back to indexBerean Community Church Sunday Service 11-22-2020
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♪ The same for the saint and for the sinner ♪ 00:07:51.700 |
♪ And in love before you laid the world's foundation ♪ 00:08:02.700 |
♪ You have raised me up so high above my station ♪ 00:08:10.200 |
♪ I'm a child of God by grace and grace alone ♪ 00:08:15.200 |
♪ You blessed the home you seek out the lost ♪ 00:08:53.700 |
♪ By your blood I have redemption and salvation ♪ 00:08:58.700 |
♪ Rose you died and I'm the rose you have sown ♪ 00:09:34.700 |
♪ I'm a temple of rocks a heart made of stone ♪ 00:09:43.700 |
♪ Let your touch my sleep your spirit was my waking ♪ 00:09:48.700 |
♪ All my darkness parted the light of the cross you shone ♪ 00:09:54.700 |
♪ Caught into a kingdom that cannot be shaken ♪ 00:10:01.700 |
♪ I will stand in sin by grace and grace alone ♪ 00:10:06.700 |
♪ To a stand in faith by grace and grace alone ♪ 00:10:12.700 |
♪ I will run and rage by grace and grace alone ♪ 00:10:18.700 |
♪ I will slay my sin by grace and grace alone ♪ 00:10:25.700 |
♪ I will reach the end by grace and grace alone ♪ 00:12:04.700 |
It is a wonderful privilege and a joy to come together 00:12:07.700 |
to worship our God and to give thanks to him. 00:12:10.700 |
So this morning we will begin with singing Psalm 103, 00:13:36.700 |
♪ And as high as the heavens are over the earth ♪ 00:15:11.700 |
♪ And as high as the heavens are over the earth ♪ 00:15:42.700 |
- All right, good morning, Marine Community Church, 00:16:08.700 |
so if you are interested in getting involved, 00:16:13.700 |
and they'll give you more information about that. 00:16:27.700 |
and getting more information about what the church is about, 00:16:33.700 |
and again, all this information is on the Facebook 00:16:35.700 |
or on the app, or you can just ask one of the welcome team members, 00:16:39.700 |
and they'll give you direction on that as well. 00:16:45.700 |
with the COVID and the new different guidelines 00:16:52.700 |
about what we are planning to do going forward. 00:16:59.700 |
but nothing at the church is really gonna change. 00:17:09.700 |
and so we're gonna do our best to keep the church safe. 00:17:19.700 |
We can actually see that that's what's going on, 00:17:24.700 |
and we want to encourage you to be responsible 00:17:33.700 |
We'll try to set up more chairs outside if we need to, 00:18:02.700 |
So it's understandable that the non-believing world 00:18:18.700 |
and so we're gonna continue to do what we are doing, 00:18:25.700 |
but again, as far as the programs and what we're doing, 00:18:44.700 |
that's the principle that we're gonna be working toward 00:19:06.700 |
that we would give truly as an act of worship. 00:19:09.700 |
Help us to be good stewards as leaders in the church. 00:19:15.700 |
to use it in a way that honors and glorifies you. 00:19:18.700 |
I pray that those who give may give, Lord God, 00:19:38.700 |
May it be an act of worship that honors and glorifies you. 00:20:19.700 |
As we continue our worship, let us stand together. 00:28:54.700 |
And at this time, parents who have children in seeds, 00:29:23.700 |
Crest the shore in steady anchor, in the fury of the storm. 00:29:42.700 |
In the suffering, in the sorrow, when my sinking hopes are few, 00:30:32.700 |
though I justly stand accused, I will hold fast to the anchor. 00:31:02.700 |
Oh, but somehow, oh, my soul now, lift your eyes to Calvary. 00:31:12.700 |
This my baddest of assurance, see his love forever grow. 00:32:16.700 |
And the cause will be the better for the souls that we endure. 00:32:58.700 |
We're going to take a break from the study of Hebrews. 00:33:02.700 |
And we're going to be jumping into Philippians chapter 2, 00:33:17.700 |
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 00:33:19.700 |
so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent. 00:33:23.700 |
Children of God, above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, 00:33:27.700 |
among whom you appear as lights in the world, 00:33:30.700 |
holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ, 00:33:33.700 |
I will have reason to glory, because I did not run in vain, nor toil in vain. 00:33:38.700 |
But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, 00:33:46.700 |
You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me. 00:34:09.700 |
and make sure that it is your voice that we hear. 00:34:13.700 |
So we pray that you would protect our pulpit, 00:34:18.700 |
that all that we believe and all that we apply, 00:34:22.700 |
that it may be coming with your authority and your word. 00:34:31.700 |
So, did you know Thanksgiving is this Thursday? 00:34:39.700 |
because less and less, every single year we hear less of Thanksgiving. 00:34:45.700 |
You know, previous years, Christmas lights and Christmas trees 00:34:51.700 |
But I've heard more about Black Friday this year than I've done Thanksgiving. 00:34:58.700 |
I'm trying to look for who's actually talking about Thanksgiving. 00:35:01.700 |
All I've heard is what you can't do on Thanksgiving. 00:35:04.700 |
You're not supposed to do this, you're not supposed to do that. 00:35:07.700 |
But Thanksgiving is a uniquely Christian holiday, 00:35:10.700 |
and I think part of the reason, it may not be all the reason, 00:35:13.700 |
but part of the reason why Thanksgiving is kind of slowly dying out 00:35:16.700 |
is because I don't think the secular knows what to do with this, 00:35:20.700 |
because it's a unique holiday that was set apart for worship, 00:35:27.700 |
