This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Turn in your Bible to the Book of Philippians. the book of Philippians and chapter 2. And it’s talking about here being no like-minded, having the same kind of a mind. See there in verse 2, fulfill ye my joy that you be like-minded. So I believe that God’s will, that God’s children be like-minded. We have the same mind as it is in 1st Corinthians, being of the same mind, same judgment. Did there be no divisions among you? See, if God teaches all of us and we all believe what God teaches, we’ll all get long together.

But when it’s not working, something is wrong with somebody’s, well, everybody got a sinful nature. And so having the same love in verse 2, then a court, one mind. Then he says, let nothing be done through strife or vanglory. Vanglory would be just so that you’ll shine brighter. But vanglory is reaping it upon yourself. And that’s why he says in Galatians in chapter 5, we have crucified the flesh because that’s vanglory. You see, serving the Lord walking in the Spirit is for his honor and for his glory.

Vanglory is for man himself. But everybody wants a little praise, honor and glory. And God says, if you’ll sacrifice it here, I’ll give it to you there. So one of these days when you and I get to heaven, God’s gonna give you all the praise, honor, and glory that you got coming to you. So you won’t lose anything. And then He makes a statement here in verse three. Let nothing be done through strife or vangolary, but in the lowliness of mine, let each, and you ought to underline this in your Bible, let each esteem other better than themselves.

Do you esteem other people better than you, or do you think you’re better than they are? Ugh. Whatever you are, without the Lord you are nothing, says so in the book of Galatians. And so you and I can, without Christ, we can do nothing. But with the Lord I can do all things through Christ which strengthen its name. And some people are just not lovable, are they? But yet we’re commanded to love them. But we’re only commanded to love those that are lovable, right?

Or are we commanded to love even the so-called unlovable? I don’t know if there’s anybody that is unlovable because God so loved the world, he must love them all. And if he loves them, we’re supposed to. And so he makes a statement here in verse 4, look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. In other words, putting other people first. You know, there’s a verse in the Bible talks about, then those that shall be first shall be last and the last shall be first.

And it kind of gets a little complicated at times, trying to think of what’s he talking about. But you know, he used an illustration that when they had the feast, he says, when you come in, don’t just go up here and jump on the front seat. He says, it’s better for you to sit in the back. And then the Lord of the house might say, hey, why don’t you come up here and sit here? Because it isn’t that better than you taking up on yourself sitting up there and he says, I’m sorry, but that’s reserved for somebody else.

Oh, and then you’re humiliated or ashamed that you’ve even done it. And so when God says for us to serve one another, it means putting other people first. That means you have to be last. You’re the servant. You’re serving other people and you’re putting them first. Instead of you, you’re putting them first. And when you do that, that’s when he says, first shall be last. But the last, let’s say people go first, shall be first. So God says when he gets ready to reward, he says, be not many masters.

He says, well, when is your master, which is Christ? He says, but if you wanna be great. We have greater servant. In other words, a servant is one who puts the other people ahead of them and thinks about how it affects them. All right, look there in chapter one of Philippians. Philippians in chapter one. You’ll notice that he makes a statement here in verse four. Always in every prayer of mine for you all. You all say that’s Southern Georgia talk.

You all make in requests with joy. And in verse five, you’ll see those two words. for your fellowship. Now you don’t see too much in the scripture talking about, you know we need to have a relationship with God but you do find the word fellowship mentioned quite a bit because fellowship means that you’re walking with God so my Christian life I cannot have a walk with God until I’m born into his family so once you’re born into God’s family now God wants you to learn how to walk and so you learn to walk with God and so he makes a statement here in verse 5 I’m so thankful for you, for your fellowship, and get this in the gospel.

And the gospel isn’t everything that somebody wants it to be. Salvation in the gospel boils down to that a man, a heathen, is justified by faith alone in what Christ did on the cross for him. So to me, salvation is simple, it’s just an unjust man becoming just, a lost man getting saved, being justified by faith alone. And so you’ll notice what he says in verse 7, he says, because I have you in my heart. And he says, in as much as both in my bonds and in the defense and the confirmation of the gospel, your partakers of my grace, in other words, I came to you, I led you to Christ.

He says, I established these churches all over the place and he says, there’s a lot of things that he went through in order to get the gospel to people. And now he is so thankful that so many of them are growing in the Lord. And evidently there was a time when they were able to financially support the apostle Paul. And he says, I’m thankful that you’re now once again able to partake and that fruit can abound to your account.

Just look at that real quick. I just see that little statement that he makes there. See there in chapter four where he says in verse 10, but I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at the last, your care of me hath flourished again. So evidently they were and then they kind of maybe stopped and now they’re doing it again and he is thankful to them. And the reason is, he says because you lacked opportunity, maybe they weren’t able to, But then he says in verse 17, not because I desire a gift, but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.

