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The Joy of Maturity

Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah

November 29, 2019

27:30

Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah

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The Joy of Maturity

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female announcer: Are you waiting for joy to find you?
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Don't wait, claim a happiness that circumstances cannot change
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with Dr. Jeremiah's book, "Count It All Joy."
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In this rich exploration of the biblical book of Philippians,
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Dr. Jeremiah uncovers the Apostle Paul's secret
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to experiencing the joy that carried Paul
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through the most difficult times.
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Discover this happiness for yourself
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with "Count It All Joy," yours as a thank you
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when you give a gift of any amount
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in support of this program.
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And if you generously give $60 or more,
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Dr. Jeremiah would like to send you, in appreciation,
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the "Count It All Joy" set, which includes his book,
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his complete newly preached 12-message series
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on your choice of CD or DVD, and a correlating study guide.
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Dr. Jeremiah's "Count It All Joy" book or set,
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support this program and request these resources
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when you contact "Turning Point" today.
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male announcer: Thank you for watching
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"Count It All Joy" on "Turning Point."
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Now, here is Dr. Jeremiah with his message,
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"The Joy of Maturity."
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Dr. David Jeremiah: Here, in Philippians chapter 3,
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in verses 15 through 21, Paul is going to give us
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four motivations and reasons and helpful ideas
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about how growth happens and how we should cooperate
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with it.
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He begins in verses 15 and 16 with what I call
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great encouragement within us.
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Here's what those verses say: "Therefore let us,
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as many as are mature, have this mind;
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and if anything you think otherwise,
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God will reveal even this to you.
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Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained,
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let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind."
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Paul loved the Philippian church.
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As you remember, I told you, he's writing this letter to them
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while he's under house arrest in Rome.
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This little church that he was a part of starting,
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that started in the unique way that it did,
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was really heavy on his heart and he loved them so much that
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when he saw something happening that could deter their growth
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and keep them from maturity,
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he wrote about it very seriously.
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He wanted them to know that growth was paramount
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and anything that got in the way of that
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from any outside source should be called out
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and dealt with.
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In this little paragraph he has two different expressions.
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He calls the responses to his words,
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"this mind," and, "think otherwise."
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The people of this mind are those who have decided
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that growth and maturity are important goals for believers.
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They acknowledge with Paul that they need to keep pressing
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toward the mark of spiritual maturity.
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They have left behind the idea of becoming mature
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through obeying the law or doing works in the flesh.
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They are going on to seek maturity in Jesus Christ.
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They've come to the conclusion that we must come to
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as we come to faith that our salvation is not
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of works lest any man should boast.
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And then Paul said, "But there are some who think otherwise,
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probably they assume that they've already arrived
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at maturity, they don't need any help.
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Maybe they wanted to grow but they won't pay the price
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that was necessary for them to take forward steps.
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Whatever the situation, Paul is reminding
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these believers that their spiritual progress
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up to this point had come from following the standards
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set down in God's Word and he encourages them
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to go forward in the same way.
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If they were saved by grace through faith and not
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by their own works, they're to mature and progress
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according to the same standards.
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They're to continue to grow, knowing that faith
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in Jesus Christ and walking with him daily is the routine
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that is set up for them.
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Occasionally, during basketball or football playoffs,
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you will hear a sports announcer talking about a star player
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who's having a bad day.
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As the sportscaster explains why this athlete has been allowed
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to continue, even though he is playing very badly,
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he may say something like this: "The coach has decided to stay
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with the man who brought him here."
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Or often, they will say, "We're gonna stay with the guy
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who brought us to the dance.
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In other words, since this athlete was
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very responsible for his team's qualifying for the playoffs,
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it does not make sense to remove him from the game now,
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even though he's not performing well.
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That was Paul's message.
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What these believers had attained spiritually
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had come through certain principles and procedures.
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They were not to let the legalists change
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the way they approached the Christian life.
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Paul's words to the churches in Galatia carried
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a similar challenge.
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Here's what he said: "Are you so foolish?
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Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect
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by the flesh?"
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In other words, however, we start out in the faith,
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that's how we go forward in the faith.
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Paul's encouragement was straightforward.
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The Philippians were to keep on walking the same walk and
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thinking the same thoughts and the language here is military.
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In other words, get behind the leader and stay in your lane.
