SPEAKER_01: Ministering to the heart of Western Arkansas's River Valley for over 165 years, welcome to Chapter and First, the Bible Teaching Ministry of Fort Smith's First Baptist Church.
SPEAKER_01: You'll find sermons and teachings from Pastor Greg, our ministry staff, and guest speakers.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for listening.
SPEAKER_00: I am a little bit outside of my comfort zone this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Usually I I usually play a game before I preach, and so there's no uh nobody's taking their shoes off or playing rock, paper, scissors this morning.
SPEAKER_00: So, anyways, uh I'm a little out of my comfort zone, but that's a good thing.
SPEAKER_00: And the students can tell you that that's a good thing.
SPEAKER_00: At least they should be able to tell you that's a good thing after how many times I said it this past week.
SPEAKER_00: Um so now here I am, I get to practice, literally practice what I preach.
SPEAKER_00: So uh so it's good.
SPEAKER_00: Um, I lost count of how many times I said, if it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you at camp.
SPEAKER_00: They were every day, at least once a day I said, if it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you.
SPEAKER_00: I don't like I said, I don't remember how many times I said it, but I know that by the end of the week they were finishing my sentence.
SPEAKER_00: Um so we we made some good progress.
SPEAKER_00: So I just want to start by saying again thank you.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for praying for us as we went and as we were there at camp.
SPEAKER_00: Um, it was an awesome experience.
SPEAKER_00: There were uh decisions made every single night for Christ, and uh I'll tell you, we took 25 students to camp with us, and 18 of them made a decision for Christ in one way or the other.
SPEAKER_00: And uh yeah, praise God.
SPEAKER_00: Praise God.
SPEAKER_00: So whether it was accepting him for the first time as their personal Lord and Savior or choosing to repent and and turn and to truly commit to walking with him, it was awesome.
SPEAKER_00: Um if you remember last week we handed out prayer cards with students' names on them, and uh so I thought it would be neat if when I said the name of of each of the students who who made a decision for Christ, if you had their prayer card, if you wouldn't mind standing up so they can see who is lifting them up by name this past week.
SPEAKER_00: And I'm gonna look down at my notes the whole time because I would definitely cry uh if I if I look around while that's happening.
SPEAKER_00: Um Laura, Patrick, and Megan all gave their lives to Christ last week.
SPEAKER_00: If you could stand if you had their if you had their prayer card, thank you.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you, thank you so much.
SPEAKER_00: Chris, Ahmad, Ryan, Will, Aiden, Chloe, Addy, Anna, Arya, Leah, Peyton, Allie, Seth, and Riley all decided.
SPEAKER_00: I have that they decided that they have not been walking with Christ the way they should.
SPEAKER_00: So they've made a commitment to turn from their sin, to repent, and to walk with him.
SPEAKER_00: So if you had their prayer cards, wow.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_00: Truly, thank you.
SPEAKER_00: And then the last one is uh is Foster.
SPEAKER_00: If you had Foster's prayer card, will you stand up, please?
SPEAKER_00: Foster, you got you had two people praying for you, pal.
SPEAKER_00: There was the uh Foster told me.
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00: Foster told me, he said Thursday night, he said, Brad, I I I gave my life to Christ seven years ago, but I never got baptized, and I want to get baptized.
SPEAKER_00: I said, Well, that's awesome.
SPEAKER_00: You still believe it, right?
SPEAKER_00: And he said, Well, yeah, I still believe it, and I I know that by being here at camp, and uh I know that I need to get baptized.
SPEAKER_00: I said, Well, amen to that, pal, we'll get you baptized.
SPEAKER_00: So we'll do that next week with uh with Peyton and Laura and Megan and uh CJ, and it'll be awesome.
SPEAKER_00: Um but man, can we just praise God for that?
SPEAKER_00: For the 18 decisions, it was incredible.
SPEAKER_00: Incredible.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Church, for praying so faithfully for all of our students while we were there, for travels and and safety.
SPEAKER_00: It it really was just so evident that there would that the spirit of prayer was just covering us while we were there.
SPEAKER_00: It was it was truly awesome.
SPEAKER_00: This this past week was a blessing to me in more ways than I could even imagine.
SPEAKER_00: And I'll tell you honestly, I was not super excited about going to camp last week.
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna just be real with you.
SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, just hear me out, hear me out, hear me out.
SPEAKER_00: So last week it was the 4th of July, you know, and I was like, okay, cool, yeah.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, camp does fireworks either way, I've got to be awesome.
SPEAKER_00: Well, the fireworks got rained out.
