WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.000 It's a privilege this morning to have Dr. Rob Green who is Pastor Saul's son and Peggy's son. 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:15.000 ! That is an actual fact. 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:25.000 Late breaking but we are thankful for the blessing of having Rob with us. 00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:33.000 For some we have watched him grow up and minister in many different ways both here and other places. 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:42.000 Rob preached at Pastor Saul's ordination and very appropriately this morning as well. 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:58.000 Well thank you for the opportunity to give me to speak this morning. 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:04.000 In a stroke of irony today is not only my dad's official retirement but it's also his birthday. 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:08.000 So for those of you who hadn't realized that today is his birthday. 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:11.000 And it truly is my joy and privilege to be here. 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:17.000 Not only to celebrate this day with my parents but also as a former member of this church. 00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:24.000 As Pastor Kenroyer mentioned my family actually moved here in 1985 and I joined in 1987. 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:30.000 And was here until 1997 when Stephanie and I moved off to go to seminary. 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:36.000 Now speaking of seminary I have to admit that they didn't teach me exactly how to do retirement messages. 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:39.000 Baptize a person? Yep. 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:41.000 Solemize a wedding? Yep. 00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:43.000 Speak at a funeral? Yep. 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:48.000 And those skills are important. I mean after all people do not appreciate if you get them confused. 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:56.000 It's also true that if you don't handle those appropriately then you end up on America's Funniest Home Videos. 00:01:56.000 --> 00:02:01.000 And so those skills certainly are important but a retirement message not exactly. 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:10.000 And so as I began to think about this particular day I found it difficult to find just the right passage. 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:17.000 I considered 2 Timothy 4-7 which says I have competed well, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:23.000 The picture is of course a runner crossing the finish line and heading for the prize. 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:28.000 It is a beautiful picture of a person's life who has lived well for Christ. 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:33.000 But you know that this passage was penned when Paul was on death row. 00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:37.000 It was to our knowledge the last of his writings. 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:44.000 And so if I preached that passage it would sound like my dad is about ready for death rather than retirement. 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:49.000 No, it's certainly true that my dad is going to slow down his pace probably. 00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:52.000 He's had a job since he was 14 years old. 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:58.000 But it's not true that retirement is going to mean playing shuffleboard, reminiscing about the days when men were men, 00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:03.000 or discussing how he walked barefoot to school uphill both ways. 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:10.000 Right, nor is it going to mean sitting idle waiting for the curse of death to finally take its course. 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:13.000 His retirement will be an active one. 00:03:13.000 --> 00:03:17.000 He will still be involved in many of the same ways in which he is involved today. 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:25.000 At the very same time he is going to allow the church to hire another man whom God will use to move the ministry forward. 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:30.000 And so, quite frankly, 2 Timothy 4, 7 just didn't quite cut it. 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:34.000 Then I considered the end of Romans 13, which says, 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:38.000 Give to honor the person to whom honor is due. 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:43.000 Or a similar passage, and certainly there would be something appropriate for that. 00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:47.000 There are certainly times and places for those kinds of messages. 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:49.000 They are in the Bible, of course. 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:52.000 However, I chose not to do that purely for selfish reasons. 00:03:52.000 --> 00:04:00.000 You see, I did not want my dad to fuss at me for the next 20 years telling me how I messed up his retirement message 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:03.000 because I focused too much on him. 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:07.000 So, I'll let Pastor Kenoyer do that and let my dad fuss at him. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:13.000 So, that left me in a bit of a pickle. 00:04:13.000 --> 00:04:23.000 What text could I use this morning to acknowledge the work of God and, at the same time, to encourage all of you this morning? 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:30.000 And with that in mind, I would like to invite you in your Bibles to Philippians 1, verse 1. 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:34.000 Philippians 1, verse 1. 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:37.000 I'll be reading out of the New American Standard. 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:45.000 As you remember, Philippians is a book that was written during Paul's time when he was imprisoned in Rome. 00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:52.000 It meant that he had been under a house arrest type environment for a period roughly of four to five years at this point. 00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:57.000 And the church in Philippi had recently sent him a gift. 00:04:57.000 --> 00:05:01.000 And Paul was writing back thanking them for that particular gift. 