Paul says, what I do is for your sake and the fruit that I win because I’m your representative, you’re helping me in the ministry and I want fruit to your account. See, Paul’s always about other people. It was about reaching the lost or training the saved. You’ve become a pretty bad sour Christian. If it’s all about just yourself and you’re everything that balls around you because if people don’t treat you right, well, you get hurt. They say something you don’t like, well, I quit.

And it’s always about you offended. You hurt me. Wait a minute. It’s all about that childish stuff. That’s foolishness. That’s not maturity. That’s a whining babe. But looking at verse 6, verse 6 of chapter 1, he says, being confident, being confident, this very thing that he which has begun a good work in you, which could have been referring to. They were supporting him and they hadn’t for a while and now they’re able to do it again and God was working in them, but it can also be a reference to their walk will continue in the Lord.

You see God works in you and through you according to something. So look they’re in chapter two. Look in chapter two. And look what he says in verse 12. Wherefore might be leavened as you have always obeyed. See that word obey? Obeyed, you ought to underline it. Because when he says in the next verse down therefore it is God which works within you but he works in you and through you as you keep obeying to do what he says to do.

There’s some people God doesn’t work through. Some of them he works on and he may have to chase and discipline those who are rebellious. But if you will yield yourself to the Lord and obey the Lord and walk with the Lord, then God can work in you. You see, before God can use you to change other people, God wants to change you. And so the power you have in other people’s lives depends upon the power that God has in your own life.

If God can’t work on you or in you and through you, then how are you going to convince other people to do it? You have to be an example of what you want others to be so that you can look at him and say, look, follow my example. You say, well, I’d never say that. Didn’t Paul make a statement like that somewhere in the Bible? Yeah. Follow me as I follow Christ. In the words you should be able to discern when somebody’s following the Lord.

Be thou an example of the believer. Is that what he says? Be thou an example of the believer. Well, that means because somebody’s fallen your example. So you should be able to say, follow my example. If a person was to follow your example, lived exactly the way you live, stay spiritually strong and stay out of trouble and do right and be a good soul winner for the Lord. Or if they followed your example would anybody even know that Christ was alive?

So here in the book of Philippians in chapter 1 when you make that statement, be in confident of this very thing that he which hath begun in good work in you will perform until the day of Jesus Christ. It can also you can reference it if you want to, once you trust the Christ is saved, your God not only saves you but keeps you saved until the day of Christ and you get there. You’re indwelled by the Holy Spirit of Christ until the day of redemption.

But it’s also here’s people that are obeying and walking with God so you need to walk with the Lord. And you’ll notice there’s a few things that he mentions here. See there in verse 5 when it says, your fellowship, a fellowship there’s two fellows in a ship. It means you’re going in the same direct, you know, in the boat, you can’t go two directions at once. So you’ve got to go and he says in the book of Amos, how can two walk together unless they what?

Be agreed. So if you’re going to walk with God, is it God agreeing with you or you agreeing with God? It’s you agreeing with God. And so you can walk with God and have fellowship with God and you’re to have fellowship with believers in the clarity of the gospel, what the gospel is. I have friends all over this country that we’re in fellowship when it comes to the gospel. Now we may not work together in the same ministry, but we are working together because it’s for the same cause.

And so God wants his people to realize, hey look, the joy you have should be because you’re right with God and you’re right with one another. Learn to put people first and let God use you to be a blessing to other people. Then know what he says they’re in verse 9. Verse 9 chapter 1. And this I pray that, and here’s those two other little words, it’s really good, it’s your love. So we talk about the fellowship, but he’s talking also about your love, and then he makes his statement.

This I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment so that you gain spiritual discernment. Love keeps you from just being critical of people, just condemning people because you can see the error of their ways. Seeing the error of the ways is not a feather in your cap, it means that you ought to be able to restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, trying to help and encourage one another.

Everybody needs a little help along the way and so this is so important. Now look at another one with me. Look down here in verse 25. Verse 25. You’ll find that some of these things happen for a reason to the Apostle Paul and he says so. He says they’ve happened to me for the furtherance of the gospel. In other words, all the things that happened to Paul just gave him an opportunity to further the gospel. And so whether it was in prison or in the palace, Paul won those in the prison, are the people in the palace more important than the people in the prison?

Look who they are. I mean you ought to go after the rich people, right? And leave those people that are and personally, them alone. Which one is more important to God? The highly, the up and the up or the down and outer? Anybody. They’re all the same in God’s eyes. There’s no difference for all have sinned. Remember that, believe that. So that’s up in verse 12 where he talks about that. But then I want you to see it. Let’s just look at this verse here.

Look there in verse 20. According to my earnest expectation, My hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed.” In other words, wouldn’t it be nice to live your life in such a way that there’s no areas in your life that you’re ashamed of? Because he says in the book of Titus, at the so long as when he went there, he says, how I behave myself. You know how I behaved myself. In other words, you couldn’t find fault in Paul’s life the way he lived.

