’s. Going to be a time of examination to examine one’s character or do examine one’s faith in one’s walk with the Lord for a time of testing. Where did I say it needs to begin with ourselves right I said we need to go look in the mirror and let it begin. There you know this is kind of a little side step here I’m going to take you know most places of employment. They tend to put a lot of emphasis on safety and I know a lot of that emphasis is because they don’t like paying lawsuits when someone gets hurt. But they do put a lot of emphasis on safety and they don’t want their employees to get hurt in a railroad is no different. There’s a lot of emphasis put on safety and one of the safety slogans that we used to have was a little two word slogan it said what if. So with that. What if they try to create in their employees a habit of saying what if I do this. What could happen. You know say if you work in a chemical plant and you’re going to say well I’m going to take this chemical and this chemical and what if poor these two together. What’s going to happen. Could be a big boom correct. So with the what if what if hazards. What if I say I’m going to wire this breaker up with the box being alive. Was going to happen. Well see is my little side step outs walk of going to use in this we were out here. Putting in the new tankless water heater Wednesday night. And then guys ran the wire was mounting the box and I had an audience when it came time to put the wires into the breaker box and wire one to the breakers. Yeah hadn’t had an audience of three. So anyway. When you do this you figure out where you got to strip the coating off the the outside coating off the wires and I did it and I’m pulling the wires through the connector and just pull. When I’m through there. Will the loose wire. Now two wires are covered in the the vinyl and one wires bare ground wire. Well I’m pouring through well the ground wire went and hit against the hot bar in the breaker panel and boom scared May And you know that scared everybody is scared i’m all. Scared I think it scared by I think a scared Brown is better to scare me. But anyway so I should’ve said what if you know what if this happens you know forgot to say what it is and ten minutes later you know I’m still working because I think that was the first wires pulling through and I’m shaking a little bit and Scott says you’re still shaking I’m like yeah because I’m the one I had all of the wire. You know and it was a bare wire and I had all would have been a flung down or so. Praise God for his protection and my. Negligence to say what if so after that someone was holding the end of the wire the whole time but that was with the what ifs the safety slogans all this is to create a mindset of safety to try to get people to think before they act and I think that in today’s passage the if any this is to is a spiritual to create a spiritual mindset within the church. If what if is there any consolation in Crites meaning is there any solace or comfort in Christ. Do we have comfort in Christ if any comfort of love. That’s where Paul’s asking the church. He’s trying to get them to think about these spiritual things about faith if any comfort a love if any fellowship of the Spirit. Do we church have the fellowship of the Spirit if any affection. If any mercy all these things we can ask that we can ask that individually and corporately as a body. The of believers do we have any consolation comfort in Christ. You know some might say well. Oh yes. Pastor I have the comfort to know that that he’s coming back some day that he’s going to set all things right and I have that that hope of eternal life. I’m not talking about some future comfort. I’m not talking about a past comfort. I’m talking about now. Do you now today have the comfort of Christ. Do you have that comfort in here. Do we as a body do we as a church have that comfort in Christ and you know as I pondered this you know I can’t I guess I have to ponder my message all week. I think about those people that don’t know Christ and I have to wonder I know I don’t have an answer. How do they get through the things that come upon us in life without that comfort in Christ because without Christ they have to carry all those burdens themselves. I don’t know how they do it because we have the privilege of giving it to Christ. The other probably on drugs to help him get through it but we have the comfort of Christ that we can bring our burdens before the Lord and He will take his yoke or yoke upon himself will help us will it. You know the world thinks we’re fully for believe in and see God but I’ve seen God’s hand of seeing God’s work. I felt his presence. So I know that he is real. So they can think whatever they want but I’m thankful in church. I know that you’re thankful that we have the comfort of Christ. Amen. Paul’s addressing this issue with the church and Philip I because when the pastor died has brought the generous gift from the church to Paul. He shared with Paul that there was a possible threat of the vision within. Church. So that’s why all the if if any it’s all the if any is he’s trying to get them to focus on the things that they have going right focus on your comfort in Christ that you share with one another. Focus on those things instead of the things that are wrong. You know one day a day fellowship luncheon. I heard someone of a different nomination ask the pastor of the same denomination of which we are. How are we different you know what instead of saying how are we different. Why should our focus be on how are we the same instead of focusing on what we have not in common. Let’s focus on what we do have in common. As long as those basic foundational principles of faith are in place that we believe in One God the Father and Son the Holy Spirt. Let’s focus on what we do have the same you know when we began a lady from the newspaper came to write an article about the new church it was starting. We’re going to meet down the women of the world building and one of her first questions to me was and use it maybe appreciate this. She goes. How are used different from the advantaged I said let’s talk about how are the same say I don’t want to focus on how we’re different. Let’s focus on what we do have in common. The Lord Jesus Christ for one the comfort of Christ. Amen. So I didn’t let her take me there you know if you could convince a church body or even a married couple to focus only on their difference. It wouldn’t take long to destroy both think about that for a moment. That’s why. Pozen you know if Karen and I would only focus on our differences our marriage would be ruined if a church body only focuses on their differences. It’ll be destroy the root of all division comes from the devil because he cometh but to steal to kill and to destroy. So don’t give him. Don’t give in to him. Don’t give in to him. Let’s focus on the things that we do agree on as a body I’m not talking about just this church but as a body as the Christian churches focus on what we do agree on. Do we agree on Christ that He is a son of the Living God and that he died for our sins. Do we agree on love because Paul said if any to love. So do we agree on love Jesus taught us about this love in Mark chapter twelve versus thirty and thirty one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind and with all your strength. This is the first commandment and the second is like it that you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these two we agree on the Fellowship of the Spirit that God has sent His Holy Spirt to comfort us all to guide us all to help us all all be in a key word here first Corinthians twelve versus four and five and thirteen fourteen says there are a diversities of gifts but the same spirit. There are differences of mysteries but the same Lord I’m going to pause there. There are diversities of gifts as I said there’s a hand in the foot in the eye and the head. We’re not all the same thank the Lord. We’re not all the same