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:05.000 Now, let me pick up the text beginning in verse 1. 00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:14.000 Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons, 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:18.000 grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:25.000 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:30.000 in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:36.000 For I am confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:42.000 For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:49.000 since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel you are all partakers of grace with me. 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:55.000 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 00:05:55.000 --> 00:06:01.000 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:09.000 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ, 00:06:09.000 --> 00:06:15.000 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:21.000 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:28.000 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole Praetorian Garden to everyone else, 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:32.000 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:35.000 have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. 00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:42.000 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from goodwill. 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:47.000 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. 00:06:47.000 --> 00:06:51.000 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:54.000 thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:59.000 What then? Only in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, 00:06:59.000 --> 00:07:03.000 And in this I will rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice. 00:07:03.000 --> 00:07:07.000 For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers 00:07:07.000 --> 00:07:12.000 and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ according to my earnest expectation and hope, 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:19.000 that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness Christ will even now, as always, 00:07:19.000 --> 00:07:23.000 be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:27.000 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:31.000 But if I am to live on in the flesh, that will mean fruitful labor for me. 00:07:31.000 --> 00:07:33.000 And I do not know which to choose. 00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:39.000 But I am hard pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and to be with Christ, 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:41.000 for that is very much better. 00:07:41.000 --> 00:07:45.000 Yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 00:07:45.000 --> 00:07:51.000 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you for the progress and joy in the faith, 00:07:51.000 --> 00:07:57.000 so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again. 00:07:57.000 --> 00:08:00.000 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:03.000 so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, 00:08:03.000 --> 00:08:07.000 I will hear that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind, 00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:09.000 striving together for the faith of the gospel. 00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:14.000 In no way alarmed by your opponents, which is the sign of destruction for them, 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:17.000 but of salvation for you, and that too from God. 00:08:17.000 --> 00:08:22.000 For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in him, but to suffer for his sake, 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:28.000 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now here to be in me. 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:36.000 I would like to suggest that in this passage we are going to find four very clear, proper responses 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:40.000 that we should have to the retirement of a faithful pastor. 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:43.000 Now this text is a little bit longer than I would normally handle, 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:48.000 but there are some wonderful ideas here that are important for every one of us. 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:49.000 So here's number one. 00:08:49.000 --> 00:08:54.000 And in the bulletin is the set of notes for all of you if you want to follow along. 00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:56.000 First proper response. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:09:01.000 Praise God for his regular and ongoing work in the lives of people. 00:09:01.000 --> 00:09:10.000 Paul's occasion for writing and for giving thanks and for praising was simply that the church had given a gift to him. 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:12.000 That he had sent some provision for him. 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:15.000 And in this he writes back and he says, praise God for you. 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:18.000 In fact, whenever I think of you, here's what I think. 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:20.000 All joy. 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:21.000 All joy. 00:09:21.000 --> 00:09:22.000 I'm excited. 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:24.000 I am praiseworthy. 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:28.000 I am so thankful to God for what he has done in your life. 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:36.000 Our occasion this morning is that my dad is officially leaving the workforce after 52 years. 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:39.000 The last 15 as a pastor in this church. 00:09:39.000 --> 00:09:46.000 And in both cases, the proper resultant action is a prayer of thanksgiving. 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:54.000 Thank you, Lord, for what you have done in my dad's life that has resulted in fruitful ministry over the last 15 years. 00:09:54.000 --> 00:10:01.000 Thank you, Lord, for what you have done in my mom's life as a faithful companion to my dad for the last 45 years. 00:10:01.000 --> 00:10:08.000 This passage provides us, in fact, some very clear expressions of where that thanks should reside. 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:13.000 Thanks to the Lord for his work in my parents' life. 00:10:13.000 --> 00:10:19.000 It was a work that according to verse 5, as Paul reflects on the church, he says, here's what resulted. 00:10:19.000 --> 00:10:24.000 When God worked, it resulted in you participating in the gospel. 