“Do all things without murmuring and disputing. 15. That you might be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in a dark world.”
The point of Paul’s reminder to the Philippians here was that they conduct themselves in a way that they would “shine as lights in a dark world.” This was one of the first commands that Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount: “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16) Just as Jesus saw the world in darkness, so did Paul, and so will we if we will just look around. This darkness did not start in the last few years. According to the Bible, the world has always been a place of darkness in need of God’s light. As Jesus ordered and as Paul admonished, we are to be the means of showing God’s light to the world. How do we do this? We do not do it by being religious, judgmental or acting like Pharisees. We let our lights shine through the lives that we live. Paul gave two examples of things that we shouldn’t do if we are to “shine as lights in a dark world.” He wrote for them to “do all things without murmuring….” The modern translation of this word is complaining. Before I come down hard on complaining, let me remind you that we all complain at some time or other. Let’s just go ahead and confess it at the outset. The problem is that for a lot of people, even Christians, complaining is a chronic condition. What is wrong with complaining? One thing is that its source is anger, and when complaining is chronic it means that the anger has found root in the person’s heart. When anger becomes engrained in the heart it tends to make one dissatisfied with everything. This is one of the devil’s tools. He loves to maket us angry and get us to complain about everything. Another thing wrong with complaining is that it is not grounded in love. If we constantly complain about people it means that we do not love them as we should. Yes, I know that some people constantly get on our nerves, but we should not let them determine how we talk or act. Evidently, complaining had become a problem in the Philippian church and was dimming the church’s light; therefore, Paul reminded them that they needed to stop complaining. If complaining was making their lights dim, it will make our lights dim as well. He wrote for them to do “all things without disputing….” The modern translation of this word is “arguing.” A more colloquial translation is “fussing.” (In Southwest Georgia, it would be translated “fussin’.”) I have to admit that it is difficult not to argue or fuss sometimes. If a person says or does something that is so obviously wrong, we want to straighten him or her out. What I have discovered, however, is that when we argue with someone we don’t get them straightened out. The main result is usually that our blood pressure is raised. I have to admit that there was a time in my life when I was more argumentative than I am now, but after multiple fusses, I began to realize that fussing and arguing didn't solve anything. It really doesn’t solve anything in Christ’s church. There was a problem with fussing and arguing in the church at Philippi. In 3:2, Paul asked the church to “beseech Euodia and Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.” Evidently, Euodia and Syntyche were two powerful women in the church who were having an ongoing argument and it was causing trouble in the church. We do not realize how our fussing can affect other people. If we want to shine as lights in this dark world, we need to remember that if our behavior does not reflect the love of Christ, we will not shine for Him. We need to be careful that we refrain from constantly complaining and arguing. Bro. Joe
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“And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He said unto him, Before the cock crow, you will deny me three times. 62. And Peter went out and wept bitterly. Luke 22:61-62
“Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. 4. Saying , I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? You see to it. 5. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and went and hanged himself.” Matthew 27:3-5 In these two brief passages we get a glimpse into the lives of two men and how they reacted to their treatment of Jesus. Immediately after Peter’s last denial of Jesus, Luke records that Jesus looked at him, and Peter remembered what Jesus said about his denying him three times. At that point Peter “went out and wept bitterly.” This means that Peter saw the error of his way and wept in deep sorrow. On the other hand, Judas saw the error of his way and went out and hanged himself. These are two basic ways that people handle their disappointments in themselves. Let’s look at these two reactions. From all that we know about Peter, he did not just go out and cry about what he had done. Evidently, he repented, picked up the pieces and went on about the ministry to which Jesus had called him. The best illustration of this took place a few days after the ascension of Jesus. This man, Peter, who denied knowing Jesus, bravely stood and preached Jesus to the masses that were in Jerusalem for the celebration of Pentecost. Remember, the incident was still fresh in the minds of the people who were responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. Peter could have been in trouble with them for his brave sermon. A few days after that, because of the healing of the crippled man at the “beautiful gate,” Peter and John were arrested and were told not to preach Jesus anymore. Here was Peter’s reaction to that demand in Acts 4:19-20: “But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 20. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” There are many more evidences of Peter’s recovery from that bad moment in his life, but what I have shared illustrates the point that Peter was not defeated by his moment of weakness. We need to learn this lesson from Peter that when we fall, the best thing that we can do is get up and go again. Remember that it is Satan, our accuser, who will keep us in the doldrums, and keep us from serving the Lord. Whatever has happened in your life, if you repented and asked forgiveness, you can still make yourself available to serve the Lord in your family, your church, and your community. There is no doubt about what we learn from Judas, for he could not do good or ill, because he took his own life. Not everyone who reacts to their sins like Judas go out and kill themselves, but because they give up they become useless to God, to themselves and to others. We need to remember that our God is a forgiving God. Yes, I am telling you that if Judas had repented and turned from his sin, he could have been forgiven. Before you give up, remember that our God is a forgiving God. It might not be sin that has stalled your growth, but bad things that are happening in your life. If you have overcome these bad things, you have won, and Satan will not have gained a foothold and a victory in your life. Whatever it is that you are dealing with at this time, do not throw up your hands, give up and become useless. Like Peter, you need to turn from dismay and discouragement and turn to the Lord for His forgiveness and encouragement and you will surely find it. This is the kind of God we serve and we need to remember it. Bro. Joe “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord ponders the heart.”