because if we were all like Ronnie it would be a boring plain. It’s No I mean because you know we’d all like the same cover we’d all drive the same cars we would it’s not we’re not the be the same there are to be diversities first thirteen for by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body whether Jew or Greek whether slave or free all have been made to drink into one spirit for in fact the body is not one member but many how you know there are those that think that they have the corner on The Spirit the Holy Spirit but it says if I want spirit we were all baptized into one body. So if you believe in Jesus Christ. You are baptized by the same spirit that all the churches baptize it’s all not just one so that we have that agreement if any fellowship with the spirit. Do we have that I pray that we do. Do we agree on affection and mercy. Which means to have a gentle feeling of fondness towards others. You know some people may struggle with that some people might say well you know I got to love him. I got to love him to get in but I don’t like him. And. We shouldn’t be saying that as believers in Christ if we are we should be owner nice and Lord help me to like that person help me not only to love him but help me to like him. Because Do we have that affection that is liking them. You know probably many people are turned away from the church because they see the bickering in the fighting in the back stabbing and all that going on within the church the same way it is with. Out of the church at all not be. It ought not be. We should have. Affection for one another in the body in the family Romans twelve non-truth thirteen says Let love be without hypocrisy not to be would be saying love that person but not really showing them that you love that person same one thing going. Another Let love be without hypocrisy of who or what is evil cling to what is good be Conley affectionate to one another with brotherly love in honor giving preference to one another not lagging in diligence fervent in spirit serving the Lord rejoicing in hope patient in tribulation continuing steadfastly in prayer distributing to the needs of the saints given to hospitality. All of these if any. If we have this if any if we have all these things if we have the comfort of Christ if we have the fellowship of the Spirit if we have the affection all these sayings it brings what unity. It brings unity into the body when we have that we move focus on what we do have in common but unity does not eliminate diversity the absence of the versity is not unity. It is uniformity and uniformity is dogs I said This world would be a dull place above but it was like May because I’m not that exciting is fine. You know when the choir sings in unison. But would you rather hear a choir sing in harmony. Yes. So how ought the body of Christ work. We ought to work in harmony with great diversity Amen. We should work in harmony with great diversity. That’s why verse three is a key verse from Philippians let nothing be done through self the same vision or conceit. But in. Lotus of mine that each esteem others better than himself. We’re living in a society where that is not taught. We’re living in a society where it’s all about ME ME ME. What’s in it for May but we should esteem others better than ourselves. That’s a good word. Today we should humble or selves and steam others and love them and even light them versus ten eleven said that that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those in heaven and of those on Earth and those under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father and that pretty well covers it all those that are on the earth at a time of his coming those who had died and went before in those in the heavens even the angels they will all confess that Jesus Christ is Lord Amen. He is Lord there is coming a day where every living being will acknowledge Him as Lord they may not want to do it now but there is coming a day when they’re going to because he is Lord they will bow before him. James two nineteen says you believe that there is one God You do well. Even the demons are believe in tremble. You know there is coming a day when they do have to bow down that many is going to be bound down in fear but praise God we won’t have to bow down in fear because we made him our Lord Amen amen. Now let’s move on to the second half of the reading verses twelve through eighteen Philippians to twelve through eighteen. Therefore my beloved as you 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 who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure to do all things without complaining and disputing that you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse general. Ation among whom you shine as lights in the world holding fast the Word of Life so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Yes and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice of and service of your faith. I am glad and rejoice with you all for the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me to work out your own salvation. We were kind of touching a little bit of this and Sabbath school work out your own salvation it does not suggest that we have this salvation is earned by works because Paul was addressing a group that he had already called saints in Chapter one Verse one he called them saints to the saints of Philip I so it’s not that we work for our salvation but we work it out the verb work out carries the meaning of work to full completion. That’s what it means to work to full completion in Paul’s day this phrase carried the understanding as to working in a field. So as a as a harvest would be as great as possible so farmers would understand that you work a field. You can’t just Year after year after year after year continually plant in plant and plant in a field and not put anything back in not work anything in because eventually you’re not going to reap a harvest you have to fertilize you have to work the ground. You have to put into it to be able to get a harvest. Same with our salvation. We are saved by grace by Jesus Christ but we work out our salvation. We work in we work his word in we work to fellowship in to us. The purpose God wants to achieve in us every want to. Bus is Christ likeness to be conformed to the image of his son. That’s what we’re working in Romans eight twenty nine says for whom he for new he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. That he might be the first born among many brother and the important thing to remember about this working thing in working in thing is this as we ponder and work our salvation. It is God who works in you both who will win the do for his good. So God works in his God works in that works out the things that ought not to be in that makes sense. As God works in that’s working out yourself. Ation allowing God to work in let him feed you be it through His Word or through teachers allow God to work in so that the evil can be worked out as God works in a man. Being like minded having the same love being of want to core of one mind church that’s what we need to be of want to chord of one mind with diversities Amen. So that’s the main that’s important. Then we understand we can have unity and all but I praise God you know some people look at all the different nominations praise God for all the different denominations because as diversity God loves diversity. If you love him and have confessed your sins and believe in a son they do loves you you know we look at the name tag God looks down to see sons and daughters of the Living God and. First sons and daughters of the Living God. Praise God Your children are not absolute the same in every way. Praise God they’re different. Praise God we’re different. But we can still have the unity the unity the speared the fellowship of Christ the unity of love we have these things in common and we can have them in common with every church as confesses and believes in Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen