“Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: 2. Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 3. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4. In every prayer of mine for you all (Southwest Ga. Translation “y’all”) making request with joy.”
The introduction to Philippians shows the positive nature of the letter. It also contains an example for us in our Christian fellowship. According to the Analytical Greek Lexixon, the word translated “every remembrance of you” can also be translated “every mention of you.” First, this had to do with Paul’s memory of them after his visit and their support since his visit. Every time he thought of them, he was thankful. Don’t you have people in your life for which you are thankful when you think of them? This hits at the very heart of Christian fellowship. How thankful are you with the memories of your fellowship with your fellow Christians? Your answer may speak of your attitude as much as theirs, be it positive or negative. Maybe we need to pause here and take stock of our “thankful quotient.” Second, Paul was thankful every time he “mentioned” them when he prayed. My point here is that we need to pray for each other. When we pray for each other, we are not as apt to break fellowship, as when we fail to pray for each other. It would really help if we would pray thankfully when we mention each other in prayer. Third, think of the difference in your fellowship in your church if you prayed for each member your church by name, and thanked God for each of them as you prayed. It is at least worth a try isn’t it? It surely will not do harm to your Christian witness, and to your sense of fellowship in your church. I’m trying to imagine what would happen in your church if you decided to try this prayer exercise. Well, bring it up at the church where you are a member. You could at least mention that your suggestion is biblical. Fourth, I have a vital question for you concerning this matter of thankful prayer: Do you think that you are a person that members of your church could honestly be thankful for when they prayed for you? At least give this serious thought. I seriously think that if churches would adopt what I will call, “The Philippians 1:3 Prayer Project, ” it would make a difference in their witness to their communities. It will make a positive difference in your own prayer life and in your fellowship at your church. It would not hurt to try it! Bro. Joe
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“Thus saith God the Lord, He that created the heavens, and stretched them out; He that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it, He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein. 6. I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold your hand, and will keep you, and give for a covenant of the people, for a light to the Gentiles.”
For today's text, I opened my Bible and selected the text that I turned to, which I don't do often. At any rate, here is what I found in what I turned to in Isaiah 42:5-6: God spoke to Judah through the prophet Isaiah and reminded them that He is the creator of the earth. He also created the trees, the mountains, etc, and all “that which comes out of it.” I think that we need to be reminded sometimes about who God is and what He has done, just as He did for the people of Judah. So today just praise God as the creator of the earth and “everything that comes out of it.” (Also include the universe.) God spoke to Judah and reminded them that He is the giver of life: “He that gives breath unto the people upon (the earth).” The life that we have now is a gift from God. Life did not just happen on the earth by chance. We are told that God breathed into Adam’s “nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” Life is a gift from God to be enjoyed, not just endured. God spoke to Judah and reminded them that the One Who gave life is not an absent God: “…and will hold your hand.” Let’s think of it this way, God walks hand in hand with His people. In Christ, we walk hand in hand with God. He is by our side through all that we encounter in life. When you feel that you are lost in the maze of life, remember that God is holding your hand. God spoke to Judah and reminded them that He created them and gave them life for a purpose: “….and will keep you for a covenant of the people, for a light to the Gentiles.” That means you and me. The light to the Gentiles that would come from the Jews would be Jesus, who would be, and is, the Savior of all who place their faith in Him. This prophecy is for our benefit to remind us about who God is that He gave us life, will walk with us in this life, and saves us through Jesus. Thank Him!!!! Bro. Joe "“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guile.