And I think it's important for us as Christians that, again, 00:35:30.700 |
not just once a year, but celebrating Thanksgiving is a reminder to us 00:35:34.700 |
that this is something that we ought to be doing regularly, all the time. 00:35:39.700 |
You know, before we even jump into that, I want to get some stuff off my chest, 00:35:43.700 |
because before we get into Thanksgiving, I want to share with you 00:35:46.700 |
some of the things that's been bothering me, okay? 00:35:49.700 |
Just this week, you know, I got new neighbors. 00:35:53.700 |
We're living in a cul-de-sac, and before they moved in, 00:35:56.700 |
we had the reign of parking in our cul-de-sac. 00:36:00.700 |
And so we're able to park anywhere we want, and then all of a sudden, 00:36:03.700 |
this--it looked like some kind of daycare center moved in, 00:36:06.700 |
because they got all kinds of cars sitting outside. 00:36:09.700 |
Now whenever we park, we have to maneuver with them, you know? 00:36:15.700 |
When you come home, park your car, and if we park on the street first. 00:36:19.700 |
So we're going to dominate this, and then park. 00:36:22.700 |
So every time I come out, I check the city, and it's like, "Oh my gosh, 00:36:27.700 |
Anyway, I'm getting some of that off my chest. 00:36:30.700 |
Ever since the pandemic, some of you guys know, 00:36:32.700 |
we live right by the train station, and then behind there's like a walkway. 00:36:36.700 |
And usually it's not used well, but ever since the pandemic, 00:36:40.700 |
people have been exercising there, hanging out there. 00:36:43.700 |
The teenagers are riding their skateboards up and down, 00:36:49.700 |
So every morning, I'm doing quiet time reading the Bible, 00:36:54.700 |
Anyway, I'm getting some of that off my chest, okay? 00:37:04.700 |
I went to Carl's Jr. to pick a hamburger for lunch, 00:37:08.700 |
and I asked them to give me extra lettuce on my Famous Star, 00:37:13.700 |
and by the time I got back, instead of giving me extra lettuce, 00:37:22.700 |
I was thinking, if I wanted salad, I would have ordered salad, right? 00:37:26.700 |
And so that same day, I was coming back from Carl's Jr., 00:37:30.700 |
you know, it was like a right turn right off of coming into, 00:37:36.700 |
Red Hill in Maine, and, you know, I'm making a right turn, 00:37:40.700 |
but you know one of those people that always like-- 00:37:42.700 |
they're kind of--they're intending to go straight, 00:37:52.700 |
They're going to go straight, but they're taking up both lanes. 00:37:54.700 |
So this guy--I was about to make a right turn, 00:37:58.700 |
So I said, "Okay, I'm a pastor, so I better--" 00:38:01.700 |
So I just sat there waiting for the red light to turn, 00:38:08.700 |
and the first thing I see, his middle finger goes up. 00:38:13.700 |
And he said, "Yeah, I don't have a pleasant resting face." 00:38:17.700 |
So maybe he looked at me, and he thought I was angry, 00:38:47.700 |
and I've been trying to contact them through the phone, 00:38:49.700 |
through the internet, I've gone to Amazon.com, 00:38:52.700 |
and only time they'd give any kind of response 00:38:59.700 |
going back and forth to the callers in India, 00:39:10.700 |
and during the two hours, there's long breaks in between. 00:39:12.700 |
So I said, "Wait a second, let me look this up. 00:39:21.700 |
I was preparing this sermon about not grumbling. 00:39:37.700 |
Thank you for the family, thank you for this job, 00:39:40.700 |
and we have this road thing that we go through. 00:39:43.700 |
And I'm like, "Oh, I should be thankful for that." 00:39:52.700 |
For most people, it doesn't really take long. 00:39:56.700 |
Like, "I'm gonna be thankful, I'm gonna be thankful." 00:40:10.700 |
But our heart condition naturally is to grumble. 00:40:14.700 |
Our natural condition is naturally to be grumbled. 00:40:21.700 |
The opposite of Thanksgiving, it's about grumbling. 00:40:23.700 |
So I'm gonna be grumbling about grumbling this morning, okay? 00:40:38.700 |
that's taking place between these two prominent sisters. 00:40:41.700 |
Say, "Hey, can you guys please help them out?" 00:40:44.700 |
And obviously that theme of division in this church, 00:40:50.700 |
even though there's a larger theme of rejoicing the Lord, 00:40:53.700 |
but the reason why he keeps reminding them to rejoice 00:41:02.700 |
you'll see that that's kind of what he's touching upon, 00:41:06.700 |
and then he brings the main point at the end. 00:41:10.700 |
That's why he writes Philippians chapter one, 00:41:36.700 |
"Do all things without grumbling or disputing." 00:41:46.700 |
"Do all things without grumbling or disputing." 00:41:48.700 |
The word for grumbling, another word is murmuring. 00:42:07.700 |
And that's the sound that you hear internally. 00:42:19.700 |
"Be hospitable to one another without complaint." 00:42:24.700 |
If you're complaining, why would you be hospitable? 00:42:34.700 |
That's why he says, "Be hospitable without complaining." 00:42:37.700 |
Do what you're supposed to do without murmuring. 00:42:44.700 |
if there's one characteristic about the Israelites 00:42:52.700 |
They had all kinds of problems during the 40 years. 00:42:54.700 |
In fact, they got into, one tribe, the Simeonites, 00:43:05.700 |
But instead, the primary sin that is pointed out 00:43:13.700 |
And it was their grumbling that led to the judgment of God. 00:43:26.700 |
you've got a bunch of things that we would think, 00:43:39.700 |
why the judgment came to the nation of Israel, 00:43:47.700 |
In fact, the history of Israel starts with them grumbling. 00:43:54.700 |