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:28.000 Well, that's exactly what happened with my dad, too. 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:33.000 You know, when Paul visited the church, he did so about 10 years prior to the writing of the book of Philippians. 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:35.000 On his second missionary journey. 00:10:35.000 --> 00:10:37.000 And he did what he often did. 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:43.000 And that was he would go search, find some people who had some knowledge of Judaism, and then go win them to Christ. 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:48.000 Explain to them how the Messiah, the long-awaited Messiah that you were waiting for. 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:50.000 Oh, by the way, he's here and his name is Jesus. 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:56.000 And you need to repent and to trust in the death, bro, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for your salvation. 00:10:56.000 --> 00:11:00.000 Now, 10 years later, the church has been active. 00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:02.000 Paul is imprisoned. 00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:09.000 And he's writing back and he's thanking God for the reality that that labor was not in vain. 00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:14.000 That when they came to Christ, it resulted in a new attitude, a new action. 00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:16.000 It resulted in something different. 00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:21.000 And that was a participation in the gospel from the first day all the way till that point. 00:11:21.000 --> 00:11:25.000 My dad came to Christ in 1975. 00:11:25.000 --> 00:11:30.000 And so this year represents his 40th birthday, so to speak, of his conversion. 00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:40.000 And I think it's worth a couple of minutes to explain God's work in his life that has resulted in participation in the gospel. 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:46.000 One of the watershed moments was when our family moved to this side of town. 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:53.000 And in October 1985, we started attending Maranatha, who was led at that time by Bruce Schneider. 00:11:53.000 --> 00:11:59.000 We were part of a small church plan and had been for many years prior to that. 00:11:59.000 --> 00:12:03.000 And my dad was faithful to that and we were faithful to it. 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:06.000 But growth was quite frankly a little bit hard to come by. 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:12.000 And so for the first time in our lives, we were under the clear teaching of scripture. 00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:15.000 And dad began to grow like a weed. 00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:18.000 Pastor Kenoyer came shortly after that. 00:12:18.000 --> 00:12:23.000 And the work that God was doing in my parents' life continued to produce fruit. 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:25.000 I can still remember. 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:31.000 Huge, three-ring binders full of my dad's daily devotions. 00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:33.000 And that was very unusual. 00:12:33.000 --> 00:12:38.000 Because when I was a boy, mom would be the one who was normally reading her Bible. 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:42.000 Mom was the one who was normally talking about the Bible. 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:47.000 It became obvious that God was doing something in dad's life. 00:12:47.000 --> 00:12:54.000 I remember his commitment to continuing to grow as he was exposed to more and more truth. 00:12:54.000 --> 00:13:02.000 In the fall of 1987, my junior year, my dad decides that our family needs to attend Sunday school. 00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:05.000 I wasn't exactly all that excited about that. 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:09.000 I went to Hilliard High School back when there was only one of them. 00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:13.000 And most of the kids went to school here. 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:18.000 And so I, quite frankly, was about as welcome as a snake at a frog convention. 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:23.000 But my dad was exercising spiritual leadership. 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:30.000 And whether we liked it or not, we had to recognize that God was doing a work in him. 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:33.000 I remember when he was elected as a deacon. 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:35.000 And he took that role seriously. 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:41.000 It was not just a title to hold, a status symbol, or a location of honor. 00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:43.000 It was a calling. 00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:46.000 It was a calling to gospel-centered ministry. 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:51.000 It was a calling that impacted Saturday morning deacons meetings. 00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:54.000 It was a calling that impacted church attendance. 00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:58.000 It was a calling that impacted what he did in the evening. 00:13:58.000 --> 00:14:02.000 And the more time he spent doing gospel-centered ministry, 00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:06.000 the less and less time he wanted to invest in other things. 00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:09.000 Which is why he pursued seminary training. 00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:12.000 Which is why he pursued counseling training. 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:16.000 Which is why he started meeting guys at 6.30 in the morning. 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:21.000 And if you knew my dad prior to this point in time, you'd know that's insane. 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:26.000 That is absolutely taking the God's work in his life for real. 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:33.000 I mean, my dad did not know 6.30 existed on the clock other than in theory prior to these moments. 00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:39.000 And so here he was getting up at 6.30 to invest in gospel-centered ministry. 00:14:39.000 --> 00:14:42.000 That was a picture of the work of God. 00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:44.000 And we should praise him for that. 