SPEAKER_00: I didn't know that at uh at the time, but you know, I was fine with being there on the 4th of July, but the part that I struggled with was being there on the 2nd of July because that's my birthday, and I thank you, David.
SPEAKER_00: I was I was definitely thinking, oh man, that is I would rather not smell teenage boys on my birthday.
SPEAKER_00: But I will tell you that ten of the 18 decisions that were made for Christ happened on July 2nd.
SPEAKER_00: And if that wasn't the if that wasn't the wake-up call to get out of the way, then I don't know what would have been.
SPEAKER_00: God made it so clear that it was 100% not about me and having to having to sleep next to to all those smelly kids.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, it was 100%, 100% about God changing lives.
SPEAKER_00: And he did just that.
SPEAKER_00: So we are we're thankful for you, church.
SPEAKER_00: Um students, I'm thankful for you for standing up and saying it's time for me to get right with God.
SPEAKER_00: And uh, I'm just thankful to God for salvation, that free gift that He's offered us.
SPEAKER_00: If you have your Bible with you this morning, I'm gonna ask you to hold it up just like this.
SPEAKER_00: Alright.
SPEAKER_00: Now repeat after me.
SPEAKER_00: Word God's word.
SPEAKER_00: God's word is powerful.
SPEAKER_00: We did that at camp, and uh there's a song that continues into it, but I'm gonna I'll spare you guys that.
SPEAKER_00: But if you believe God's word is powerful, then let's turn to Philippians chapter 1.
SPEAKER_00: Our camp speaker, he he used this passage uh Monday night, and as I went through the week, just thinking about how I was gonna have to to well have to, I had the privilege, let me say it that way, to stand up here this morning and uh and stand in front of you.
SPEAKER_00: I couldn't shake the feeling that he wanted me, that the Lord wanted me to use this passage, not just so you know what our students were hearing all week, just strong biblical truth, but also so that you might be able to get something out of it uh just like I did.
SPEAKER_00: So I've got three points, and I'm gonna start reading in verse 18.
SPEAKER_00: And as I read, I want you to think about our purpose as Christians.
SPEAKER_00: That is to know God and to make him known, just like Peyton said.
SPEAKER_00: To know God and to make him known.
SPEAKER_00: So starting in verse 18, it says, What does it matter?
SPEAKER_00: Only that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice.
SPEAKER_00: Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, because I know this will lead to my salvation through your prayers and help from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
SPEAKER_00: So what is Paul saying here?
SPEAKER_00: Is he saying, is he saying, uh, man, I am miserable, and I need you guys to get me out of here.
SPEAKER_00: Like this is just this is the worst thing ever.
SPEAKER_00: No.
SPEAKER_00: No, Paul is saying that no matter what, no matter what if he's in jail or if he's in Caesarea Philippi with them, no matter where he's at, he knows that Christ is being proclaimed and that glory is coming to the kingdom of God.
SPEAKER_00: And this is where our first point comes from.
SPEAKER_00: So, in order for us as Christians to know God and make him known, we have to be confident in Christ.
SPEAKER_00: We as believers have to be ready to go all out for God.
SPEAKER_00: Our salvation, it's a gift from Him, given freely.
SPEAKER_00: And so we should be ready and willing to do with it what Jesus commanded us to do.
SPEAKER_00: So, as believers, that's getting baptized.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, if you're a Christian in the room, you've either you've either been baptized or you're going to be next week, right?
SPEAKER_00: Or or it's partaking in the Lord's Supper, which we do regularly as a church.
SPEAKER_00: That third thing, we often it it seems to slip through the crap because we we go, but the making disciples part, that's where we that's where we need to continue to work and grow.
SPEAKER_00: Am I making that sound?
SPEAKER_00: Anyways, we we in the student ministry we're we're working as hard as we can to figure out the best way to to make discipleship happen effectively so that we're not just baptizing students, but that we're we're sending out the next generation whenever they go to school or whenever they go uh off after graduation, whatever it is.
SPEAKER_00: We want to make disciples.
SPEAKER_00: We have to make disciples.
SPEAKER_00: As a church, it is time that we, or just as believers in general, it's time we stop spectating the gospel and start participating in the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: We have to be willing to give everything that we have to the glory of God's kingdom, to the point where we are separated from everything that this world is and has to offer.
SPEAKER_00: And that's uncomfortable.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that I don't know if maybe you don't agree, but I would say that it is absolutely uncomfortable to be contrary to everything the world says, to walk against the grain of society.