And they were crying out, and God had mercy on them. 00:44:01.700 |
and because of that, Moses doesn't immediately respond. 00:44:04.700 |
And so he makes it even harder for the slaves. 00:44:06.700 |
And they start murmuring and grumbling about that. 00:44:09.700 |
When God delivers them and takes them to the Red Sea, 00:44:12.700 |
"Why did he do all of that to bring us out here to kill us?" 00:44:16.700 |
So God opens up the sea, and they go to the other side, 00:44:26.700 |
So they make the golden calf, they start worshiping God, 00:44:31.700 |
And then you would think they learned their lesson. 00:44:41.700 |
"Why did he bring us out here so that we could die of thirst?" 00:44:50.700 |
It's like, "That's it? Water? What about food? 00:44:55.700 |
So God gives them miraculous bread, manna, from heaven, 00:45:00.700 |
And they start eating that, and then soon after that, 00:45:08.700 |
And they start murmuring and complaining about that. 00:45:12.700 |
Then after that, it's like, "Okay, we got meat, we got bread, 00:45:20.700 |
And this cycle happened all along the 40 years, 00:45:28.700 |
And the Bible teaches us that that was at the root 00:45:36.700 |
It's the constant grumbling and complaining and murmuring 00:45:43.700 |
what other people had that leads to other sins. 00:45:47.700 |
And the Bible says the reason why there's murder 00:45:49.700 |
is because there's coveting, and because the coveting 00:45:57.700 |
In Proverbs 23, 6-7, "Do not eat the bread of a selfish man 00:46:01.700 |
"or desire his delicacy," even when he's being generous. 00:46:06.700 |
He says, "For as he thinks within himself, so he is." 00:46:10.700 |
He says to you, "Eat and drink, but his heart is not with you. 00:46:14.700 |
"You will vomit up the more so you have eaten 00:46:19.700 |
He said even if a man who is constantly grumbling 00:46:21.700 |
in his heart, he has a selfishness in his heart, 00:46:23.700 |
and even when he is being generous, he said, "Don't eat it." 00:46:28.700 |
It's going to turn out where you're going to end up vomiting. 00:46:31.700 |
So when an individual is constantly murmuring 00:46:41.700 |
See, an individual who is constantly murmuring, 00:46:48.700 |
The word disputing in NIV is questioning, dialoguing. 00:46:53.700 |
Where an individual who is constantly discontent 00:46:58.700 |
begins to question everything, and there's a difference 00:47:03.700 |
Asking questions is trying to figure out what is going on, 00:47:05.700 |
why is this happening, versus questioning is, 00:47:07.700 |
I know what's right, why are you doing it that way? 00:47:12.700 |
And when an individual is constantly questioning, 00:47:15.700 |
there is no real answer unless you submit to me. 00:47:18.700 |
In Psalm 1 verse 1 it says, "How blessed is the man 00:47:21.700 |
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, 00:47:24.700 |
nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers." 00:47:28.700 |
Do you notice how he says an individual who is walking 00:47:34.700 |
he will eventually be identified with the sinners, 00:47:36.700 |
stand in the way of sinners, and then he will seat 00:47:38.700 |
in the seat of scoffers, who is constantly questioning, 00:47:45.700 |
In Isaiah 49 verse 5, this constantly murmuring 00:47:52.700 |
because your circumstance, ultimately God is sovereign. 00:47:55.700 |
So if God is sovereign, why is he allowing this to happen? 00:48:03.700 |
and when we begin to question that, who are we questioning? 00:48:06.700 |
The only person who has any control over that, 00:48:11.700 |
Isaiah 45 verse 9, "Woe to the one who quarrels with his maker, 00:48:15.700 |
and earthenware, vessel among the vessels of earth. 00:48:18.700 |
Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?' 00:48:22.700 |
Or the thing you are making say, 'He has no hands.'" 00:48:26.700 |
Much of the complaining and murmuring that happens 00:48:37.700 |
Why did God put that guy in my life, or this person in my life? 00:48:45.700 |
So therefore, we're not asking, we're questioning. 00:48:48.700 |
Sinclair Ferguson, a professor at Westminster Seminary, says this, 00:48:53.700 |
"A complaining or arguing spirit is an expression 00:49:01.700 |
Everybody knows how to be happy when God does what we want. 00:49:07.700 |
I want this, I want that, and when he answers my prayer, 00:49:12.700 |
But when it doesn't fit what we think has to happen, 00:49:16.700 |
he says it's an expression of ingratitude toward God's providence, 00:49:26.700 |
It is working against salvation, rather than working salvation 00:49:33.700 |
Again, we wouldn't normally think of murmuring and asking questions 00:49:41.700 |
But the Bible says that when we question the providence of God, 00:49:52.700 |
Even when God asked Adam, "Why did you do that?" 00:49:55.700 |
He said, "Well, why did you put the woman here?" 00:50:03.700 |
He says we ought not to do anything without grumbling or disputing. 00:50:08.700 |
Because ultimately, that's what identifies as a Christian. 00:50:12.700 |
Thanksgiving, thankfulness, is exactly what you and I have been called to be. 00:50:20.700 |
In verse 15, he says, "So that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, 00:50:25.700 |
children of God, above reproach, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, 00:50:29.700 |
among whom you appear as lights in the world." 00:50:33.700 |
The Bible describes our rebellion against God as not acknowledging Him 00:50:39.700 |
In Romans 1:21, "For even though they knew God, 00:50:42.700 |
they did not honor Him as God or give thanks. 00:50:47.700 |