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:46.000 We should praise him. 00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:47.000 We should praise. 00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:50.000 That's exactly how Paul reflected on the church. 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:52.000 And as he thought of those 10 years, he said, 00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:59.000 Man, praise God for your work and your life that has resulted in gospel-centered ministry from this point forward. 00:14:59.000 --> 00:15:02.000 Well, that's happening with my dad, too. 00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:05.000 And for that, we should praise God. 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:08.000 I'm not going to elaborate on all of these stories. 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:12.000 But let me just say there were a few things that I tried to change in my dad growing up. 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:18.000 And not only did he refuse those efforts, he wasn't really happy about the fact that I was even trying. 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:27.000 But when God brought about conviction, God worked in my dad's heart, things changed and never went back. 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:30.000 Friends, that's how God changes people. 00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:38.000 And when you take a minute to reflect on the Lord's work in my dad's life, I hope it causes you to rejoice, to praise, 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:47.000 to thank God for choosing to work in his life so that his life was now invested in gospel-centered ministry. 00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:52.000 You know, there's a couple things I really should mention about my mom here, too. 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:57.000 Because as this was going along, mom was getting a different husband. 00:15:57.000 --> 00:16:01.000 And even if there were some things for the better, it was still different. 00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:03.000 He was changing careers. 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:06.000 He had a nice career as an engineer. 00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:12.000 And now he was spending all of the money on, like, seminary and, like, books. 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:17.000 Well, many of you know that I lead the counseling ministry at Faith. 00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:23.000 And let me tell you, women are not always happy about the wonderful choices that their husbands make to love Jesus more. 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:32.000 And mom embraces that, is excited about that, wants that, encourages that. 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:41.000 My mom had to live with the fact that my dad knew a lot of things that she couldn't know, simply because of his position. 00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:45.000 And that can feel a bit uncomfortable. 00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:48.000 And yet she trusted dad implicitly. 00:16:48.000 --> 00:16:53.000 You know, you do not have to be married to do ministry well. 00:16:53.000 --> 00:16:57.000 But if you're going to be married, you have to marry well to do ministry well. 00:16:57.000 --> 00:17:00.000 And dad certainly did. 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:04.000 And so thank God for his work in my parents' life. 00:17:04.000 --> 00:17:07.000 Well, the text continued, not only in verse 5 where it says, 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:23.000 In other words, it's a work that continues until the day of Christ. 00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:24.000 Letter B. 00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:27.000 This is a hopeful promise for the future. 00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:34.000 And I fully expect dad to use his remaining years to get serious gospel ministry done. 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:36.000 And here's why. 00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:41.000 Because I am confident that God promises to work all the way until the day of Christ. 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:45.000 It's not like today is the day that God shuts off his work. 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:46.000 Oh, you're retired. 00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:50.000 It's now time for you to sit back, relax, and be merry. 00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:51.000 Forget that. 00:17:51.000 --> 00:17:54.000 It's time to just do a new stage of work. 00:17:54.000 --> 00:17:55.000 Right? 00:17:55.000 --> 00:18:03.000 It's a new stage of how it is that God is going to continue to work in me in order to produce God-honoring fruit. 00:18:03.000 --> 00:18:08.000 So I don't expect dad's fruitful years to end. 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:13.000 His gospel-centered ministry years are not over. 00:18:13.000 --> 00:18:19.000 Because God promises that he is going to work all the way until the day of Christ. 00:18:19.000 --> 00:18:21.000 Not just to now. 00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:28.000 It is also a work, a reason to praise God, that binds the family of Christ together. 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:30.000 Notice verse 7. 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:39.000 For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are partakers of grace with me. 00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:44.000 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 00:18:44.000 --> 00:18:48.000 I love how Paul describes the relationship that he has to the church. 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:53.000 It's a very personal note that shows how much he really cares about them. 00:18:53.000 --> 00:18:55.000 He has them in his heart, he says. 00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:57.000 They stood with him during difficult times. 00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:01.000 He longs for them with the affection of Jesus Christ. 00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:04.000 Here is another work of God. 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:06.000 My dad's heart is bound to yours. 00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:08.000 My parents love Maranatha. 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:12.000 This is the place where God has worked. 