Human beings have a difficult time telling themselves the truth about themselves. It is very difficult for us to admit that we were wrong about something, or that what we did was wrong. We have a tendency to justify ourselves, even though if someone else did the same thing, we would think it was awful. This is why Jesus told us not to be judgmental towards other people. That’s not to say that we cannot try to help someone correct bad behavior, but that we cannot make a moral judgment about them. When I’m preaching, I always remember that I have three fingers and a thumb pointing back at myself. I want to consider some points in reference to this text. We should be real careful to weigh our own behavior and realize when we are doing wrong. People have been heard to say that they knew what they did was wrong, but they try to excuse the behavior because of circumstances. There are not many people who will say that they believe in selective morality until the finger of guilt is pointing at them. For example, the Ten Commandments are not circumstantial. It would not be excusable to say that one committed adultery because he or she was not happy at home. Oh, we hear it all of the time, but it is not an excuse. That’s why the proverb says, “but the Lord pondereth the heart.” If God calls something a sin every time it is mentioned in the Bible we might surmise that we cannot come up with any excuse to allow ourselves to do it. When we do wrong when we know that what we did was wrong, we are ignoring that God will not be pleased with it. We should be careful to think seriously about what the consequences of our actions will be. This is illustrated for us in Exodus 32 when the Israelites had Aaron build them a golden calf to worship. What was their excuse for this behavior? Here is the answer in Exodus 32:1: “And then the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.” Think about it: The Ten Commandments had been given in Exodus 20. The first commandment was: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” That wasn’t a suggestion. The Israelites felt right in their own eyes because they hadn’t seen Moses for forty days. Then there is Aaron’s excuse. When Moses asked him what happened, he more or less blamed the Israelites for his bad decision: “And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my Lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.” (Exodus 32:22) He went on to say that because of them he took their gold, “cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.” We need to know that God knows everything that we think or do. We cannot hide anything from Him, and we need to take His knowledge of us into account when we are tempted to do things that are wrong and try to find excuses for ourselves. We need to remember that we are accountable to God for what we do. Our text said that “God pondereth the heart.” I think that when we are about to do wrong, God knows what is in our hearts and begins to convict us about it. But the tendency that we have to excuse our own behavior is strong. We need to be aware of the moving of the Holy Spirit in these times, for He is surely convicting us in spite of our tendency to excuse ourselves. Hey, I’m not pointing a finger at you without pointing a finger at myself. I have to also watch this tendency. When we stand before God in judgment, we will be without excuse, and God will not say: “You are excused because of circumstances.” Let’s we aware of the fact that God is, indeed, pondering our hearts. Bro. Joe "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am worst. 16. But for this very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life." NIV
Jesus is the pivotal person in the Bible. His coming made salvation possible for all who would believe. Paul was thankful, and amazed, that Jesus saved him after he persecuted His church. The point is that if Paul could be saved, everyone can be saved. I want to share some thoughts about what this means to those of us who are Christians. It means that Jesus is our Savior. Paul wrote: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.".