Paul must have been a fairly godly man. Even though he had some ups and downs and some problems here and there. And I don’t know if I totally understand everything of why he did what he did, but he says, God been my witness and then he would say something. As though he’s telling you, hey, I’m telling you the truth. He says here in verse 19. He says, I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness as always.

So now also, and here’s an important part of the verse, Christ shall be magnified in my body. Whether I live or whether I die. And he says in verse 21, for me to live is Christ and to die is God. game. So if you want to game when this whole life is over with it, you’re going to reap the reward, the benefits when you get to heaven. Pay day, someday our pay doesn’t come down here. We labor here. We get paid there.

If you think you’re going to labor here and get paid here, it may not work that way. The Apostle Paul had his head chopped off. How are you like that for payment? That was the last day of his life. That was the last moment of his life and you say, well, God will supply all your needs. Well, didn’t he need a head? Evidently, God was finished with his life. Could God have prolonged his life? Of course. But see, God has a minister that he wants us to do and we ought to just do it and leave it to the Lord to decide when I should go home.

He says in verse 22, but if I live in the flesh, is what I can expect. This is the fruit of my labor. If I live in the flesh, now he’s not talking about the old sinful nature, now he’s talking about living in this body, in this life, this is what I can expect. And there’ll be people for him and there’ll be people against him. And there’s time when he’s going to be in a prison and there’s going to be time when he’s in a palace.

It doesn’t matter wherever he goes, whatever he does, then believe in the God-opened doors for the furtherance of the gospel. And he says, I’m minutes between two and verse 23. He said, I have a desire to depart and be with Christ. What do you think he means by that? I have a desire to depart, depart where? From this body of flesh. To be axed from the body to be present with the Lord and to be with Christ, he says, which is far better.

In other words, Paul is saying, he’s not in the best place yet. not in the best place. This is not our home. We’re just the passing through. He says, there’s a place that I’m going to it so much better. And I have a desire to go there. But he says, it is more needful for you that I stay here. So why was Paul left here? Because it was needful. They needed him. God can decide whether or not who needs who and for how long.

We don’t know how long we’re going to get to shine our little light. God may call some of us home this week or this year, we’d never know. Then He says there in verse 23, the last part of it, which is far better. Nevertheless, to abide into flesh is more needful for you. Now notice what He says in verse 25. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for and get this because He serving the Lord should be for somebody’s benefit.

Somebody should benefit from your being on the earth. Somebody should have benefit this week for your living seven days. Somebody should benefit from your life today. What’d you think? I mean if you’re here for others God could have just taken this on home but He left us here for a reason so then maybe I have something to do. God has a purpose for my life. And then He makes statement. He says, for your furtherance and joy of faith. The furtherance of your faith.

Now look up there in verse 12, look in verse 12, where he says, but I would, ye should understand brethren that the things which happen unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel. Now he’s telling them that I want your faith for the furtherance of the gospel. So he talks about the furtherance of your faith, what you believe. And God will allow things to happen to you just like He allowed things to happen to me for the furtherance of the faith.

And that this should bring joy. You see, sometimes we get bogged down with all the bad things that happen as though, you know, God’s against me. All the devil is just running me down into the mud. I just can’t hack it anymore and God just simply opened up a door of opportunity that you may never have had no other way. And so instead of cursing the dark light a candle. Be the testimony you should be at all times in every situation and then look in verse 27.

Only let your behavior, your conversation, your behavior, be as it becomes the gospel of Christ. Now here’s this word here’s similar to the, you know, your behavior, your manner of life. Look there in Philippians in chapter three and look in verse 20. In Philippians chapter three and verse 20 where he makes this statement, for our conversation. And this is a reference more toward your citizenship in heaven. You are born again, born from above. Your citizenship is in heaven. You’re only here to get a job done.

So we’re ambassadors from another country. We represent heaven. We’re representatives of heaven. Isn’t that awesome? And so he says from our, for our citizenship is in heaven. From whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. So as we live our life here as ambassadors for Christ, one of the days God’s gonna call all of his ambassadors home. And I think it’s gonna be right on time, right on schedule. So I believe this is what is coming, but now go back there to verse 25 where he makes his statement.

Your furtherance and joy of faith, and verse 26, your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again. In other words, I want to help you to rejoice even more. Do you know sometimes people are having a rough time struggling all the time? And if we don’t think the way God wants us to think and keep our minds focused on the things that we should, we’ll get so bogged down with all the pressures of life and the hardships and trials and so forth.

We could never be happy. You see, our joy and our happiness should not come because of what’s happening, but because of who we are and where we are and who we’re working for and what we’re going to get. If we think that away, it could change your whole attitude. But if not, but you can get so discouraged and just so depressed, it’s the only one to live. And yet, like I’ve said before, if you have a pulse, you have a purpose.