Psalm 51 is David’s heart cry for forgiveness after his sin with Bathsheba . Psalm 32 is the result of that prayer, and it shows us the strength of God’s forgiveness. Keep in mind that David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and, had her husband killed in battle to try and cover his sin. But he was forgiven. I don’t mean to excuse whatever sin, or sins, that you may have committed, but they are probably not any worse than David’s. The point is that God will forgive you if you come to Him in true humility and submission as David did in his prayer in Psalm 51. (You might want to read this psalm to refresh your memory of David’s prayer for forgiveness.) To put it mildly, “blessed is the person whose transgression is forgiven.” The meaning of “transgression” in Greek or Hebrew is to put it in our vernacular is roughly to "go out of bounds, or over the line.” David had truly gone out of the bounds set by God, but he was declaring that He was happy that God had forgiven him. That David’s sin had “been covered” dId not mean that his sin had been covered up. Everybody knew about David’s sin. It means that, in His righteous grace, God had covered His sins. We would say that our sins have been covered by the blood of Christ. God will do the same for you when you sincerely come to Him for forgiveness. The word for “sin” means to miss the mark. When David truly repented, we might say that he now “t,ed the line.” God will call you back to the mark if you will sincerely repent and seek His forgiveness. If you know the ensuing days of David’s reign, you know that he had been forgiven, but his life was not the same after his sin. In other words, David did not get by with anything, but he was forgiven by God, just as you will be forgiven,and as I have been forgiven. That brings me to “and in whose spirit there is no guile.” Another word for guile is deceit. We cannot lie to God, so when we come to Him for forgiveness, we might as well let it all hang out. Put it all there before Him in true confession and repentance. You can share with God all that is on your heart and mind. Thank God, that He has a forgiving heart. Please believe this, for God actually longs to forgive us for our sins, if we will just admit them and bring them to Him for cleansing. He longs to forgive you!!!! Bro. Joe "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
Romans 14 contains the recurring argument in the early church about whether or not Christians should eat meat that was sold in the meat market that had been sacrificed to idols. Paul’s argument was that meat is meat, and that it was not a sin to eat it. But that came with a serious caveat: One should not eat such meat if it would offend a “weaker” believer, probably a new believer. In the verse that comprises our text, Paul pointed out that the kingdom of God is not about arguments about what to eat or what to drink. Then he pointed out to them at least three of the main concerns of the kingdom of God: righteousness, peace and joy. In the midst of some our arguments, we would do well to remember these three words. As you have probably already guessed, these three words will comprise the rest of the article. “Righteousness” is translated from a word that also means justice, or acting justly. In essence Paul’s message is that in the kingdom of God we should be careful to do the right thing. That would relate to our own personal righteousness as well as doing the right thing in relationships with other people in and out of the church. For example, a Christian should be careful to be trustworthy in his or her dealings. One good example I always use is that one should not hesitate to buy a used car from a Christian. (Oh come on, you get my point.) It is more important to do the right thing than it is to try to win a dubious argument. “Peace” is translated from a word that can also mean “concord, unity, or love of peace.” (Analytical Greek Lexicon) In the kingdom of God we are supposed to love getting along together in spiritual unity and in not always finding something to argue about. Frankly, I think this means that we should always choose peace over disunity. At least this should be true about things that are not of doctrinal importance. I know that we are more effective in our witness when we love being at peace with our fellow Christians. “Joy” is translated from a word that means, well, primarily, joy. But the word can also be rendered “rejoicing” or “gladness.” In the kingdom of God we are supposed to be joyful people, people who love to rejoice and are just glad to be in the kingdom of God. I don’t think that a church can reach out to its community if it is made up of a bunch of “sad sacks.” If you know me well, you know that laughter is a big part of my life. That is in my daily life and in my preaching life. What we need to do in churches today is to just get glad, and let that glad leak over into our communities. After all, the kingdom of God is joy. I think that this is good advice from the Bible. Don’t you agree? Bro. Joe “But we brothers, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.”
The words “not in heart” in our text arrested my attention. When I read that, I thought of the eight pastorates that we served over a total of twenty-nine years, and of the churches in the Tucker Baptist Association that we ministered to for twenty-three years, and the two prison ministries that I had over those years, and it reminded me that all of them are in my heart. What a wonderful thought that is. I wish that it was in my power to visit all of them, and tell them what they mean to me. Even the negative things taught me and nurtured me in my Christian service. With this in mind, I want to share some random thoughts that came to me with the theme, “not in heart.” In Christ, we are bound in our hearts to each other. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are not natural “blood kin” but we are bound together by the blood of Christ. We were saved by Christ individually, but in His wisdom, He drew us together in fellowship. We cannot escape this kinship any more than we can escape kin to our natural brothers and sisters. Even as I write this, people from my past come into my mind, and I thank God for what they meant to my life. Brothers and sisters, reaching all the way back to my first pastorate, have blessed my life. You might have tried my patience sometime, and it is certain that I tried yours, but we learned from each other and we are bound for life into eternity. Isn’t this a wonderful thought! Christian fellowship is a sacred trust, because it is a matter of our hearts. This should keep us from bouncing off of each other and meld us together in a tight spiritual bond. In the name of Christ, we need to work through our petty problems and see our fellowship as God sees it. First Thessalonians was written in part, as were most of Paul’s letters, to shore up their fellowship. What was true of Paul and the Thessalonians is true of us, that is, we need to take our Christian fellowship seriously, for it is a matter of the heart. Well, that concludes my random thoughts on “the matter of our hearts.” Let’s give serious thought to this where we are at the present time. Do it!!! Bro. Joe “Therefore as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7. Rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
In this text, Paul lays out for the Colossians, and for us, the reality of our relationship with Christ. First, we receive Christ. The Greek word here can also be translated “taken.” We have taken Christ into our lives by faith in Him. Jesus knocked and we opened the door to Him. (See Revelation 3:20) When we received Jesus into our lives He did not make us religious, but He made us His. The Christian experience is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Then we are to “walk in Him.” This means that this personal relationship with Christ should make a difference in our lives. Second, we are “rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith.” The Greek word for “rooted” means that we are firmly planted in Christ. We need to put our roots down deep in Christ. He has made this possible by giving us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us into His truth. We need to put our roots down in the scriptures. A Christian who does not read and study scripture will not grow in Christ. (If you are a new Christian, you need to read and study the four gospels and get thoroughly acquainted with Jesus.) We need to put our roots down in prayer. Christians need to set aside a time to pray. We can pray any time during the day, but we need a time of concentrated prayer, where we not only speak to the Lord, but we let Him speak to our hearts. We need to put our roots down in Christ’s church. I don’t mean that we are tp just “go to church,” but we are to be the church in our daily lives. The relationship that we have with Christ is an eternal reality. When we accept Christ as our Savior, He becomes one with us, meaning that we have a personal relationship with Him. We can say with Paul: “I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.” (2nd Timothy 1:12) The reality is that we have received Christ into our lives, we are rooted, firmly fixed, in Him; therefore, we live each day for Him. This doesn’t mean that we strut around being one with Jesus, but that we live lives that let His light shine. I repeat: Jesus does not make us religious; rather He lives within us to change and use us to shine for Him each day. Let’s let our lights shine for Jesus in this troubled world and let the world know that He is alive by the way we live. May others see Jesus in us in our daily lives! Bro. Joe (This is a rerun from 2013. I noticed that someone had selected it from the archives. I decided it might we worth a rerun, so here it is. Read it.)
“Then came Peter to (Jesus) and said, Lord how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? 22. Jesus said unto him, I say not unto thee, until seventy times: but, until seventy times seven.” Some of my great moments of truth come to me in the morning when I shave and look at myself in the mirror. When one comes face-to-face with oneself, he just has to face the truth. This happened this morning as I was shaving, for I said to myself: “Get over it.” God did not reveal to me what I specifically needed to get over, but He knows what is in my heart, mind and soul. This put me in a theologically-philosophical frame of mind (That’s deep. lol), and I felt a blog coming on. Whatever, or whoever, it is that is stuck in our sub-conscious, or conscious minds, we need to get over it. That is basically what Jesus was telling Peter in Matthew 18:22. Peter thought that forgiving seven times was a gracious plenty, but Jesus told him differently. (Don’t start doing multiplication here, for what Jesus meant was that we are to just keep on forgiving – period.) Why do we need to “get over it”? First, if something is eating away at us, it is not hurting the person who caused the “eating,” it is hurting us. We need to get the grudge out of our systems. Years ago, I read about a fish that is called the “hog fish” – at least I think that is what it was called. This fish attaches itself to a larger fish and begins to eat the fish from the inside. That is sort of like what happens when we fail to forgive and move on with our lives. We will not move on, or grow in Christ, until we just get over whatever it was that has eaten at us. Second, we need to think about the times when we have hurt other people. I don’t think that it ever occurs to us that we might be the cause of someone’s grudge. There are people out there who need to forgive us for the wrong that we did them. When we look at it this way, it should make it easier for us to forgive those who have hurt us. Perhaps we need to forgive ourselves for wrongs that we have done others. Third, we need to forgive others because we have been forgiven by Jesus. Ephesians 3:31-32 gives us this advice: “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be you kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.” The fact that we have been forgiven so much by Jesus should be an incentive for us to forgive others. No one knows better than you what you need to “get over.” Today would be a good day to settle that matter. Jesus is waiting, ready and able to forgive you. Bro. Joe “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.”