SPEAKER_00: But it's time that we get uncomfortable with the ways of the world, because I know that nails through hands and feet and a crown of thorns and hanging on a cross for all of humanity's sins was uncomfortable.
SPEAKER_00: Yet Jesus took all of that, he bore all of that for all of us.
SPEAKER_00: And even as he hung on the cross, he said, Father, forgive them.
SPEAKER_00: You are a part of that them he was talking about.
SPEAKER_00: I'm a part of that them he was talking about.
SPEAKER_00: Our sins put him on that cross.
SPEAKER_00: And that forgiveness that he was, but even before he died, he was asking for for us is something that we absolutely cannot take for granted.
SPEAKER_00: That is something that we have to do something with.
SPEAKER_00: And that takes us to the next point.
SPEAKER_00: In order for us to know God and make him known, we have to be confident in Christ.
SPEAKER_00: But we have to be, number two, defined by diligence.
SPEAKER_00: Let's read verses 21 through 26.
SPEAKER_00: For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
SPEAKER_00: Now, if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me, and I don't know which one I should choose.
SPEAKER_00: I'm torn between the two.
SPEAKER_00: I long to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
SPEAKER_00: But to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
SPEAKER_00: Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that because of my coming to you again, your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound.
SPEAKER_00: Paul knew exactly what it was that he wanted.
SPEAKER_00: He wanted to be walking with Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: He didn't want to be in jail.
SPEAKER_00: He didn't want to even be walking on earth anymore.
SPEAKER_00: He knew that he wanted to be with Jesus because it is way better.
SPEAKER_00: And even we know today that it is way better to be walking with Jesus than to be walking here.
SPEAKER_00: But he knew that the work of the gospel required him to still be present on earth, required him to still be present and doing the work that was necessary for others to hear the good news.
SPEAKER_00: And because he knew that he was required to stay on earth and continue the good news, to continue to share the gospel, he didn't just say, all right, well, I'll fake it till I make it then.
SPEAKER_00: He didn't say that he was just gonna coast and wait it out until he finally kicked the bucket.
SPEAKER_00: No, he said, you know what, I'm gonna keep writing and preaching and ministering to the people that I've been working on.
SPEAKER_00: Paul didn't say, Oh, yep, I'm done, and put his put his pen down.
SPEAKER_00: No, he wrote Philippians 2 through 4.
SPEAKER_00: Worse than one, and he keeps going.
SPEAKER_00: And then he writes more and more.
SPEAKER_00: He continued to do the work faithfully.
SPEAKER_00: He let diligence be his defining attribute.
SPEAKER_00: He let his diligence for the glory of the kingdom of God be what sent him forward every single day.
SPEAKER_00: And we need to be able to do the same.
SPEAKER_00: Every situation, everywhere that we go, and our diligence for the gospel, others need to know that we are citizens of heaven.
SPEAKER_00: And if it if it isn't immediately recognizable, then it needs to come from the way that we walk, and the way that we talk, and the way that we act, the way that we live every single day.
SPEAKER_00: We need to make it known that we are citizens of heaven.
SPEAKER_00: That's what takes me to my third and final point this morning.
SPEAKER_00: So knowing God and making him known, we have to be confident in Christ.
SPEAKER_00: We have to be defined by our diligence.
SPEAKER_00: And third, to know God and make him known, we must be reminiscent of redemption.
SPEAKER_00: Let's read verses 27 through 30.
SPEAKER_00: Just one thing.
SPEAKER_00: As citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Then whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, in one accord, contending together for the faith of the gospel, not being frightened in any way by your opponents.
SPEAKER_00: This is a sign of destruction for them, but of your salvation, and this is from God.
SPEAKER_00: For it has been granted to you on Christ's behalf not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, since you are engaged in the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I have.
SPEAKER_00: We shouldn't have this free gift.
SPEAKER_00: But we do, and that's the beauty of it.
SPEAKER_00: Is that knowing that we would never be able to pay it back, Christ still died for us.
SPEAKER_00: Not only did he die for us, he rose again so that we can know him and make him known.
SPEAKER_00: We can walk with him and eventually stand before him, kneel at his feet, and praise him as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
SPEAKER_00: Let me tell you, you know when you got a nice gift and you're like, wow, this is this is more than I ever could have imagined.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much, right?
SPEAKER_00: Like my friend Rance today for my birthday, he gave me an onion.
SPEAKER_00: I was like, thanks.
SPEAKER_00: But for my for my birthday, my my incredible wife and my mom and my grandma, they went together, went in together and they got me a blackstone griddle.