You’re not dead yet. So don’t die while you’re standing on your feet. What do you think the Bible says, awake, awake, because some of God’s people are asleep. Now look what he says there in verse 27, only let your behavior, your manner of life be as it become of the gospel of Christ. In other words, to live in such a way that you’re not ashamed to the gospel and also that you’re not ashamed of the gospel so that people can hear the message and it not be clouded by the way that you live, or given them a reason not to believe the message because of a poor testimony.

And then he says here that whether I come and see you or else be absent, I may hear of and here’s two other words, your affairs, because it means that you’re thinking about somebody else. You’re concerned about their, not their position in Christ, but the state that they’re in. How are you’re doing? How are you doing? And so you want to encourage people that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together for that new car, for that new house, for that million dollars to win that lottery, that you stand fast striving together for the faith of the what?

The gospel. See, the gospel is that motivating power of the love of God. And so it should be the driving motive of our life on why we do what we do. Take the gospel away and it kind of destroys even the reason for living. I live only because I want to get as many people in day heaven as I can think of any way I can think of. That’s the reason we try to encourage more people to serve the Lord.

That gives purpose to the ranch. It gives purpose for the one. It gives purpose for Sunday school, purpose for church, purpose for the radio, purpose for the internet. It gives a purpose to it. Otherwise, why are we doing it? But what? Just so we can just sit around and have a nice little Bible study and be little fact Christians and no, sometimes you’ve got to have the Lord, you’ve got to put the squeeze on you. You see, sometimes that’s what God has to do was.

You’ve taken in and taken in and taken in and you know the Bible, you’ve been through it three or four times and you go on the church all your life but nothing never come out. Don’t be surprised if God has to put the squeeze on you, put you in His little vice and start squeezing you in from the outside and putting pressure upon you and causing all kinds of things to happen and it’ll get you to crying out to the Lord and seeking ways to what you can do.

Just remember. So he says up there in verse 28, this is a very good one. And in nothing terrified by, and here’s these two words, your adversaries, your adversary. Do you think you’re going to get a free ride? Do you think you and I should be able to serve the God, the King that was rejected and crucified? And we are His and look what they did to Him and you want to get through without a scratch? They ain’t going to happen.

They that live godly shall suffer persecution.” You say, nothing ever happens to me. I know it says the godly shall suffer persecution. You start doing what God says. Do you start witness and have a few of them till you were to get off and get threatened a little bit? I’ve had a lot of little things happen. Been interesting. But I’ve realized that if it wasn’t for the Lord protecting me, I’d have been dead a long time ago. I’m just thankful to be alive.

You ought to be thankful to be alive. but understanding your adversaries. You can’t do away with the adversaries because the closer you want to walk with God, you’re gonna draw attention to yourself. That’s why some people don’t because everybody expects the world to live like the world. And if you try to live differently than the world, the world not gonna love you, the world’s gonna hate you and persecute you. Can’t you see it now? How that the news media just loves Christians?

How the, you know, they love the Bible. I mean, you know, you can see all of that, can’t you? Yeah, I’m being facetious. You know, that’s not true. And he says here in this verse, and nothing terrified. Do you think if you got strong in the Lord and you took a stand where you’re supposed to and be bold like you’re supposed to, is that nothing terrified? Nothing in this world should terrify God’s children. So what are you afraid about?

You’re afraid about something coming down the road, got in the adversaries, in problems. You say, I don’t have any problems at all. I will pray for you then. I have some. Because see, that’s where you learn how strong you really are. Can you stand? Can you continue to stand? Look at the last part of it. And when he says in verse 29, for unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.

So I didn’t like that last part. in verse 30, having the same conflict which ye saw in me and now here to be in me. Same conflict. And then look straight over there to verse 16 where he says, the one preached Christ of contingent, not sincerely supposed to add affliction to my bonds. Some believers can become your worst enemies. Now isn’t it wonderful to know that when you go to church everybody just loves everybody. In church there is no envy and bitterness and hatred and jealousy.

There’s nothing like that in the church. Well if you have an old sinful nature you’ve got problems and everybody in this room has an old sinful nature and everybody likes to be liked. We always want a little praise John and Gloria. But sometime we’ll have to wait until the Lord gives it peace. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you are blessed by today’s message.

If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bibleline and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing tool free, 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. To listen to today’s message again or to obtain a free download of any of our Bibleline programs, just go to our homepage at BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the radio broadcast link. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634.

Our Sunday morning services begin at 10-30 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by clicking on the Calvary Community Church link at BibleLineMinistries.org. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. friend one day it will happen the trumpet will sound and we will be changed caught up to meet the Lord in the air so live today and every day believing that the Lord is coming soon and just keep looking up