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They were to walk toward maturity.
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Let me just tell you something, friends.
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God has, as his goal for each one of us,
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that we become mature believers.
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I mean, not that we just become Christians.
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That's good.
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That's the starting place.
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But God wants us to grow up.
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He wants us to be Christians who are maturing
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so that we look back on our lives
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at the end of one year and we can see that
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we have grown some in our faith over the year before.
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You know, one of the things I love about Paul?
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He reminds me of something that my father said to me
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when I was getting ready to go into the ministry.
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He said, "David, let me just tell you something
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I've learned."
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He said, "If you preach to discouraged people
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and you bring the encouragement of the Bible,
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you will always have a congregation."
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In other words, if you come to your people every week
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with the encouragement of the Scriptures.
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One of my friends says, "If you nourish them up
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in the Word of the Lord they will come because all of us,
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we live a life that is filled with reasons to be discouraged
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and we need every hope we can."
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Perhaps the greatest example of that kind of ministry
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was the Apostle Paul.
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I never realized until I set out to study it
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what an incredibly encouraging teacher he was.
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He was always encouraging others.
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And even though it sometimes looked like
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there was nothing to encourage, he found a way.
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Listen to these words from Paul.
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He said, "May our Lord Jesus Christ
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himself and God our Father, who loved us
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and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement
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and good hope, encourage your heart
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and strengthen you in every good deed and word."
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Paul understood the importance of encouragement
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and did you know that in the book of Hebrews
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it says when we come to church every Sunday
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we're to bring with us a word of encouragement that
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we can share with someone that we might meet along the way.
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One of the "one anothers" in the Bible is,
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"encourage one another."
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And in the church today, we need to follow
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the example of Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul
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and be ambassadors of encouragement.
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You say, "Well, I can't find anything in that person
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that I can encourage."
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Find a way to say something good and encourage them.
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Encouragement goes so much farther than criticism
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in helping us to grow.
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And Paul emphasizes that in these verses.
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Great encouragement within us.
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And then, he adds in verse 17 godly examples around us:
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"Brethren, join in following my example,
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and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern."
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Paul invited the Philippians to join in following his example.
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Actually, the phrase could be translated,
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"become fellow imitators of me."
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And the word is related to our English word "mimic."
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Just as Paul was mimicking Christ,
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he asked his followers to mimic him.
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This has always been a hard thing for me
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to comprehend, and I can't imagine having
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the spiritual courage and confidence to say
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to other people, "I want you to follow me whatever I do."
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But the fact of the matter is, that's what happens
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whether we ask people to do it or not.
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And the last phrase in this verse is a phrase
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that has the word "tupos" in it.
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That's a Greek word which is translated by our word,
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"pattern."
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And Paul is asking those to follow him.
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He said, "You have us for a pattern."
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And I know that this is a heavy item for most of us.
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We would like to say, "I do not want to be
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a role model for anybody."
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You get to a place of success or a place of influence,
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you're gonna influence other people,
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and if you don't understand that,
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you're going to just be frustrated your whole life.
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Paul said, "There's examples and you follow me."
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We may not wanna say that out loud to anybody,
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but we need to recognize they're doing it,
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whether we like it or not.
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Let's ask God to help us to live our lives in totality,
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live our lives for Christ.
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Not just sometime, but all the time.
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And you never have to look over your shoulder
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for somebody misunderstanding.
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Then he adds a third motivation: great encouragement within us,
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great examples around us.
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And this is godless enemies away from us.
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Once again, Paul is going to sound a warning.
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He says, "There are many who walk,
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of whom I have told you often, and now I tell you even weeping,
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that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
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whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly,
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and whose glory is their shame--
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and who set their mind on earthly things."
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You wanna know what Paul thinks about the teachers who have come
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into the church in Philippi with all of their false doctrine?
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Just look at the word "whose and who" and you will see
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the four things that he says about 'em.
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First of all, their goal.
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"Whose end is destruction."
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The word for destruction is perdition.
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It's the word that is used for Judas who was called
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the son of perdition.
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The true child of God glories in the cross
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but the enemies of the cross, according to Paul,
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are headed toward the lake of fire.
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People who bring false doctrine and try to use it
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to corrupt people in the church don't have a very good future.
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Their goal is, "whose end is destruction."
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Their god is, "whose god is their belly."
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Their appetite is their god.
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I'm not just talking about food, but that's probably part of it.
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They're not in control of their appetites;
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their appetites are in control of them.
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Paul had no confidence in the flesh
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and he did not believe he had already arrived.
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But these enemies of the cross took as their god
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whatever felt good.
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Romans 16:18 says: "For those who are such
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do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ,
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but their own belly,
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and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive
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the hearts of the simple."
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Their goal is destruction.
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Their god is their own belly, their appetites.
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Their glory, this is unbelievable.
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Their glory is in their shame.
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First, they give themselves to indulgence, and then,
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they begin to justify their behavior
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and then they begin to proclaim it
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as if it was something to brag about.
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It reminds me of what Isaiah said.
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He said, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
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who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
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who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
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Just turn on your television this afternoon,
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and you will see that.
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You will see it on the news shows.
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Nothing is wrong anymore.
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In fact, the worst part of it is,
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people are bragging about things which are blatantly wrong.
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And anybody who's got a head on their shoulders knows
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they're wrong.
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What a world we live in.
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Please note these enemies weren't out somewhere
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outside of the church.
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They were in the church.
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They had wormed their way into the Philippian congregation
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and they were having little Small Group discussions
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with the believers, trying to get them off the path
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of righteousness and back onto the path of works.
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And I love Paul because he stands at the gateway
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to that church and he says, "Not here, not now,
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not while I'm involved."
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And he calls them out.
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So, we have great encouragement within us to keep going.
00:14:14.230 --> 00:14:18.090
We have great examples around us to keep going.
00:14:18.100 --> 00:14:20.160
We have to watch out 'cause we got some enemies around us
00:14:20.170 --> 00:14:23.000
who will keep us from growing.
00:14:23.010 --> 00:14:24.250
But here's the great thing at the end of this passage:
00:14:24.260 --> 00:14:26.220
great expectation before us.
00:14:26.230 --> 00:14:29.130
Philippians 3:20-21, some of my favorite verses
00:14:29.140 --> 00:14:31.290
in this book:
00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:33.150
"For our citizenship is in heaven,
00:14:34.100 --> 00:14:36.230
from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior,
00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:39.240
the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform
00:14:39.250 --> 00:14:42.090
our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body,
00:14:42.100 --> 00:14:46.080
according to the working by which He is able even to subdue
00:14:46.090 --> 00:14:49.140
all things to Himself."
00:14:49.150 --> 00:14:51.290
Paul says if you wanna stay on course and keep growing
00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:55.290
and keep moving toward the goal,
00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:57.230
don't lose sight of what the goal is.
00:14:57.240 --> 00:15:00.160
We're going to heaven someday, we're gonna be
00:15:00.170 --> 00:15:02.160
with the Lord someday.
00:15:02.170 --> 00:15:03.280
Our anticipation is glory.
00:15:03.290 --> 00:15:05.180
It's not this earth.
00:15:05.190 --> 00:15:06.280
It's something heavenly.
00:15:06.290 --> 00:15:08.080
It's really worth whatever sacrifice we have to make
00:15:08.090 --> 00:15:10.190
to stay on track and keep going in the right direction.
00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:14.180
Paul always set this before his followers,
00:15:14.190 --> 00:15:17.210
always reminded them heaven is our goal.
00:15:17.220 --> 00:15:21.180
I remember reading years ago something,
00:15:21.190 --> 00:15:23.190
I think it was C.S. Lewis, who said,
00:15:23.200 --> 00:15:25.080
"If you get heaven right,
00:15:25.090 --> 00:15:26.280
you get everything on this earth while you're on your way.
00:15:26.290 --> 00:15:29.110
If you get heaven wrong, not only do you miss heaven,
00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:31.100
you miss everything on this earth,"
00:15:31.110 --> 00:15:33.140
because heaven is the goal and eternity
00:15:33.150 --> 00:15:36.130
with the Lord Jesus Christ is the promise
00:15:36.140 --> 00:15:39.140
when we put our trust in him.
00:15:39.150 --> 00:15:42.110
Now, the one point about this passage of Scripture
00:15:42.120 --> 00:15:44.080
that all of us love is, we love this truth.
00:15:44.090 --> 00:15:47.250
We love the truth of the return of Christ.
00:15:47.260 --> 00:15:49.230
How many of you believe it could happen at any moment?