But they became futile in their speculations, and foolish heart was darkened. 00:50:52.700 |
And professing to be wise, they became fools. 00:50:55.700 |
Exchange the glory of the incorruptible God and an image in the form of corruptible men 00:50:59.700 |
and of birds and of four-footed animals and crawling creatures." 00:51:02.700 |
You notice here that the downward spiral of mankind's rebellion 00:51:08.700 |
begins by not acknowledging and honoring God or giving thanks. 00:51:15.700 |
They chose to give thanks to the Creator rather than the Creator. 00:51:21.700 |
You know, oftentimes when the Bible introduces God, 00:51:29.700 |
Usually when God is introduced, He's introduced as our Creator. 00:51:33.700 |
So even before we get to the cross, the fact that He created us, 00:51:39.700 |
our natural relationship between the creation and the Creator 00:51:42.700 |
is to acknowledge our Creator and to give thanks to Him. 00:51:45.700 |
Even before we get to the cross, the cross is that that Creator 00:51:50.700 |
that gave us breath, the very reason why you and I are here. 00:51:54.700 |
You and I are even able to think and have conversation that Yahweh is our Creator. 00:52:00.700 |
And that Creator happens to love us and gave His only begotten Son. 00:52:10.700 |
He revealed Himself as the Creator has been given to us, 00:52:13.700 |
and mankind rather worship the creation rather than the Creator. 00:52:22.700 |
Speculation meaning their thinking, in their contemplation. 00:52:27.700 |
Because when an individual has a heart that is murmuring and grumbling and complaining, 00:52:41.700 |
Because of their wrong thinking, their hearts became darkened. 00:52:45.700 |
They professed to be wise, but they became fools. 00:52:48.700 |
You ever meet somebody who is constantly murmuring and complaining, 00:52:51.700 |
and their primary thing is that you don't know. 00:52:55.700 |
You don't know what I know. You don't think the way I think. 00:52:58.700 |
Well, the Bible says the reason why people don't think the way you think 00:53:01.700 |
may be because in your constant murmuring and grumbling, 00:53:05.700 |
just as the Scripture says, it has affected your perspective. 00:53:10.700 |
And your perspective has affected your heart. 00:53:13.700 |
And because your heart was darkened and your speculation had become futile, 00:53:17.700 |
it says you think you're wise because you know something that other people don't know, 00:53:21.700 |
but in reality, you're the one who became a fool. 00:53:24.700 |
And it is that all of this downward spiral came because you refused to acknowledge and give thanks to God. 00:53:32.700 |
If you want to fit into this world, just be a good grumbler. 00:53:39.700 |
Because the world is more united on things that they hate. 00:53:44.700 |
You know, we try to have fellowships like what we love, 00:53:47.700 |
but you want to see a tight-knit group who's passionate about something? 00:53:54.700 |
You say, "I hate the Republicans. I hate the Democrats. I hate them. 00:54:01.700 |
I hate these people. You too? Oh yeah, you too?" 00:54:10.700 |
If you have a full-time job, you know, I don't know if you go to water coolers, 00:54:16.700 |
I don't know if they have that anymore, or boba shops, wherever you go to congregate, right? 00:54:21.700 |
If you want to fit in, just tell them everything that's bothering you. 00:54:26.700 |
"Your boss is unfair. You know, the government." 00:54:30.700 |
I mean, just start talking about what's bothering you. 00:54:34.700 |
Soon enough, people will join in. It's like, "Oh, you too? You too? You too?" 00:54:40.700 |
And then you have these people who hate this group on one side, 00:54:43.700 |
the other group who hates the other group on the other side, 00:54:45.700 |
and then they hate each other, and you sense fellowship. 00:54:53.700 |
And the way that you're connected is the things that you hate. 00:55:00.700 |
If you want to fit in, keep grumbling, keep complaining. 00:55:03.700 |
Let that be the primary thing that you talk about. 00:55:07.700 |
But he says we are to be light. Our very identity as a Christian, 00:55:12.700 |
he calls us to be a light in this dark world. 00:55:15.700 |
Because the world is in rebellion against God, constantly grumbling and complaining 00:55:21.700 |
about God, about the world, about politics, about everything. 00:55:25.700 |
And yet, there's no Thanksgiving, because at the root of what it means to be a Christian 00:55:31.700 |
is to give worship. And at the heart of a person who worships is a thankful heart. 00:55:36.700 |
In Matthew 5, 14-16, "You are the light of the world. The city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 00:55:42.700 |
Nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, 00:55:46.700 |
and it gives light to all who are in the house. 00:55:49.700 |
Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works 00:55:57.700 |
God said we are the light, and the purpose of why he put us to light is so that in darkness 00:56:01.700 |
he may put us on a pedestal and say, "That's what God intended, to give glory to God." 00:56:06.700 |
Imagine if we were the light and we sat on the table, and the whole time we're talking about is, 00:56:10.700 |
"Those guys suck! They suck, and those people suck, and those people suck too! 00:56:16.700 |
And then they suck, and they suck, and then what about these guys? 00:56:19.700 |
These guys suck, and they suck too! Believe Jesus with me!" 00:56:26.700 |
He says we were made to be the light to give glory to God, 00:56:32.700 |