SPEAKER_00: And man, I I feel like a real man now.
SPEAKER_00: Let me tell you, that thing is nice.
SPEAKER_00: So because it's so nice, and because I like this is I wasn't gonna buy it myself.
SPEAKER_00: Like I wanted it, but I just I wasn't gonna buy it, but they got it for me.
SPEAKER_00: They gave it to me, so I take care of it.
SPEAKER_00: I've I've already got a nice season on it, you know.
SPEAKER_00: I've cooked on it.
SPEAKER_00: I see I was gone all week last week, but I got home.
SPEAKER_00: Well, I cooked on it yesterday.
SPEAKER_00: Um I cooked on it four times the week that I got it just because I was so excited to have it.
SPEAKER_00: It was awesome.
SPEAKER_00: So, even more than that, the the nicest gift that we could ever receive, ever, is salvation.
SPEAKER_00: The nicest gift that any person could ever receive is the free gift of God in eternal life.
SPEAKER_00: It's ours for free for no other reason than that God loves us so much.
SPEAKER_00: That He sent His one and only Son, that whosoever believe in Him will not perish but will have eternal life.
SPEAKER_00: So, because this is the best gift anybody could receive, we have to treat it as such.
SPEAKER_00: Treating it that way means letting the light shine for others to see.
SPEAKER_00: We all know the song, this little light of mine, and hide it under a bush, oh no.
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna let it shine.
SPEAKER_00: We're so quick to say, oh no, as little kids.
SPEAKER_00: We know the words for the song, we know the emotions about our little light.
SPEAKER_00: But we have to be, as adults, we have to still be letting that light shine.
SPEAKER_00: If we are a city on the hill like that Jesus said we are, we have to shine bright.
SPEAKER_00: Who lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket?
SPEAKER_00: Jesus asked that question, and we should still be asking it.
SPEAKER_00: You have to let your light shine for all to see.
SPEAKER_00: That's the message that Paul was communicating to the Philippians.
SPEAKER_00: It's that same message for us today.
SPEAKER_00: We have to be reminiscent of our redemption.
SPEAKER_00: We have to live worthy of the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: Because when Christians live worthy of the gospel, then the gospel will get shared.
SPEAKER_00: More and more it spreads.
SPEAKER_00: When Christians live worthy of the gospel, then churches grow.
SPEAKER_00: When Christians live worthy of the gospel, then lives are changed.
SPEAKER_00: When Christians live worthy of the gospel, they speak with the accent of heaven.
SPEAKER_00: It is clearer than anything.
SPEAKER_00: And in college I kind of got made fun of a little bit for sounding like I grew up in the middle of a rice farm.
SPEAKER_00: And uh that's because I pretty much grew up in the middle of a rice farm.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, I uh I had a little twang or whatever you want to call it, but but the the accent that I'm the proudest of is the accent of heaven.
SPEAKER_00: Because as a citizen of heaven, it is my sole goal, my sole purpose to glorify God and to and to spread his word, to share his love with every single person that I have a chance to.
SPEAKER_00: So just as Christ suffered on the cross, as uh as we know, and just as Paul suffered in jail to write the letter to the Philippians, and and then just through his life as he faced persecution as a missionary and pastor, so that we could have his letter here today and and draw the wisdom from it, we also must be willing to to suffer for him.
SPEAKER_00: But the The great part of it.
SPEAKER_00: Not only is it a free gift that we can have the joy to suffer for and that we will be blessed for on the other side of eternity.
SPEAKER_00: But we also get to do it with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
SPEAKER_00: We suffer together for the work of the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: When Christians live worthy for the gospel, they join together in worship.
SPEAKER_00: A worship that is the true harmony of revelation and response.
SPEAKER_00: When God reveals, we respond.
SPEAKER_00: That's worship.
SPEAKER_00: So are you going to respond today?
SPEAKER_00: Are you going to worship today?
SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you just, oh, who let that kid get up there?
SPEAKER_00: We have to choose to pick up our cross daily and follow him.
SPEAKER_00: And that cross was not easy to carry.
SPEAKER_00: Yet he did it.
SPEAKER_00: You know, Abraham, when he took, as they were, as they were traveling, he was told by God to sacrifice Isaac.
SPEAKER_00: So he took some some of his servants with him and they met.
SPEAKER_00: They were there at the bottom of the mountain.
SPEAKER_00: And Abraham didn't say, I'm going to go kill Isaac now.
SPEAKER_00: I'll be back later.
SPEAKER_00: No, Abraham said, We're going away, we're going away to worship.
