← ArchiveSunday, August 5, 2018DateAugust 5, 2018Speaker—TextPhilippians 4Passages in this sermonPhilippians 4:130:46Philippians 44:00Philippians 1322:49Ephesians 237:53TranscriptClick any line to jump there.0:00I thank my God every time I remember you, to live as Christ and to die as Gain. He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. If you have your scriptures with you today, join me in the book of Philippians.0:30This is the final sermon in our series of, in the book of Philippians called He is Lord. And actually this sermon wasn't supposed to happen. And we realized I'm not going to preach on Philippians 4.13. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. And so this is our final exclamation point on asking ourselves, Lord, how do we live a He is Lord life?0:58And if He is Lord, then my life should mirror my confession. In 2014, Gallup poll, actually endorsed later by the United Nations, polled different people throughout the entire world and they asked them several questions. One of the questions was, do you find enjoyment in life? The second question was very simply, do you laugh a lot? A third question was, do you, do you rest well?1:28Are you, are you sleeping okay? Another question was this, do you find that other people value who you are? And so from these questions and some others, they tabulated in 2014, the most content and the most miserable nations in the world. I'm going to give you top five and top the bottom five. Okay. I'm going to go ahead and burst your bubble. The United States is number 18. But here's our top five.1:57The most content nations in the world in 2014. It could have changed by now. Number one, Paraguay. Number two, Panama. Number three, Guatemala. Number four, Nicaragua. And number five, Ecuador. So you say, well, who are the most miserable countries? Number one, most miserable country, Syria. And I would, I would think and venture that that's the same today.2:24Number two, Chad. Three, Lithuania. Number four, Bosnia and Herzegovina. And number five is Serbia. So what do we learn from these results? I think some very simple applications and then we'll look at spiritual applications. The first is this. If you live in Syria, move. Right? Go to Ecuador. Not a good place. Still not. If you live anywhere else but Paraguay, learn Spanish and move to Paraguay.2:52I don't know if Paraguay commissioned the study. It's a great tourism, a tourism marketing ploy. But these are the most miserable and the most content nations. What does this tell us spiritually, though? I think several things. Why would anyone commission this study? Because everyone is looking for contentment. Everyone in the whole world wants to be content. Now, we might define that in different ways, but I would argue that you today are looking for contentment.3:21Anyone to say, I want to be miserable. Sign me up. Let me move. I just want to be in my happy little Syria. Or let me be miserable and grumpy for the rest of my life. No, we want deep-seated fulfillment. And you might be here today because you're looking for eternal and everlasting contentment. And I just want to share with you that's found in Jesus Christ.3:49You've come to the right place. Because Jesus is everything that you need. Let's look at God's word together. Philippians chapter 4, beginning in verse 11. Philippians 4, verse 11. We're going to give some context to this verse that you probably have on your wall or a t-shirt or a coffee mug somewhere. You might even have a tattoo of Philippians 4, verse 13.4:16Verse 11. Paul says, I do not say this out of need. Now let me stop you there. So for our guest, if you haven't been here for the last several weeks, you're off the hook right now. If you've been here for the last several weeks, Paul is writing this from where? In prison. He's not in his villa. He's in prison. That gives context. Look what he says. I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself.4:46Where is Paul writing from? Okay, you're not in prison right now. No jokes, please, after the sermon. You're not in prison. So our situation is not as horrible as Paul. And Paul says, in everything, I have found contentment. Verse 12. I know both how to make do with little. I know how to make do with a lot.5:16In any and all circumstances, I have learned the secret of being content. Whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need, I am able to do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Still, you did well by partnering with me in my hardship. Verse 15. And you, Philippians, that's the church that has received the letter. That's who Paul's writing to. You know that in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia,5:46no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you alone. For even in Thessalonica, you sent gifts for my need several times. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit that is increasing on your account. I have received everything in full, and I have abundance. I am fully supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you provided,6:12a fragrant offering and acceptable sacrifice pleasing to God. And look at this verse. And my God will supply all of your needs according to his riches in glory through Christ Jesus. Now, to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Lord, we thank you for your word.6:41This is not the word of man. And Lord, we are not here today because we want to hear the word of man. We want to hear the life-giving truth of the word of Jesus Christ. So, Lord, may your word come alive. May it be living and active as you have promised. We thank you. We hold true to the promise that it will not return void. So, Lord, let us not hear, but make us doers of your word.7:07Stir our hearts to respond to the gospel as only you can. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. I have two points. Youth, not two short points, but two points. The first is the power of the gospel, the power of gospel contentment. The second is the partnership in that. So, what is the power of Christian contentment? Look again in verse 11. We'll walk through the text.7:36Paul uses this word, I don't say I out of need, but I have learned to be content. This word is only used here in the New Testament. And it's actually borrowed from Stoic philosophy. So, who are the Stoics? Maybe you might know of a man named Marcus Aurelius. He is the most popular Stoic that we know of. Heavily influenced by Socrates and would have been well known in the early church. So, what is Stoicism? What is Stoic contentment?8:06I want you to listen to this, because I believe Greek thought has shaped our worldview in a way that we don't necessarily understand fully. This is what the Stoics believed, and this is what they were teaching in Philippi. They stressed that contentment is found by the one who becomes an independent man, sufficient to himself, and in need of no one else. Self-sufficient and in need of no one else.8:34For the Stoic to be emotionally detached was one of the highest virtues that you could attain. Does that sound familiar? I believe this has heavily influenced the American dream. I believe this has heavily influenced the American dream. And because you live in America, if you didn't grow up in America, some of you, you live in America, this has now infiltrated our minds and our hearts. What would we say is the view of Western contentment to be self-sufficient, to be self-sufficient, to do things on my own.8:59But that's not Christian contentment, is it? Christian contentment says this, that we should radically live a life of Christ-sufficiency. That in Christ, our contentment is found in Christ alone, not in ourselves. So we should reject Stoic philosophy that says contentment is self-sufficiency. No.9:28No. True contentment is Christ-sufficiency. True contentment is Christ-sufficiency. Why is that important? Because deep down, every one of us wants to be self-sufficient. Dads, you can raise your hand. Do you want your children one day to be self-sufficient? Some of you are thinking, my kids are 80 right now, and they're still not self-sufficient. We teach our kids, be self-sufficient. Don't stay in my basement and play Fortnite for the next 40 years. Be self-sufficient.9:58Be self-sufficient. But if we're not careful, we teach them that self-sufficiency is contentment. No, contentment is found in Jesus Christ. So how do we learn that? That's the key. You learn it. Look at verse 11 again. Christian contentment is learned. Paul says this in verse 11. I don't say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself.10:19What is Paul telling us? He's telling us that contentment in Christ is learned and lived. Contentment is learned and lived. We're going to see what he learned, but it's learned and lived. You have to live life. There's no bunker. There's no Christian island that you can sail away to and have this charm life. That's not what the gospel tells us.10:48That's not what Philippians 4.13 tells us. Contentment is learned, and it's unfortunately learned the hard way. It's learned the life way. Look at the words that Paul uses here in 11 and 12. The tenses he uses means something that is learned in the past with ongoing consequences. So what are those things? Look at verse 11. He says, I have learned. I have learned and I am still learning. He says in verse 12, I know. So I know in the past and I am continually knowing both how to make do with little and how to make do with a lot in any and all circumstances.11:16I have learned ongoing present actions. I am still learning. What is he learning here? He's learning that the laboratory of his life experience is teaching him how to fall and trust the grace of Christ daily. What is the secret of Christian contentment?11:46It's the daily living out the grace of Christ. It's easy. Look, it's easy to live for Christ right now. It's more difficult on Mondays. Are you leaning back into the Christ? It is learned. Contentment is learned the hard way. Not in the comfortable pews that you're sitting on right now. Not in rituals of religion. You won't find true contentment in a sermon. It is trusting daily in the grace of the King of Kings.12:14Contentment is learned the hard way. Some of you are thinking, man, my life is hard and I'm learning. Contentment, I have learned in all situations. Why is this so important? Because there are times where our heart does not feel the presence of God. And it's those times where our mind should tell our heart, you must sing the praises of God because he has redeemed you.12:43Learned the hard way. Some of you have taken your lumps. Praise God that during those lumps, his grace is sufficient. Praise God that his grace is sufficient. And Paul says this. He says, I know in verse 12. He said, I have learned what? I have learned the secret of being content. So what is the secret? This is the word that's only used here in the whole Bible. What is the secret of