to declare His glory and who He is and what He has done. 00:56:36.700 |
And that's why he says as Christians, as a light, 00:56:41.700 |
our primary thing that we are to declare to the world is of who He is, 00:56:50.700 |
2 Corinthians 4, 15, "For all things are for your sake, 00:56:54.700 |
so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving thanks to abound to the glory of God." 00:57:00.700 |
Look what Paul says. Paul says the gospel is continuing to go out. 00:57:04.700 |
More and more people are converting. For what purpose? 00:57:06.700 |
"So that more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God." 00:57:13.700 |
So he describes conversion as people who were not thankful to be thankful, 00:57:19.700 |
to have thanksgiving in their heart to give glory to God. 00:57:22.700 |
If you have a murmuring heart, we're not saying that we should never ask questions, 00:57:27.700 |
that we should never have disagreements. That's not what he's saying. 00:57:30.700 |
He's talking about a spirit of constantly murmuring. 00:57:37.700 |
That's the sound. That's the secret sound of a complainer. 00:57:41.700 |
Because that's what I hear behind this thing. 00:57:49.700 |
I'll give you an announcement, and I can look at your faces. 00:57:52.700 |
Some of you guys are like, "Huh? What's going on?" 00:57:57.700 |
I see it. I may be wrong, but there's constant murmuring. 00:58:05.700 |
And he says as Christians, our core being of who we are is to give thanks. 00:58:10.700 |
You cannot give thanks. You cannot spend all week just murmuring, complaining, 00:58:15.700 |
talking about what's wrong, and then come into worship and say, 00:58:21.700 |
You may be saying that, but internally you're saying, 00:58:26.700 |
That's actually what's going on in your head and your heart. 00:58:33.700 |
At the core of who we are, people who refuse to acknowledge God and give thanks, 00:58:39.700 |
that he made us worshipers of God, because he fills our hearts with no other response, 00:58:45.700 |
no other logical response, than to give our lives as a living sacrifice. 00:58:54.700 |
But he also says, "If I just said, 'Stop it,' we'd all leave kind of frustrated." 00:59:02.700 |
Well, how do we do that? If our natural instinct is to grumble. 00:59:07.700 |
I gave you a short list of things that I was struggling with this week. 00:59:11.700 |
I could probably fill that page with about three or four pages of problems. 00:59:20.700 |
If you guys have Thanksgiving dinner, you might sit around and talk about, 00:59:28.700 |
Not just this rote answer, "I'm thankful for my parents." 00:59:32.700 |
I'm thankful for what you're really thankful for. 00:59:35.700 |
You kind of have to take some time to actually think through. 00:59:42.700 |
Because that's our natural state. So if we just say, "Hey, stop it!" 00:59:46.700 |
We'd leave thinking, "Oh, that was good. Thank you for reminding me." 00:59:50.700 |
But then to actually practice that, starting from lunch, 00:59:57.700 |
Until next Thanksgiving, you say, "Hey, stop it!" 01:00:00.700 |
Well, he's very practical. He says, "Well, not doing that." 01:00:04.700 |
And verse 16, "Holding fast the word of life." 01:00:08.700 |
"Holding fast, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory, 01:00:11.700 |
because I did not run in vain, nor toil in vain." 01:00:14.700 |
What does it mean to hold fast the word of life? 01:00:17.700 |
If he doesn't want us to grumble and complain, then that's our natural response. 01:00:21.700 |
And the remedy for that is to hold fast the word of life. 01:00:26.700 |
"Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preach to you, 01:00:30.700 |
which also you received, in which also you stand." 01:00:36.700 |
the gospel is the reason why you're able to stand and be sanctified. 01:00:39.700 |
"By which you also are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preach to you, 01:00:44.700 |
that you don't drift from that, unless you believed in vain. 01:00:49.700 |
For I delivered to you, as of first importance, what I also received, 01:00:53.700 |
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." 01:00:56.700 |
What he is saying is to hold fast to the gospel that you first believed. 01:01:02.700 |
And not just to say, "Well, you know what? I was justified, and tell me something more deep." 01:01:10.700 |
Jesus, very last activity that he had before he went to pray with them, 01:01:17.700 |
And in different places they have different words. 01:01:20.700 |
You have the Lord's table, you have the sacrament, you have communion. 01:01:24.700 |
But one of the words that is used for the Lord's table is "Eucharist." 01:01:30.700 |
The Eucharist is literally the word in Greek, "Euchariste," 01:01:38.700 |
So part of the core meaning of the communion table 01:01:41.700 |
is to come and when we receive the elements, to give thanks. 01:01:46.700 |
And that's exactly what Paul is trying to get at. 01:01:49.700 |
The reason why there is constant murmuring and questioning 01:01:53.700 |
is that we have drifted away from a thankful heart for what God has done. 01:01:58.700 |
And so we tend to focus on what is not going right, 01:02:02.700 |
and we rarely talk about thankfulness of God. 01:02:05.700 |
So when you examine your life and your speech, 01:02:08.700 |
how often are you genuinely thankful for your salvation and what God has done? 01:02:16.700 |
we talk about it in a certain given time of fellowship 01:02:20.700 |
when you have questions that you have to ask, 01:02:22.700 |
but how often when you look at your conversation 01:02:25.700 |