This little verse is loaded with meaning. It is advice given to a son, (or a daughter), about not choosing the way of the world, which is given in verses preceding and following this verse, but choosing the way of God. The thrust of the verse is the wisdom of giving one’s whole heart to God's ways. What does it mean give our hearts to God. First, it means to have God’s ways implanted in the deepest part of our lives. “Heart” in the Bible refers to our inner lives. This verse is a call to surrender one’s mind and heart to God’s way. We need to be careful what we give our imaginations to, for that is what will, in large part, guide our choices in life. We really need to be careful about what we let into our hearts and minds. Second, it means to give our hearts to the best that is in us and not to the worst that is in us.. As the saying goes today, we don’t need to live on the dark side, but on the side of the light. In John 8:12 Jesus invited us to His light: “Then Jesus spoke to them saying, ‘I am the light of the world: he that knows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life’.” 1 John 1:7 advises us: “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.” We are encouraged in Proverbs 23:26 to choose the side of the light, not of the darkness. Third, it means to find our delight in life in Christ and not in the world. Solomon mentions some of the world’s delights in the verses preceding and following our text. For example, he deals with sexual sins in verses 27-28. He mentions the problem of alcoholism in verses 30-35. We need to be careful what we let ourselves become addicted to, because sinful addictions can ruin our lives. We need to give our lives, our time and our talents to following God’s will for our lives. Fourth, we need to understand that all the world offers is not bad, we just need to be wise in what we choose to do in the world. We can waste our lives on things that can ruin our Christian testimony. Just follow the right, and that is what this verse is telling us to do. Just remember that what you let in your heart can lead your eyes to observe the wrong things. Bro. Joe “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
This is a favorite saying of Paul’s. Similar sayings are found in Timothy and Titus. It is one loaded verse, as I hope to prove in this article. This saying reveals a worthy proposition. I think that this was a ‘’faithful saying” because it was something that the original apostles agreed with, and perhaps, Paul heard from Jesus in the Arabian Desert. As we would say, “You can take this saying to the bank.” There was a lot of other stuff going around about Jesus, and Paul wanted Timothy to know that this was a genuine saying. This saying reveals a worthy purpose: “That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Jesus Himself said that this was His purpose in Matthew 18:11: “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.” In Luke 15, Jesus gave three parables based on this theme. He told about a lost sheep, a lost coin and a lost son. In all three parables, that which was lost was found. Saving lost sinners was the specific reason that Jesus came. People have tried to change this purpose for about two thousand years, and it still hasn’t changed. This purpose was born in the heart of God “before the foundation of the world...” This is what the “good news” gospel is about. This saying reveals an unworthy person: “...to save sinners, of which I am chief.” Paul always used himself as a reminder that if Jesus could save him, he could save anyone. People do not come to Jesus saying they are worthy to receive the salvation that He came to bring. People come to Jesus confessing and repenting of their sins, and asking for His forgiveness, and for Him to come into their lives and save them. I think that the former Pharisee, Paul, wanted to remind people that he was no longer a self-righteous Pharisee. People might think that he had earned his salvation. Paul reminded us about this in Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.” All of these things are truth today that “you can take to the bank.” Bro. Joe 37. “All that the Father gives will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” 40. But this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise Him up at the last day.” I closed yesterday’s article with urging you to believe in Jesus to be saved, and even shared with you how you can do it. I will continue with that proposition in this article. Do you trust that when the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart about Jesus, that if you come to Him, He will not cast you out. Let me repeat the line from verse 37b: “….and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” Think of some of the people who have come to Jesus by faith and have been saved. Surely, Jesus would have cast out the chief persecutor of the church, Saul of Tarsus, who became Paul, the apostle. Surely Jesus would have cast out John Newton because he had been in the slave trade. Newton was gloriously saved and worked to end the slave trade in Britain. He also wrote the great hymn “Amazing Grace.” I spent several years in prison ministry when I was the Director of Missions of the Tucker Baptist Association. In fact, I spent twenty-one years going to Mitchell County Correctional Institution and about fifteen years at Autry State Prison. Murderers and thieves were saved just like Paul and John Newton. Man, I had a great time preaching, teaching and encouraging all of those murderers, thieves and drug dealers, giving them the good news about Jesus. Many of them heard and believed, and many had been saved before my ministry to them, but they were boosted and encouraged about the biblical message of Jesus. (If that troubles you, take it up with Jesus. Lol) I know Jesus will not cast you out if you come to Him by faith. I am amazed that Jesus saved me when I came to Him. I am amazed that He still forgives, and disciplines me, when I sin. I don’t deserve all of that love and grace, but Jesus gave and gives it to me in spite of me. This is probably true of you as well. Trust that Jesus will not cast you out. Bro. Joe |
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