00:15:49.240 --> 00:15:51.190
There's nothing left to take place before Jesus comes back.
00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:55.060
And while we're all wrapped up in our daily experiences
00:15:55.070 --> 00:15:58.260
and we love life and we have some great goals,
00:15:58.270 --> 00:16:02.020
I'll be honest with you, I remember when Donna and I
00:16:02.030 --> 00:16:03.240
got engaged, I prayed that the Lord
00:16:03.250 --> 00:16:06.010
wouldn't come back 'til we got married.
00:16:06.020 --> 00:16:08.070
I guess that's all right to do but--
00:16:10.200 --> 00:16:14.130
So, here's what Paul was saying: Never lose sight of the goal.
00:16:14.140 --> 00:16:20.000
Stephen Covey who is from a different mentality
00:16:20.010 --> 00:16:25.020
than most of us, had some good things to say
00:16:25.030 --> 00:16:27.120
in his book that was such a bestseller.
00:16:27.130 --> 00:16:30.080
He said, "Always live your life with the end in view."
00:16:30.090 --> 00:16:34.150
Live your life with the end in view.
00:16:34.160 --> 00:16:36.060
Paul is saying, "Listen, one day Jesus is gonna come back.
00:16:36.070 --> 00:16:38.280
You're gonna be so glad that you stayed on this growth pattern,
00:16:38.290 --> 00:16:42.030
that you didn't drop out along the way.
00:16:42.040 --> 00:16:44.120
And one of these days you're gonna stand
00:16:44.130 --> 00:16:45.250
with the Lord in heaven.
00:16:45.260 --> 00:16:47.190
Make sure that you don't forget what is waiting for you
00:16:47.200 --> 00:16:52.030
as a follower of Christ."
00:16:52.040 --> 00:16:54.160
And then he said, when that happens he's going to change
00:16:54.170 --> 00:16:58.160
our lowly body into a body like his resurrection body.
00:16:58.170 --> 00:17:04.150
Now, if I didn't say anything else in this service encouraging
00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:06.250
to you, move around just enough to feel the pains you have
00:17:06.260 --> 00:17:09.210
in your body this morning and remember that one day
00:17:09.220 --> 00:17:12.080
God's gonna take your lowly body and he's gonna change it
00:17:12.090 --> 00:17:15.090
into a body, a resurrection body like his own.
00:17:15.100 --> 00:17:19.010
That's gonna happen someday.
00:17:19.020 --> 00:17:21.110
If you wanna know what it's gonna be like when that happens,
00:17:21.120 --> 00:17:24.020
just go back and read everything after the resurrection
00:17:24.030 --> 00:17:27.110
of Jesus Christ and watch what he did.
00:17:27.120 --> 00:17:30.070
He went places without having to take the journey.
00:17:30.080 --> 00:17:33.270
He moved inside places without going through the door.
00:17:33.280 --> 00:17:37.050
He ate. That's good news.
00:17:37.060 --> 00:17:40.290
It was an amazing, the glorious resurrection body
00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:44.030
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:17:44.040 --> 00:17:46.030
And Paul holds that out as a high and glorious goal for us
00:17:46.040 --> 00:17:51.030
never to forget as we go through the discipline of walking
00:17:51.040 --> 00:17:54.210
with him and growing with him in a world which more
00:17:54.220 --> 00:17:57.200
and more doesn't want anything to do with Jesus Christ.
00:17:57.210 --> 00:18:01.240
While we don't know exactly how our bodies are going to be
00:18:01.250 --> 00:18:04.170
changed on that glorious day, we do know that pain
00:18:04.180 --> 00:18:08.070
and suffering and death will be forever gone.
00:18:08.080 --> 00:18:12.290
To the Corinthians, Paul said that our bodies
00:18:13.000 --> 00:18:14.280
will be buried in decay and raised without decay.
00:18:14.290 --> 00:18:18.230
They will be sown in humiliation and raised in splendor.
00:18:18.240 --> 00:18:22.160
They will be sown in weakness and raised in strength.
00:18:22.170 --> 00:18:25.230
They will be sown a physical body
00:18:25.240 --> 00:18:27.190
and raised a spiritual body.
00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:30.280
Our new bodies will be like the glorious body
00:18:30.290 --> 00:18:33.100
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we have the opportunity
00:18:33.110 --> 00:18:39.030
of being involved in that promise because
00:18:39.040 --> 00:18:41.120
Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life."