are you actually responding to the grace of God? 01:02:28.700 |
"Man, I don't deserve this grace. God is so good to me." 01:02:32.700 |
How much of your conversation is that, and how much of it is like, 01:02:35.700 |
"Yeah, yeah, God is so good. He's so awesome. 01:02:37.700 |
But man, what is wrong with this? What is wrong with that?" 01:02:44.700 |
In fact, our whole study of the book of Hebrews, 01:02:52.700 |
"Hold fast, hold fast, hold fast, hold fast, what you profess to believe." 01:02:59.700 |
Don't make it just a verse that you memorize. 01:03:01.700 |
Don't make it just a doctrinal statement that you believe. 01:03:07.700 |
May it affect your heart, may it affect your speech, 01:03:17.700 |
You know, at the core, when we say, "Hold fast to the gospel that was preached, 01:03:22.700 |
that we profess," first, why it deals with our grumbling is, 01:03:26.700 |
first and foremost, holding on to the gospel, 01:03:31.700 |
causes us to remember that we have absolute eternal security. 01:03:37.700 |
No genuine Christian is constantly living in nervousness. 01:03:41.700 |
"Am I going to make it? Am I not going to make it?" 01:03:45.700 |
like, eternal bliss versus eternal damnation, eternal. 01:03:48.700 |
Hell and fire versus euphoria, you know, forever. 01:03:59.700 |
versus winning the biggest lottery and you're living day to day, 01:04:03.700 |
like, "Oh, am I going to get this or am I going to get that?" 01:04:05.700 |
He says, "No, the gospel teaches us that we have absolute security in Christ 01:04:09.700 |
because we did not earn it, we cannot lose it." 01:04:12.700 |
So holding fast to the gospel that we profess, 01:04:16.700 |
it gives us a solid ground that can never be shaken. 01:04:24.700 |
We celebrate the eternal security that we have in Christ. 01:04:26.700 |
So holding on to the gospel message that we profess 01:04:31.700 |
gives us the foundation that we need to build this house. 01:04:37.700 |
that no matter what happens, he works all things together 01:04:40.700 |
for those who have been called according to his purpose. 01:04:43.700 |
So he orchestrated everything to get us here, 01:04:47.700 |
and he's also orchestrating everything to make us make sure 01:04:50.700 |
that he who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion 01:04:55.700 |
That no matter what may be happening in your life, 01:04:57.700 |
no matter what may have happened, no matter how tragic, 01:05:00.700 |
no matter how confusing it is, why he is doing what he is doing, 01:05:10.700 |
how will he not along with him give all things? 01:05:14.700 |
If he loved you enough, if this sovereign God loved you enough 01:05:17.700 |
to give his only begotten son, why would he spare what you need? 01:05:22.700 |
Why wouldn't he protect you from what harms you? 01:05:34.700 |
that despite whatever may be happening in our life, 01:05:38.700 |
God is completely sovereign, and we trust him. 01:05:41.700 |
And third and finally, the word of truth, the gospel, 01:05:44.700 |
reminds us of the reward that's coming in Christ, 01:05:48.700 |
that ultimately the gift is not what is external. 01:05:54.700 |
You know, very thankful for the families who are adopting children. 01:05:59.700 |
Obviously, before they're adopted, they're in foster care, 01:06:02.700 |
and you have people who are temporarily taking care of them, 01:06:04.700 |
and then when they come to the United States, 01:06:11.700 |
You have a nice home, you have loving parents, 01:06:15.700 |
you get to come to church and be loved by community. 01:06:24.700 |
and the food that they have and say, "Wow, this is great!" 01:06:28.700 |
But at some point in their maturity, they're going to realize 01:06:31.700 |
that the real gift that they have is the parents who love them. 01:06:35.700 |
And the reason why they have everything they have 01:06:37.700 |
is because they were adopted by these loving parents. 01:06:41.700 |
And that the scripture says that the gift of the gospel 01:06:46.700 |
Sometimes we may have it, sometimes we may not have it. 01:06:48.700 |
But ultimately, the ultimate gift is Christ himself. 01:06:53.700 |
And that's why he means, when Paul says in Philippians 3, 8, 01:06:56.700 |
"In view of the surpassing knowledge of knowing Jesus Christ," 01:06:59.700 |
everything else became rubbish in comparison. 01:07:08.700 |
and it affects our heart, and it affects our thinking, 01:07:22.700 |
And so that's what he means by constantly holding fast. 01:07:33.700 |
If you have a room full of murmuring people, stay away. 01:07:41.700 |
We should have more activities to get people united." 01:07:44.700 |
If you have a room full of complaining people, 01:07:51.700 |
Just because you get a lot of people together 01:07:56.700 |
You got a lot of people who are discontent with murmuring, 01:08:00.700 |
and you think somehow all of a sudden you're going to go there 01:08:07.700 |
A murmuring, complaining spirit tends to spread. 01:08:10.700 |
And that's why the Bible says to deal with divisive people, 01:08:17.700 |
But if you have a room full of people worshiping God, 01:08:31.700 |
all of a sudden you show up and you just forget. 01:08:34.700 |
And you're like, "Oh, wow, that's right. Things are good." 01:08:37.700 |
And a fellowship of the church is meant to be a gathering 01:08:44.700 |
So it's kind of like coming to a chiropractor. 01:08:47.700 |
Any of you who've had a bad back or something, 01:08:49.700 |
you go to a chiropractor and they go, "Click, click, click." 01:08:53.700 |
And you say, "Oh, my gosh, that feels so good." 01:08:57.700 |