contentment?13:12Here it is. You ready? He says, I have learned the secret whether well-fed or hungry. Whether in abundance or in need. We'll stop there. The secret of Christ's sufficient contentment is that it is extra situational. You saw that's a big word. So let me give you an illustration. Do you know what an extraterrestrial is? You know, is someone, something, don't, for you conspiracy theories,13:42I'm not trying to feed that, but extraterrestrials are those things that live outside this terrestrial ball of the United States. And in my mind, they always eat Reese's Pieces. Just my childhood, like, those are the two things. If you're an alien, you don't live here on this earth, and you eat Reese's Pieces. So they live extra, outside of our world. Christian contentment is outside of our situation.14:09It is outside of your situation. Why is that important? Because some of you right now are walking through things in your life, and you don't see any way out. Here is the power of Christ. He is greater than your greatest difficulty. He is greater than your greatest difficulty. You say, well, what were these things? What did Paul understand as learning the hard way? Look at some of the struggles Paul had.14:38You think, well, you might be struggling. He's writing from jail. And he writes this. Verse 12. Let's walk back through this. He says, I know how to make do with a little. This is a word that means I've had everything taken from me, so my status has been stripped away. He said, I have nothing. Maybe you feel like that. Maybe you feel like everything's been taken away. And the labels that you had in society. I was the big dog on the block.15:07And now I'm nothing. Paul says, I understand how you feel. Look what else he says in verse 12. He says, I know how to make do with a lot. Some of you might think, well, God has tremendously blessed me. I have more than I could ever use in my life. Paul's speaking to you. He says, be content. He continues. He says, I know what it means to be hungry.15:33This is the word that means the pangs of hunger are so intense that all you can hear is your stomach. And Paul says, I understand contentment. And then he says this, I know what it means to be well fed. Why is this so important? Humbled, Christ is sufficient. Hungry, Jesus is the bread of life. Have abundance, God has given you that to share.16:02Over and over and over again, God is telling us, look, I am sufficient. Because Christ-centered contentment is not a situation. It's a savior. Christ-centered contentment is not a situation. Why does that give me hope? Because I don't know what tomorrow looks like. I can plan. The Bible says very clearly, though. Be careful. You who say you're going to go to this city or that city and make money and do business.16:30They say your life is but a vapor. Rather, you should say, if the Lord wills. And although I don't know tomorrow, I know that Christ is going to be there for me. Christ-centered contentment, it is not a situation. It is a savior. And no matter my situation, the savior will not leave me. Now, thankfully, this mighty man of God, this apostle, gives us a verse to cling to.16:56Right? Here's what you've been waiting for it. So let's go ahead and read it together. Verse 13. Some of you don't have to read it. You know it. I can do all things through Christ, through him who strengthens me. Now, context is king, is it not? This was written by a man who was well-fed or hungry. We don't know at this point.17:25He had abundance or he had everything stripped away. He's looking at his life and saying, I don't care the situation because God's grace is greater than the situation. My savior makes me content in any situation and in all things I can do because Christ gives me strength. What is Paul saying here? This is a powerful statement. Now, the English kind of reverses the word order, so let me give you the Greek word order. Literally, he says, all things I am doing through the one who is strengthening me.17:55So it's not just a past, I've done these things. It's God is currently strengthening me. It's not me. It's the power of Christ. The word used here by Paul is the word dunamis. Think of the word dynamite. And Paul is saying that God is empowering his people so that at the moment of need, the power is there. I love that picture of God's power in our life.18:26No circumstance can arise that is bigger and more powerful than our savior. There's nothing. There's nothing in your life that is bigger than the God of the scriptures. So you can look at your situation and you can say, is that all you got? Satan, is this all because you're not greater than my savior? There's nothing that is bigger than God. There is nothing that is stronger or deeper or greater terror than the grace of our savior.18:55Why? Because I can do all things through Christ. Not you. It's through Christ. This is not an abstract slogan. Rather, God infuses his people with power so that at the right time, the power of the Holy Spirit is ready to be employed. If you have trusted in Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit is working in you right now.19:23So that in your time of need, the power of the Holy Spirit is there. Yes, the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity. I know we don't talk about the Holy Spirit enough. But if you take the Holy Spirit away, there is not a triune God. The Holy Spirit is powering you. I think of it like this. I'll share this. And kids, don't