00:18:41.130 --> 00:18:46.240
If we believe in Jesus Christ, he promises us that one day
00:18:46.250 --> 00:18:50.000
when the resurrection comes, our human bodies
00:18:50.010 --> 00:18:54.290
that have decayed on us and stopped working for us
00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:58.000
in this life will be totally renovated
00:18:58.010 --> 00:19:00.270
so that we will have bodies like the Lord Jesus,
00:19:00.280 --> 00:19:03.270
perfected bodies, never again to have pain or sorrow
00:19:03.280 --> 00:19:07.170
or weakness, and I just thought about it this week:
00:19:07.180 --> 00:19:10.150
gyms will be out of business.
00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:12.160
Some of you wanna clap on that.
00:19:14.220 --> 00:19:16.010
I don't know if that's-- yeah, right.
00:19:16.020 --> 00:19:18.170
So, we have a lot to look forward to
00:19:21.120 --> 00:19:24.010
and we have a lot to be thankful for,
00:19:24.020 --> 00:19:26.190
and the Bible tells us that when this happens,
00:19:26.200 --> 00:19:29.080
the Lord God is gonna subdue all things to himself
00:19:29.090 --> 00:19:32.200
and we're going to be in heaven with him forever.
00:19:32.210 --> 00:19:36.060
Paul looks back over these moments that he has shared
00:19:37.020 --> 00:19:39.270
with his followers and he sort of,
00:19:39.280 --> 00:19:42.080
in his mind at least, makes this comparison:
00:19:42.090 --> 00:19:45.210
the enemies of the cross are heading for destruction;
00:19:45.220 --> 00:19:48.290
the champions of the cross are waiting for a Savior
00:19:49.000 --> 00:19:51.160
from heaven.
00:19:51.170 --> 00:19:53.030
The enemies of the cross worship their earthly bodies;
00:19:53.040 --> 00:19:55.150
the champions of the cross look for transformed bodies.
00:19:55.160 --> 00:19:59.030
The enemies of the cross have perverted values and glory
00:19:59.040 --> 00:20:02.010
in their shame; the champions of the cross have true values
00:20:02.020 --> 00:20:05.120
and look forward to the glory of the future.
00:20:05.130 --> 00:20:09.090
Whenever we compare the belief systems of two groups,
00:20:09.100 --> 00:20:13.020
it's always important to look at the end of the story.
00:20:13.030 --> 00:20:17.140
How does this story end?
00:20:17.150 --> 00:20:18.290
So, let me do that as we close today.
00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:21.290
Back in the year 1899, two famous men
00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:25.180
died in America.
00:20:25.190 --> 00:20:28.040
One of them was an unbeliever who had made a career
00:20:28.050 --> 00:20:30.240
of debunking the Bible, arguing against
00:20:30.250 --> 00:20:33.120
the Christian doctrines, and the other was a Christian.
00:20:33.130 --> 00:20:36.120
Colonel Ingersoll, after whom the famous
00:20:36.130 --> 00:20:39.280
Ingersoll Lectures on Immortality
00:20:39.290 --> 00:20:41.250
at Harvard University are named, was an unbeliever.
00:20:41.260 --> 00:20:46.280
His death was sudden and it came as an unmitigated shock
00:20:46.290 --> 00:20:51.290
to his family.
00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:54.140
His body was kept in the home for several days because
00:20:54.150 --> 00:20:57.290
Ingersoll's wife could not bear to part with it.
00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:01.140
It was finally removed only because the corpse
00:21:01.150 --> 00:21:03.070
was decaying and the health of the family required it.
00:21:03.080 --> 00:21:07.020
At length, the remains were cremated and the display
00:21:07.030 --> 00:21:10.030
at the crematorium was so dismal that some of the scene
00:21:10.040 --> 00:21:12.280
was even picked up by the newspapers
00:21:12.290 --> 00:21:15.050
and communicated to the nation at large.
00:21:15.060 --> 00:21:18.020
Ingersoll had used his great intellect to deny
00:21:18.030 --> 00:21:21.090
the resurrection and when death came there was no hope
00:21:21.100 --> 00:21:24.180
and the departure was received by his friends and his family
00:21:24.190 --> 00:21:28.050
as an uncompensated tragedy.