And then you're able to walk, the pain goes away, 01:09:00.700 |
See, the gathering of the believers in the corporate body 01:09:07.700 |
because our natural tendency as we walk on this earth 01:09:09.700 |
is like, "Oh, my gosh, that guy flipped me off again. 01:09:25.700 |
I don't understand what's going on, but he is sovereign. 01:09:31.700 |
That's what the corporate gathering was meant to be. 01:09:48.700 |
That's not something that we just turn on and off. 01:09:50.700 |
Verse 17, "But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering." 01:10:09.700 |
And he's writing to the people who are sitting on the outside, 01:10:15.700 |
When he says, "I am being poured out as a drink offering," 01:10:18.700 |
drink offering in the Old Testament was kind of like a benediction. 01:10:22.700 |
You gave all your burnt offerings, or thank offering, 01:10:29.700 |
they would give a pour out offering, or drink offering. 01:10:33.700 |
Drink offering was kind of like a benediction. 01:10:37.700 |
So what Paul means by, "I am being poured out as a drink offering," 01:10:42.700 |
He said, "I'm sitting in prison, and I could possibly die." 01:10:45.700 |
But he says, "Even though I'm being poured out as a drink offering, 01:10:48.700 |
upon the sacrifice and service of your faith." 01:10:55.700 |
and he was quietly trying to take care of his family. 01:10:57.700 |
He said, "No, he was risking his life to go to these dangerous places 01:11:05.700 |
And in the end, he actually gets beheaded and he dies. 01:11:10.700 |
"Even though I'm being poured out as a drink offering, 01:11:28.700 |
I mean, I don't know how many times in the years that I've been in ministry, 01:11:53.700 |
Esther knows, because I usually grumble to her. 01:12:13.700 |
I understand why an angry God who is almighty and powerful, who is holy, 01:12:16.700 |
would wipe us out and punish us for our sins. 01:12:20.700 |
I don't understand why a holy God who doesn't need us 01:12:26.700 |
with the constant grumbling and complaining that we do 01:12:43.700 |
I don't know how God is patient with the world for this long. 01:12:51.700 |
I'm being poured out as a drinker. I'm going to die for your faith. 01:13:02.700 |
In 1 Thessalonians 5.18, he says, "In everything, give thanks, 01:13:09.700 |
Hey, Pastor Peter, you don't know my situation. 01:13:14.700 |
You don't know the kind of stuff that I've seen. 01:13:28.700 |
So when he says, "Give thanks for everything," 01:13:37.700 |
Not just for the things that's going to lead to something better. 01:13:43.700 |
Because our salvation is secure, our God is sovereign. 01:13:52.700 |
Philippians 4.11-13, he says, "Not that I speak from want, 01:13:56.700 |
for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am in." 01:14:11.700 |
Holy Spirit is speaking to him, explaining the gospel to him. 01:14:14.700 |
And he's explaining to the rest of the world, writing the New Testament, 01:14:18.700 |
about the grace of God, the mercy of God, the love of God. 01:14:21.700 |
I mean, this is a guy who was stoned in Lystra, 01:14:33.700 |
At least, I don't, you know, we hear stories about it. 01:14:35.700 |
But this guy literally was stoned and walked back in. 01:14:55.700 |
We hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we convert it. 01:15:01.700 |
We saw the glory of what that is, and we believe, and we convert it. 01:15:05.700 |
And then for whatever the reason, we want to be more sophisticated, 01:15:08.700 |
and then we want to learn systematic theology, 01:15:14.700 |
You haven't been a Christian as long as I have. 01:15:17.700 |
You haven't read as much, you haven't experienced as much as I have." 01:15:20.700 |
But the most mature Christian is the one who is the most deeply affected by the cross. 01:15:29.700 |
So I'm not saying that none of that is necessary. 01:15:32.700 |
The more we learn about Christ, the more we should be affected. 01:15:42.700 |
You can have a PhD, and you can bear a lot of fruit, 01:15:51.700 |
We're opening up our mouth, we're singing the songs, we're attending Bible study, 01:15:56.700 |
Because worship is something that happens when we're genuinely thankful, 01:16:02.700 |
And it's encouraging to me to hear that Apostle Paul had to learn this. 01:16:07.700 |
He learned the secret of being content in every and all situation, 01:16:10.700 |
where Christ became more valuable to him as time passed than the beginning. 01:16:19.700 |
Where we have a tendency to have him be so precious in the beginning, 01:16:28.700 |
He learned. So we also need to learn to be content. 01:16:35.700 |
To learn to be true worshipers in spirit and in truth. 01:16:38.700 |
So let me finish with this one story that's always a reminder to me as encouragement. 01:16:43.700 |
You know, yesterday we had Ryan and Mel's wedding. 01:16:46.700 |
I know that Cindy and Alex also got married in the Valley. 01:16:49.700 |
Ryan and Mel, I was intimately involved with that. 01:16:53.700 |
And so they were going back and forth, and some of you guys who know the story, 01:16:56.700 |
because of the COVID situation, was not able to have their wedding where they originally planned. 01:17:01.700 |
And so up until even Saturday morning, like 3 a.m., they were scrambling, 01:17:06.700 |
"What are we going to do? What are we going to do?" 01:17:07.700 |
I said, "Well, at least maybe just have it at church, you know, and outside." 01:17:11.700 |
And so very last minute, they were putting things together, 01:17:15.700 |
and so we just kind of did that, and outside for people, the guests to come and to visit. 01:17:20.700 |