(1Timothy 1:15): A lot of people to whom I have witnessed had a difficult time accepting the fact that they were sinners. The Bible says that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) Everyone is in need of the Savior Jesus Christ. This is why a lot of Christian churches send missionaries into the world. Jesus is "the way the truth and the life." (John 14:6) it means that Jesus is our guide, This is the basic meaning of Jesus' statement: "I am the way....." If one wishes to get on the right road in their lives, they will need to go the Jesus way. No one else is "the way the truth and the life." One thing that I always appreciated about Billy Graham was that he always preached Jesus as "the way the truth and the life," People are not saved by their churches or their denominations. People who are saved work in churches and denominations, but no church or denomination saves sinners. I have had the opportunity to baptize many new believers. I am not worthy of that deed, but my call from God to the ministry qualified me to baptize those who were saved by God's grace through the blood of Jesus Christ. It means that Jesus is our message. I have preached in Southern Baptist churches for almost sixty years. People who received Christ as their personal Savior were baptized in the "Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit." They were not baptized in the name of the church, but they were saved to work in the churches of which they are members. It is through His Church that Jesus works in the world. If Jesus is not the main message of a church or denomination, they have gotten off of the track, and away from the truth. When I was ordained as a Baptist preacher, it was to primarily preach Jesus and to do the work that he called me to do. I was not saved by the Southern Baptist denomination, but I was called to serve in that denomination. I have friends who were called to preach in Methodist Churches, AME churches, Freewill Baptist Churches, Churches of God, Etc. We are all servants of Jesus Christ, and if He is not our central message, we need to get back on the track I could go on and on about Jesus. Suffice it to say that Jesus is our Savior, our Guide and our Message. Bro, Joe "When Jesus had lifted up Himself, and saw none but the woman, He said unto her, Woman, where are your accusers? Hath no man condemned you.11. She said, no man Lord. and Jesus said unto her, Nether do I condemn you, go and sin no more."
When I think of Jesus, three words come to mind: love, mercy and grace. This is illustrated in the text printed above. The hyper-religious Pharisees brought an adulterous woman to Jesus to test Him. (They were not just accusing her, but she actually had been caught in the act of adultery. She was probably an outcast in that community. Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground, then told her that he did not condemn her, but He told her to "go and sin no more." The way that we would say it today is---Stop It! No one knows what Jesus wrote on the ground, but I heard one preacher conjecture that He wrote the names of the people in the condemning group who had committed adultery, That's probably not what He wrote, but it would have worked well....What I see in tis incident are love, mercy and grace. Jesus did not forgive the woman because He agreed with her, but He could see into her heart, that we was not proud of her behavior, and was actually yearning for forgiveness. He did not condemn the woman because He saw that she was not proud of her sin. The woman had sinned but wanted, and needed, to want ot get past it and go on with her life. The Bible obviously points out that God condemns sin, but it also points out that Jesus loves the sinner. I do not know what you have done in your life, but I do know that when you sincerely ask the Lord for forgiveness. He will forgive you. He does not love your sin, but He does love you. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, what wnosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Instead of condemnation, Jesus offered the woman mercy. The good news is that He will also offer His mercy to you. An offering of mercy is not a agreement with the wrong done, but it is an agreement that you want, and need, another chance and can move beyond the sin. God is the God of another chance. On another occasion, Jesus shared the parable of the Prodigal Son, who moved away from his father, took his inheritance and wasted it it in sinful living. When the son became destitute, he realized the foolishness of his sin and returned to the father's house. The father gave him mercy and received him back into the family. The elder son was angry, because he had not moved away from the father, and he had never been given a party. Is this our attitude toward people who repent and return? We should all be thankful that God is mercifful. . Everything that God does for us is based on His grace. We would be in trouble if God decided to act on His judgement and righteousness. Basically, grace means that we do not get what we deserve. Let us be thankful that Jesus said to the woman "Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more." instead of "Cast the stones." At least think about it.. Bro, Joe And now abides faith, hope and love, thee three, but the greatest of these is love."