SPEAKER_00: Those guys that were with them didn't know what was happening.
SPEAKER_00: They didn't know what they were going to do on top of the mountain.
SPEAKER_00: But Abraham took Isaac and then went away because that true worship was the willingness and the obedience to lay every single thing down at the feet of God.
SPEAKER_00: So Abraham went to worship.
SPEAKER_00: The son that he had prayed for, the son that he was promised by God.
SPEAKER_00: After years of watching him grow up, love his boy, God said, I need you to sacrifice him.
SPEAKER_00: And Abraham, knowing God's perfect will, his perfect plan, knowing that he would never be able to accomplish anything of that measure on his own, said, Okay.
SPEAKER_00: True worship is the obedience, the willingness to lay absolutely everything down at the feet of Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: So maybe if you were to place yourself in Abraham's shoes, what is that son?
SPEAKER_00: Is it a job or a car or a house or whatever, a blackstone?
SPEAKER_00: Are you willing to lay that down at the feet of the Heavenly Father?
SPEAKER_00: I'm not saying that you should, just because I say so.
SPEAKER_00: I'm just saying that you should because He was willing to do that for you.
SPEAKER_00: Because just like God provided the ram for Abraham just before sacrificing Isaac, God provided the perfect lamb for us in Jesus Christ to pay the price for our sins.
SPEAKER_00: If he was willing to do that for you, what are you willing to do for him?
SPEAKER_00: Because if it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you.
SPEAKER_00: And the Lord wants to change you for the glory of his kingdom.
SPEAKER_00: He wants to do a mighty work in you.
SPEAKER_00: So I think it's about time we all get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
SPEAKER_00: I told Emma that when we moved up here last year.
SPEAKER_00: I said, you got to get comfortable being uncomfortable.
SPEAKER_00: Because, well, she had to drive my truck on the interstate as I drove the U-Haul.
SPEAKER_00: And uh, you know, she she wasn't very happy that I said that, but then we got up here and it's like, oh, made it.
SPEAKER_00: Made it.
SPEAKER_00: She got comfortable being uncomfortable.
SPEAKER_00: She might have needed a booster seat, but she got comfortable being uncomfortable.
SPEAKER_00: It's time that we truly commit to worshiping Him.
SPEAKER_00: Not just singing along to the songs that we hear, not just reading the words on the screen.
SPEAKER_00: But it's time that we truly worship the willingness to lay it all at the feet of our Heavenly Father.
SPEAKER_00: If you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, if you've never decided that it is time for you to lay it all down at His feet and walk with Him, why not now?
SPEAKER_00: Why not now?
SPEAKER_00: If you have questions about what it means to walk with Him, to talk like Him, and to live for Him, the door is open.
SPEAKER_00: There's going to be pastors at the heads of the aisle, someone in the balcony.
SPEAKER_00: And these are people who are ready and willing to live or to answer those questions for you.
SPEAKER_00: People who are ready to take the time to get you where you need to be so that you can hear what it is that the Lord is trying to tell you.
SPEAKER_00: Please do not leave today without asking those questions that are on your heart and mind.
SPEAKER_00: Because the Lord is ready to change you through these challenges that you're walking through.
SPEAKER_00: Let's pray.
SPEAKER_00: Father God, we love you.
SPEAKER_00: And we praise you and we thank you for the free gift of salvation through the death, burial, and resurrection of your Son Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: God, thank you that we have the freedom to know Him.
SPEAKER_00: God, for those who are Christians, I ask that you give them the courage to remember that their purpose is to know you and make you known everywhere they go.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, I ask that for those who aren't believers in the room, that you would just stir in their heart and in their mind.
SPEAKER_00: Because God, I know that you can do it.
SPEAKER_00: I've watched you do it all last week.
SPEAKER_00: I've watched you do it my entire life.
SPEAKER_00: I've watched you move and change people's lives to bring further glory to your kingdom.
SPEAKER_00: We praise you for that, Lord.
SPEAKER_00: So I ask that you do that today.
SPEAKER_00: Change lives.
SPEAKER_00: Move in hearts and minds and show them that these challenges are not just challenges, but that you are ready to change people through them.
SPEAKER_00: We love you, Lord.
SPEAKER_00: It is in the saving name of Jesus that we pray.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: We pray this message has been a blessing to you and helped to strengthen your walk with Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Please know we want to minister to you and pray for you.
SPEAKER_01: Send an email to contact us at fsfbc.org and let us pray for you and help you in any way we can.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for listening to Chapter and First, the Bible Teaching Ministry of Fort Smith First Baptist Church.