And so a lot of us were able to come and see them and participate in all of that. 01:17:24.700 |
And obviously, you know, I've known Mel since she was a freshman in college. 01:17:30.700 |
So, you know, like we're kind of burdened, because I wanted them to have a good wedding. 01:17:34.700 |
I don't want the wedding to be something that they're going to look back years later and say, 01:17:40.700 |
So I feel for, you know, many of our members in our church who are going through that, 01:17:47.700 |
But those of you guys who participated, I mean, it went well. 01:17:51.700 |
And I'm not going into the details of--and I really feel, and I think they would agree, 01:17:56.700 |
that it was an answered prayer, because what we really wanted from the wedding 01:18:03.700 |
Again, I'm not going to go into the details of that. 01:18:05.700 |
And I'm just very thankful for what happened. 01:18:09.700 |
But, you know, one of the weddings that I always remember, 01:18:12.700 |
years ago there was a couple in our church who was getting married. 01:18:18.700 |
You know, we're doing counseling, you have two parents who were going back and forth 01:18:25.700 |
And they didn't really seem to care, but it was the two parents, you know, 01:18:28.700 |
like they have a lot of opinions going back and forth. 01:18:31.700 |
And they were deciding to do it at this one venue. 01:18:33.700 |
And at the very last minute, they said, "Oh, they didn't like it." 01:18:38.700 |
So it's like, "Okay, okay, we'll just do whatever you want." 01:18:40.700 |
And so the dad of the groom said, "You're going to have it at our church, 01:18:45.700 |
Their outside courtyard is uglier than ours." 01:18:49.700 |
And so that's where they're going to have the reception. 01:18:55.700 |
And then the senior pastor of the church just decided on his own 01:19:01.700 |
So he invited about 250 people, and it must have been like 400 or 500 people 01:19:05.700 |
So some of you guys know what I'm talking about. 01:19:10.700 |
the real guest didn't have food to eat afterwards 01:19:12.700 |
because after we took the pictures, the church people came out, 01:19:16.700 |
and they just happened to have an event that Saturday at church. 01:19:18.700 |
So anybody who was there ended up eating all the wedding food. 01:19:21.700 |
On top of that, right before they went into the wedding, 01:19:25.700 |
the people were supposed to set up a little platform and a cover, 01:19:29.700 |
The people who hired just brought it and just dumped it on the ground 01:19:32.700 |
and said, "If you want to set it up, it's going to cost you $500." 01:19:37.700 |
So they said, "Well, you didn't pay for the setup. 01:19:41.700 |
And so we're about to enter the wedding, you know, 01:19:45.700 |
and obviously it's like, "Oh, my gosh," and I was upset for them. 01:19:50.700 |
So he basically got blackmailed, paid him $500 to set it up. 01:19:55.700 |
one of the moms came up to me and said, "You've got to speak in Korean." 01:20:00.700 |
And so I said, "I can speak Korean, but not to that extent 01:20:04.700 |
because I just impromptu give a message in Korean, 01:20:08.700 |
So I went and I just kind of fumbled through this and that. 01:20:11.700 |
I tried to translate what I was saying back and forth. 01:20:14.700 |
And I was saying, "Oh, my gosh, this was horrible," 01:20:18.700 |
Years later, I was talking to the groom, you know, years later, 01:20:22.700 |
and I said, "Hey, what's the happiest day that you remember?" 01:20:29.700 |
I'm like, "Your wedding day? Did you forget?" 01:20:35.700 |
"Did you forget what happened at your wedding?" 01:20:37.700 |
And he said, "Oh, yeah, yeah, it was difficult." 01:20:40.700 |
I said, "So why do you say that was your happiest day?" 01:20:43.700 |
He says, "Because I got to marry my best friend." 01:20:58.700 |
But he said it was the happiest day of his life. 01:21:05.700 |
about the reception, the food, the flowers, and all the stuff. 01:21:13.700 |
and the actual marriage becomes a side issue. 01:21:23.700 |
We get so worried about church, about our children, 01:21:26.700 |
about our plans, our goals, and we get so caught up in this thing, 01:21:31.700 |
and then it just sucks us dry in our worship. 01:21:39.700 |
and we're neglecting what's at the core of why he saved us, 01:21:43.700 |
so that we would worship him in spirit and in truth. 01:21:53.700 |
for what the church was meant to be, to worship. 01:22:02.700 |
We'll give plenty of attention to Christmas after Black Friday, 01:22:06.700 |
but at least this week, take some time to consider deeply, 01:22:10.700 |
not the external things like, "Oh, I thank you for the job," 01:22:28.700 |
the worst possible case that you and I can think of right now 01:22:39.700 |
But even in the worst-case scenario for a Christian, 01:22:48.700 |
that's the worst-case scenario for a Christian. 01:22:51.700 |
So I pray that that reminder would cause us to worship him 01:23:04.700 |
your goodness is beyond what we could possibly imagine. 01:23:23.700 |
I pray, Lord God, that in this thanksgiving season, 01:23:26.700 |
we would be able to use your grace to marginalize it more and more, 01:23:47.700 |
So we pray for your grace, we pray for your blessing. 01:27:46.700 |
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling 01:27:54.700 |
and to make you stand in the presence of His glory 01:29:32.700 |
Again, if we can have the group on this side to leave that side 01:29:35.700 |
and then just give it a minute before we exit to the other way