do what we used to do, right?19:52So I still grew up in a time where we could play with fireworks. And so we would, as any boy would do, we would blow things up. We'll kind of move past that phase of our life. And then after we graduated from blowing things up, we graduated blowing each other up. So we would shoot fireworks at each other. That was a very smart idea. So we would shoot those at each other, bottle rockets.20:20And now these aren't your black cats. You know, when I was still growing up, they were the wimpy kind. You know, they slowly minimize the black powder and the bottle rockets. But my dad, so I'm going to throw him under the bus for this. They used to have real bottle rockets, the black cat that you could hurt someone. And that was the point, right? And they would fight. And if they got tired or they ran low on ammo, everyone in their neighborhood always had a Roman candle.20:44Right? So if you got in a deep place of need, or you just were tired and wanted the battle to be over, you pulled out the Roman candle. And you lit it and you, boom, boom, boom. And you knew at that point the war was over. Apparently someone else has already experienced that.21:16Whoever just said that was on the, they were holding the Roman candle. They weren't on the receiving end of that. But I just picture the Holy Spirit like that. When we try in our strength, we're struggling through life and we're just shooting off these little bottle rockets. And we're struggling, right? We're fighting this war and maybe things are going good, but you're still living in self-sufficiency. And you have these little, these wimpy bottle rockets shooting at things. Bing, bing, bing. Exactly like that.21:46That's how it sounds. Josh, why are you worried about this wimpy life in your power? When you can bring out the big guns. When you can lean into the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit is living out in your life, the things that you thought were overwhelming, when they hear the Holy Spirit go, boom, demons run.22:08Right? When the gates of hell hear, boom, they shake. When your troubles hear the Holy Spirit go, boom, they realize, you know what, the power of Christ is working out. And this is a power that is offered to every child that calls him father.22:33So I just encourage you in the way that I think, quit living a wimpy bottle rocket life. Live a Philippians 13, where you say, I can do all things, not in my sufficiency, not in stoic thought. I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength. And I'm going to be honest, that's a scary life.23:03Because the Holy Spirit asked me to do things that are not in my power. And they're not in your power, but here's something that's going to blow your mind. That's the point. You say, well, God, I can't do this. And God says, duh, pastor. And that's how the Holy Spirit speaks to me a lot. I'm praying, and the Holy Spirit's like, duh. Go back to my word. What does my word say? And I open it up, and I say, Lord, I know I can't see it because I'm stuck in this situation, but your word says right here that I can do all things.23:32And God says, well, Josh, what's included in all things? I'm like, well, Lord, this is. Is there anything not included in all things? No. I can do all things in Christ who gives me strength. Live a Spirit-filled, Spirit-empowered life. That is God's will for you. Secondly, Paul says this. He says, not only has God saved us and redeemed us to live a Spirit-full life,24:03but you're not supposed to live a solo Spirit-filled life. Look what he says in verse 15. Actually, in verse 14. Still, you did well by partnering with me in my hardship. The word partnering here is a word koinonia, which we normally think of like Baptist potluck dinner, right? We're going to koinonia. We're going to cook a big steak, or we're going to have casserole dishes and things like this.24:28That's koinonia. Paul said, no, you koinonia'd with me. You fellowshiped with me when I was in prison, in my hardship. We are called to partner in the gospel throughout the world. That is the power of God unleashed. Why? Because when we partner with one another, we give because God has given us so much.24:54So our giving, your giving, is a gospel response to Jesus Christ. You show me someone that doesn't want to give with their resources. You show me someone that doesn't want to give and use their talents to glorify God. You show me someone that doesn't want to give of their time or give of their economy to help the gospel. I'll show you someone that doesn't understand fully the sufficiency of Jesus Christ. And I could spend all day with you right now going over how God has provided our needs when we gave to him first.25:23Put Christ first. Partner with the gospel. One story that has gripped my mind, and I've shared this before. I want to share it again today. It is something that reminds me that when we refuse to let our wealth control us, it's amazing how God will use that for his glory. Before coming to Alabama to this church, I pastored a small church in southern Louisiana.25:52You say, well, how south was it? Well, we had people full of Thibodeaux and Ropets and a lot of names you wish you wouldn't understand, right? So a lot of French names. There were some, even we met a man at another church that he didn't learn English until he was in fourth grade because they made him learn English. He grew up French. A small church. And during that time, one of my best