00:21:28.060 --> 00:21:33.060
In the same year, the evangelist Dwight L. Moody died
00:21:33.070 --> 00:21:37.230
and his death was triumphant for himself and his family.
00:21:37.240 --> 00:21:41.220
Moody had been declining for some time and his family
00:21:41.230 --> 00:21:44.150
had taken turns being with him.
00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:46.160
On the morning of his death, his son who was standing
00:21:46.170 --> 00:21:48.250
by the bedside heard him exclaim, "Earth is receding.
00:21:48.260 --> 00:21:52.140
Heaven is opening. God is calling."
00:21:52.150 --> 00:21:55.050
"You're dreaming, Father," his son said.
00:21:55.060 --> 00:21:57.070
Moody answered, "No, well, this is no dream.
00:21:57.080 --> 00:21:59.110
I have been within the gates.
00:21:59.120 --> 00:22:01.030
I have seen the children's faces."
00:22:01.040 --> 00:22:03.230
For a while it seemed as if Moody was reviving
00:22:03.240 --> 00:22:06.050
but he began to slip away again.
00:22:06.060 --> 00:22:08.210
He said, "Is this death?
00:22:08.220 --> 00:22:10.220
This is not bad.
00:22:10.230 --> 00:22:12.110
There is no valley.
00:22:12.120 --> 00:22:13.290
There's just bliss. This is glorious."
00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:16.130
By this time, his daughter was present
00:22:16.140 --> 00:22:18.020
and she began to pray for his recovery.
00:22:18.030 --> 00:22:19.280
He said, "No, no. Emma, do not pray for that."
00:22:19.290 --> 00:22:23.290
He said, "God is calling. This is my coronation day.
00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:27.000
I've been looking forward to it."
00:22:27.010 --> 00:22:29.020
And shortly after that, Moody was received into heaven.
00:22:29.030 --> 00:22:32.030
At the funeral, his family and friends
00:22:32.040 --> 00:22:33.200
joined in the joyful service.
00:22:33.210 --> 00:22:35.260
They spoke and sang hymns.
00:22:35.270 --> 00:22:37.150
They heard the words proclaimed,
00:22:37.160 --> 00:22:38.270
"Where, O death, is your victory?
00:22:38.280 --> 00:22:40.200
Where, O death, is your sting?
00:22:40.210 --> 00:22:42.240
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
00:22:42.250 --> 00:22:46.140
But thanks be to God.
00:22:46.150 --> 00:22:48.120
He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
00:22:48.130 --> 00:22:51.190
Moody's death was part of that victory.
00:22:51.200 --> 00:22:55.290
I'm a pastor.
00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:57.100
I have watched over the congregation here in San Diego
00:22:57.110 --> 00:23:01.070
and in Fort Wayne, seen many, many people exit life.
00:23:01.080 --> 00:23:06.170
And those who know Christ are totally different
00:23:06.180 --> 00:23:09.120
than those who don't.
00:23:09.130 --> 00:23:11.020
If you know Christ, you have an anticipation.
00:23:11.030 --> 00:23:12.220
Death is sadness, not as others who have no hope.
00:23:12.230 --> 00:23:16.140
We still sorrow but not in the same way.
00:23:16.150 --> 00:23:18.170
It's different.
00:23:18.180 --> 00:23:20.030
It's sorrow with an ultimate hope.
00:23:20.040 --> 00:23:21.200
It's not despair.
00:23:21.210 --> 00:23:23.250
And so, what happens to us at the beginning of this journey
00:23:23.260 --> 00:23:27.010
is what determines to us at the end of the journey.
00:23:27.020 --> 00:23:29.260
If you put your trust in Jesus Christ,
00:23:29.270 --> 00:23:31.190
what is the gift?
00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:32.290
The gift of God is what?
00:23:33.000 --> 00:23:34.110
Eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
00:23:34.120 --> 00:23:37.000
And that life begins the moment you believe,
00:23:37.010 --> 00:23:39.120
but it extends after you die.
00:23:39.130 --> 00:23:41.290
If you don't accept Jesus Christ,
00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:43.170
you don't have eternal life and you mess up the life you have,
00:23:43.180 --> 00:23:47.080
and you get to the end, like Ingersoll,
00:23:47.090 --> 00:23:50.110
with no hope, only despair.