Love is one of the greatest challenges that we have as Christians. We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ and the hope of our lives is in Jesus. But faith and hope need to be tempered by love in our hearts and minds. I want us to take a "love test" and see how we are doing in the matter of love. First, do you love Jesus? I do not mean do you know that you are supposed to love Jesus, but do you really love Jesus? Our love for Him can be revealed by our prayer lives. One of the greatest challenges in marriages is in communication. If one says that he loves his wife, he communicates with her, We say that people are living in disagreement if they are not speaking to each other. Well, do you speak to Jesus during your daily life? Do you make it a point to speak to Jesus about the events in your life? If you really love Jesus, you will communicate with Him through prayer. Second, do you love your fellow Christians? I guess that we would call these the people with whom we attend church , work with or have constant affiliation with. What about that person who is the most difficult for you to deal with, or that person with whom you often disagree? What about that person who just has a personality that grates on your nerves? (He might even be your pastor, or she might be your Sunday School teacher.) Think about your daily encounters with people, do they sense that you love them? Do you really love people? Remember that Jesus also loves those people with whom you have personality differences. Do you love people that you encounter in daily life? What about that store clerk who is difficult to deal with? What about that person who goes out of his, or her, way to disagree with you? What about that person who belongs to a political party that you disagree with and would not vote for? I have discovered in my life that loving certain people are. a real challenge. for me, but I have also discovered that I am also that difficult person for other people to deal with. I do not mean to leave the impression that this matter of love is not a challenge for me, but I try to deal with them. Do you love Jesus? Do you love people? Give this some thought... Bro. Joe Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15. And let the peace of Christ, to which you were called in one body, rule in your hearts and be thankful."
This text contains three words that are absolutely essential to living a positive, victorious, Christian life: love, peace and thankfulness. These virtues should be a part of every Christian's life. Think on these words as you read, and ask if they are really a part of your life. Love – This is the translation of our old friend, the Greek word “agahpay.” This describes the kind of love that Christ had for us when He went to the cross, e.g., it is compassionate and sacrificial. Under the inspiration of the Spirit, Paul did not suggest that they love, but actually commanded them to love – which Christ also commanded in John 15:12. Which makes loving each other ultimately important. This is one virtue that is sorely needed in our churches and Christian work today. Think about it: Do you love the people that you go to church with each week? This does not mean that they have to act lovingly for us to love them- just love them. Well think about it? Do you love people period? Well,,,,,,,,do you? Peace of Christ – Just as we are to love like Christ, we are to have His peace. The “peace of Christ” is given in John 16:33: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation (trouble). But be of good cheer – take heart – I have overcome the world.” This is the peace of heart and mind given to Christians as a gift from Christ. We need to ask at least two questions about this peace: Do we live in peace, and at peace, in our own hearts? Do we live at peace with our fellowman? I must confess that I approached this question in fear and trembling. This peace is so important that we cannot ignore it… . Thankfulness – Along with love and peace, thankfulness is an important Christian virtue. The Greek word translated “thankful” is “eucharistos.” “Eucharist” is one name for the Lord’s Supper. In light of this, we are to be thankful for all that Christ did for us on the cross, and for all that He does for our lives. We should also live thankful lives as a witness of Christ’s presence in our lives. Are you a thankful person? Take some time today and think of love, peace and thankfulness in your own life. Do it! Bro. Joe "Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master we would see a sign from thee. 39. But He (Jesus) answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah: 40. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
"If we could just see more miracles, we would believe." This was basically said by the scribes and Pharisees and by many people today. I find myself sometimes asking God to do some miracle so people will believe. I have found, however, that miracles do not necessarily result in faith. I am certainly not against miracles. I've had some in my life and have seen them in the lives of others. Miracles are wonderful and real, but they do not necessarily make a person turn to Jesus. Besides that, what other sign, or miracle, did they need? They had already said that Jesus' power was from Satan. Which proves my point that miracles do not necessarily make a person turn to Jesus. The problem is that, as wonderful as they are, miracles tend to call attention to themselves, not to Jesus. Jesus said that the number one sign, or miracle, would be His resurrection. The fact that Jesus defeated death, hell and the grave is what should draw us to Him. Our faith is to be in a person named Jesus. Jesus did not have to prove Himself to the scribes and Pharisees, and He does not have to prove Himself to us. The fact that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, was raised three days later, and ascended to the Father forty days later, and will return in glory and power, is really all that we need to believe. It is possible to rejoice in a miracle and miss Jesus. Our focus should be on Jesus, first, second and always. He is the source of our salvation. This is what Jesus wanted the scribes and Pharisees, as well as ourselves, to see. He is enough! We need to put our faith in Jesus, for He is the only way to the Father. Don't stop praying for miracles, but don't depend on them to strengthen your faith in Jesus or to win people to Him. I think that the gospels are pretty clear on this. Bro. Joe "As the deer pants for streams of water so my soul pants for you, O God. 2. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 3. My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" (NIV)
Whether the Psalmist was in exile, or just felt that God was remote to him at that time, his agony is real. It is an awful thing to feel that God is remote from us. This question, "Where is your God?" is being asked more and more in our secular society. We are living in a time when the atheistic point seems to be winning the day, at least in the law, if not in the hearts of the American people. So we get the question that intimates that God does not exist, or is so remote that we cannot reach Him. This idea resonates with people who hope that there is no God to whom they will have to answer. What should be our reaction to this question? First, we should not take it seriously, because we know, through faith, that our God exists, and that He is not remote from us. Second, what we should take seriously is that we are living our lives so that people can see God/Christ at work in us. Maybe we need to have the attitude of the Psalmist in verses 1-2: "As the deer pants for streams of water so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God..." We should feel such a deep need for the presence of God that we seek Him in prayer everyday. When we are busy seeking everything but God, people cannot see Him at work in us. We are living just like everyone else. Third, we should practice our faith in Jesus as we move about in society. We can reflect the love of Jesus by really loving people and not seeing them as enemies, or as hopeless cases. We can reflect the righteousness of Jesus by living above reproach before people. People cannot see Him in us if we do not project His image to them by the way we live. If you know me, you know that I do not mean that we should live self-righteously and be condemnatory in our dealings with people. We need to remember that, after all, we are sinners saved by grace. What I mean is that we should take people seriously and have a genuine interest in their lives and in their souls. After all, we are not calling people to accept a religion, rather we are calling them to accept a person. When we live so that people can see God/Christ in us, it could be that the answer to the question, "Where is your God?" is answered by us. If someone should ask you where your God is, you can answer that He is right here with us at this very moment. As Christians, we know that God is present everywhere all of the time. Let's just really believe that, and beliveing it, let's live it. Bro. Joe “But when (Jesus) saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion toward them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37. Then saith He unto His disciples, the harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; 38. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest.”
According to verse 35, Jesus was going from village to village in Galilee healing people. A great crowd of people followed Him, and this is where our text takes place. Let’s see what Jesus saw when He looked on that multitude. Jesus saw the multitude. What I want us to see here is that Jesus is aware of people. Jesus did not just see a big crowd of people; rather the individuals who comprised the crowd. To Jesus, we are not a part of a crowd, but He sees us and sees our needs, etc. Jesus saw the multitude and felt compassion for them. Jesus didn’t look at the crowd of people following and thought, “Well, I’m becoming a big hit.” In fact, He did not think about Himself at all; rather He thought about the hurting people following Him. He saw that they were weary (fainted), jaded and worn. He saw that they were “scattered abroad as sheep without a shepherd.” He did not just see them; He saw their need. This is the same way that Jesus looks at the world today. People today are in need of a shepherd - a Savior. Jesus saw beyond their physical needs and saw the needs of their spirits – their souls. He looks over the world today and sees the same thing. What was His solution? Read on: Jesus turned to His disciples and saw them as part of the solution for these dear people. He said: “The harvest is truly plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest.” Jesus was obviously giving His disciples their marching orders. They were to be His emissaries to that needy multitude. Jesus sees us as part of the solution for the world’s need for a Savior today. He wants us to see ourselves as part of the solution. He sees me as part of the solution, and He sees you as part of the solution. Ask the Lord to help you to be a laborer in His harvest. You might be thinking, “Bro. Joe, you done gone to preaching.” That would be correct. I’m preaching to me too. You are reading this because I see the need to minister to the world. It is the call for every Christian. Jesus wants us to see what He sees, i.e., a weary world in need of a Savior. Do you see it? Bro. Joe |
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