friends was our associate pastor and youth pastor.26:20And they had a son our age, Eli's age, and they had another daughter. And when they were doing the ultrasound, the doctors told them, look, we have bad news. She has something wrong with her spine, and we don't know if she's going to survive. And here's your options. And they said, well, we're going to table the options. We're going to go pray. And so as this tiny church began to pray over this family, the next time they went back to the doctors, the doctors said, well, she's most likely going to be paralyzed from her neck down.26:49They said, okay, we hear you. We hear you through tears, but we're going to go pray. And this church began to pray. And the next time they went back, the doctor said, well, she's still probably going to be paralyzed, but it's from her hips down. You see what's going on here? And they said, well, we're going to go pray about it. The next time they go back to the doctor, they said, well, she's probably going to walk, but she might have to have braces.27:19Really? And we began to pray. And through this, they had to have the specialized surgery, so they went to Houston at Children's Hospital, one of the greatest children's hospitals in our nation. And the church decided to take a collection up. This tiny church. And I'll never forget my friend's face. So we give it to him on Sunday morning and say, look, we know you guys are leaving for months. We just want to, we want to take this up and give it to you. And when he opened the envelope, there was over $5,000 collected for this family, from this small church.27:49People who said, you know what? When you suffer, we're going to partner in the gospel. And we have been so graciously given by our Savior. How dare us not give church. This is something that will remain with me for the rest of my life. What I learned that day is I cannot out give God.28:16And the second thing I learned today is anything I give to the Lord is greater than anything I can give to myself. And I realized, God, I've been playing with bottle rockets. And you've given me the Holy Spirit. And that day, I learned, God, my giving is a gospel response. My giving to you, the way I give my time and my resources, God, it is a gospel response.28:46And so let's end here at verse 19 where Paul thanks the church. He says, guys, thank you for meeting my knees when I'm in jail. Thank you for giving out of your abundance. And then he says in verse 19, I love this verse. He says, thank you for being a partner. He says, my God will supply all of your needs according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus.29:12Let's walk through this verse and end and say, God, help us be partners in the gospel. First, Paul says this. He says, who's God? My God. I say it this way. There's only one little guy in the world that can call me his father.29:39There's a lot of people that can call me a father. There's a lot of people that can call me a dad. But there's only one person in the world, one little boy, that can call me his. And that's Eli, my son. Why? Because of his status. He is my son and I am his dad. And Paul is saying this not as an abstract, oh, God is out there somewhere.30:08And I know if you pray to him, he will hear from heaven and he will help you in your time of need. Now, Paul is saying, guys, I am in jail and my God is in jail with me. He said, I am in this situation and my God is there. And look, this is my heart today. I believe there's some of you that you know of a God, but you don't know that he is yours. Do not miss a chance to hear Jesus call you by name.30:35Paul says it's personal. He says, this is my God. Do you know him personally? I know that no matter what situation I am in, I can say, my God, my God, help me. This is the same thing that Jesus cried, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani, on the cross. Jesus didn't say, God, if you're out there, help me. He said, what? My God, my God, why, why?31:05And he cried that prayer of agony so we could call God ours. My God will supply what? That he will supply in us. How will God supply? Look at this. Talk about shooting Roman candles. Some of you are trying to live your life and make your life self-sufficient. Look what God says here. My God will supply all of your needs.31:35You're like, game on. Pastor said, God will supply if I pray. According to who? According to his riches. His riches. How rich is God? God doesn't go to, they don't put a hold on God's account when he tries to deposit a check at the bank. They say, God, you got it. Don't worry about it. This is the offer on the table to his children.32:03That God will supply our needs and not just supply a little bit, supply according to what? His riches. God is richer than we could ever imagine. So are you living by your riches or his? I want to be someone that when my life is over, I can say, God, I was living according to your riches. The abundance of your grace, not mine. God, even if I am a billionaire, if I die a billionaire, God, that doesn't even compare to your riches.32:32Look where the riches of God are. They are in glory. I just feel like I need to say that word like this. Glory. Like the old pastors used to say. Why would Paul remind us of glory? Because he wants us to have eternal perspective. Right? God's riches are, yes, they are today, but they're greater than today.33:00One day, his riches are going to blow our mind and they're going to be according to his riches in glory. Paul says, put him first and partner in the gospel. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And my God will supply. If you partner in the gospel, if you put him first, put him first in your time. Put him first with your thoughts and with your heart.33:29Put him first in your marriage and with your family. Put him first in your finances. Put him first in the way that you live your life. And if you do, my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in Jesus Christ. Last year at Yale, they offered a course, Psychology 157. And it was called this, Psychology and the Good Life.33:59And maybe some of our youth, maybe Ashton, one day you're going to go there, Riley. Think of me that they didn't even, they would not let me in. But they offered this course, Psychology and the Good Life. And nearly one-fourth of Yale undergraduate students registered for it. This is what Dr. Santos said about this course. This is the instructor. She said, I try to teach students how to lead a happier, more satisfying life.34:29Anyone want that? I want a more happy, satisfying life. Anyone just say, well, I want to be unhappier and less satisfied today than I was yesterday. Okay, just making sure. One of her principal lessons is this. She said that most associate with achieving happiness, a high grade, a prestigious internship, a good paying job.34:52She said most of what those Yale undergrads associate with happiness do not increase happiness at all. That's a fascinating perspective from this Yale instructor. And she says this. She says, scientists did not realize this in the same way 10 years ago as they do today. She said, our intuitions today about what will make us happy, like winning the lottery and getting a good grade, are totally wrong.35:20So here's this professor speaking to Yale undergraduates saying, your intuitions about what you think make you happy are wrong. And if I could spend a minute, if they would even let me on the campus at Yale, if I could tell these students one thing, this is what I would tell them. If you find Jesus Christ, you will be content.35:49If you submit your life upon the rock of Jesus Christ, you will be content. So are you? If you know Jesus Christ, you have everything you're looking for. Or you say, well, Pat, you don't understand what my situation is.36:17I don't. But the grace of Christ is extra situational. There is power in gospel contentment. Listen, if you are a follower of Christ today, you have everything you need. Stop looking for something more. We have everything we need in Jesus Christ. And we can declare, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.36:43If I'm hungry, I can do all things. If I'm full, I can do all things. If I have, if I'm so dejected that the labels of life have been stripped away, I can do all things. And if I have abundance and the world looks at me with envy, I can do all things. Quit searching for anything else. It is Jesus Christ.37:12This is the power of Christian contentment. Live a content life in the gospel. Maybe you're here today and you say, well, how do I get this? How can I find contentment? Some of you are ready. You have your passport stamped. You're going to Paraguay after the service. You say, give me this contentment. The truth of the gospel is that you can't find Jesus Christ. He finds you. You don't find Jesus.37:42He finds you. I love the line that we sang earlier. When he called my name, I ran out of the grave. And Ephesians says it this way. Ephesians 2. But God, who is rich, what is God? He is rich. How does he supply your needs? Out of his riches. But God, who is rich in mercy. You want to know God's perspective towards you, even in your sin, he is rich in mercy.38:07Mercy is not giving you what you deserve. Grace is giving you what you don't deserve. Mercy is saying if you respond to the gospel today, your sins will be forgiven. Grace is if you respond to the gospel today, righteousness will be given you. But God, who is rich in mercy, according to his great love towards us, while we were still sinners, has made us alive in Christ.38:39Even while we were dead in our trespasses, it is by grace you have been saved. We're going to end with the gospel. If you're here today and you have not put your faith in Jesus, what is faith? Faith is a human response to God's grace. Faith is not an intellectual assent. Faith is believing to the point where your life changes. If your life has not changed, you don't know Jesus like I do.39:06Because once Jesus gets a hold of you, he empowers you. Put your faith in Christ. He's calling you. And he will take you from your deadness of sin and he will make you alive in Christ. You say, Pastor, how do I do that? You can pray a prayer. That sounds something like this. God, I know I'm not content. And today, I want everything that I need and his name is Jesus.39:34And so I am turning from myself. I put in my faith in Christ. And from this day forward, I am yours and you are mine. Because of his death on the cross, I can call you my God. If that's you today, we want to celebrate the new life you have. We're going to sing a song of response. Our altar is open. We will have counselors here down front. They will remain after the service.40:04Or you can fill that Connect card out. And we will follow through with you this week. If you know Christ, you have everything that you need. Everything. To the glory of the Father. Amen. Let's pray.More sermons on Philippians →