00:23:50.120 --> 00:23:54.270
You wonder why I stand up here every week and sometimes
00:23:54.280 --> 00:23:57.190
get excited and go off on a tangent
00:23:57.200 --> 00:24:01.110
about becoming a Christian?
00:24:01.120 --> 00:24:02.280
It's because I know for a fact the only way you can ever have
00:24:02.290 --> 00:24:06.140
eternal life is through Jesus Christ
00:24:06.150 --> 00:24:08.110
and the only way you can ever make sense
00:24:08.120 --> 00:24:10.140
out of this life is through Jesus Christ.
00:24:10.150 --> 00:24:13.230
So why wouldn't I stand up here and preach with all my heart,
00:24:13.240 --> 00:24:16.090
"Come to Jesus.
00:24:16.100 --> 00:24:18.000
Let him have your heart.
00:24:18.010 --> 00:24:19.110
Let him have your life.
00:24:19.120 --> 00:24:20.230
Get rid of the old way.
00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:22.070
Don't make fools out of yourselves by believing
00:24:22.080 --> 00:24:25.150
the lie that somehow you're gonna make it
00:24:25.160 --> 00:24:28.280
when the Bible says no one can without God."
00:24:28.290 --> 00:24:32.190
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.
00:24:32.200 --> 00:24:37.140
And no one comes to the Father except through me."
00:24:37.150 --> 00:24:40.240
How many get to the Father except through Christ?
00:24:40.250 --> 00:24:43.040
None.
00:24:43.050 --> 00:24:44.160
You can't go to heaven without Jesus.
00:24:44.170 --> 00:24:46.160
"Well," you say, "I'll worry about that later."
00:24:46.170 --> 00:24:48.070
No, you won't. No, you won't.
00:24:48.080 --> 00:24:51.010
You won't have time to worry about it.
00:24:51.020 --> 00:24:53.100
You take care of that now while you have the opportunity.
00:24:53.110 --> 00:24:55.290
00:24:56.000 --> 00:25:03.170
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In its pages, you'll discover practical steps
00:25:14.290 --> 00:25:17.200
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00:25:50.200 --> 00:25:53.000
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00:25:53.010 --> 00:25:55.220
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00:25:55.230 --> 00:25:57.250
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00:25:57.260 --> 00:26:00.220
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00:26:00.230 --> 00:26:03.160
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00:26:03.170 --> 00:26:06.290
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00:26:07.000 --> 00:26:10.010
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00:26:10.020 --> 00:26:13.040
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00:26:20.280 --> 00:26:23.130
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00:26:24.050 --> 00:26:26.190
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00:26:26.200 --> 00:26:29.140
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00:26:29.150 --> 00:26:31.270
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00:26:31.280 --> 00:26:33.240
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perfect for adults and teens,
00:26:36.130 --> 00:26:38.050
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00:26:38.060 --> 00:26:40.290
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00:26:41.000 --> 00:26:42.180
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00:26:44.100 --> 00:26:48.150
announcer: Next time on, "Turning Point."
00:26:51.070 --> 00:26:52.220
Dr. Jeremiah: When Jesus is in my life,
00:26:54.010 --> 00:26:55.180
when I'm honoring him with what I do,
00:26:55.190 --> 00:26:57.020
when I'm living the life of Christ the best
00:26:57.030 --> 00:27:00.170
that I am able to in the power of the Holy Spirit,
00:27:00.180 --> 00:27:02.270
when that's going on and Jesus is in my life
00:27:02.280 --> 00:27:05.070
and the flag of joy is flying over my heart,
00:27:05.080 --> 00:27:08.020
I can go through anything, no matter what it is
00:27:08.030 --> 00:27:10.040
and I will be sad, I will cry, I will have tears,
00:27:10.050 --> 00:27:13.290
but it can't touch the joy that's down deep in my heart.
00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:17.150
announcer: Thank you for being with us today.
00:27:18.200 --> 00:27:20.080
Join us next time for Dr. Jeremiah's message,
00:27:20.090 --> 00:27:22.290
"The Joy of Harmony," here on "Turning Point."
00:27:23.000 --> 00:27:26.140
00:27:26.150 --> 00:27:29.150

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The Joy of Maturity

The Joy of Maturity

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The Joy of Maturity

The Joy of Maturity

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