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:15.000 And it is obvious by their desire to stay here. 00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:22.000 And to continue to bear a harvest among you, because they have an affection for you. 00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:27.000 You have been there in the days of challenge as well as in days of blessing. 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:31.000 And these experiences have bound you together. 00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:39.000 Now for those of you who only have known my dad for the last 20 years, you don't understand the significance of God's work in that. 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:42.000 So let me explain it just a little. 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:48.000 My dad is fiercely and always has been fiercely loyal to my mom. 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:51.000 Even before he was a Christian. 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:55.000 Even before he was saved, he was fiercely loyal to mom. 00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:58.000 My dad was loyal to my sister and me. 00:19:58.000 --> 00:20:01.000 Notice I took out the word fiercely. 00:20:01.000 --> 00:20:04.000 He was fiercely loyal to mom. 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:08.000 He was loyal to my sister and I. 00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:16.000 One little vignette about that is apparently there was a point in time where I was trying to kind of like squeeze in there and get dad to myself. 00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:18.000 And he kind of picked up on that. 00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:21.000 And I'll never forget the conversation we had. 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:25.000 He said, Rob, and I quote, 00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:32.000 If you make me choose between your mother and you, then you will always lose. 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:34.000 Well then. 00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:36.000 All right. 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:39.000 I guess I understand where the priorities are. 00:20:39.000 --> 00:20:42.000 There's mom and then there's us. 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:45.000 And then here was the next priority. 00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:46.000 Everybody else. 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:51.000 It was mom, my sister and I, and everybody else could take a hike. 00:20:51.000 --> 00:20:53.000 That was the way it was. 00:20:53.000 --> 00:21:00.000 And to hear him talk now about Maranatha is nothing short of the work of God. 00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:03.000 And it's something to praise God for. 00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:10.000 You see, the first proper response to a day like today is to offer praise. 00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:17.000 Praise for God's work that resulted in gospel-centered participation and ministry. 00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:24.000 Praise God that his work results all the way until the day and continues to the day of Christ. 00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:28.000 Praise God that his work results in binding your hearts together. 00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:31.000 Now, here's the second response. 00:21:31.000 --> 00:21:34.000 Verse 9 to 11. 00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:39.000 Pray that your love might grow so you can decide what is best. 00:21:39.000 --> 00:21:49.000 See, after Paul praises the Lord for the work in the church, he turns now to a prayer request. 00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:52.000 The logic of this section is so delightful. 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:55.000 And I wish I had like all afternoon to unpack this, but I don't. 00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:57.000 So I'm just going to give you the short version. 00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:00.000 And the short version is, notice what it results in. 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:01.000 The praise and glory of God. 00:22:01.000 --> 00:22:08.000 And those of you who have been around Maranatha like forever, remember that this was one of our annual theme songs. 00:22:08.000 --> 00:22:09.000 Right? 00:22:09.000 --> 00:22:10.000 You guys remember that? 00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:12.000 I could actually still sing it. 00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:15.000 I'm not going to, but I could. 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:17.000 Here's what happens. 00:22:17.000 --> 00:22:20.000 He says, here's the prayer request. 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:22.000 He says, first of all, I'm going to praise God. 00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:23.000 I'm going to give thanks. 00:22:23.000 --> 00:22:28.000 And then I'm going to pray that your love is characterized by knowledge and discernment. 00:22:28.000 --> 00:22:33.000 And this I pray, verse 9 says, that your love may abound still more and more. 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:37.000 It will grow, continue to grow in real knowledge and discernment. 00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:47.000 You see, the beginning point of his prayer is that the love granted by God would be the kind of love that is characterized by knowledge and discernment. 00:22:47.000 --> 00:22:50.000 So many people think of love as a feeling. 00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:55.000 It's that warm, fuzzy feeling that you get when someone walks in the room, when your heart goes pitter-patter. 00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:57.000 But here's what the scripture says. 00:22:57.000 --> 00:23:07.000 This kind of love is the love that we need when we look at a situation that we can properly assess it and then choose the proper course of action. 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:09.000 Let me illustrate that. 00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:16.000 Let's pretend you have a married couple and one of them, let's just pretend for argument's sake, the girl is not being very lovable. 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:19.000 I realize that you just have never had that happen. 00:23:19.000 --> 00:23:21.000 And so we're just going to go with it for argument's sake. 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:22.000 But here's what happens. 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:25.000 She's just not being very lovable at that particular moment. 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:28.000 So what is the husband going to do? 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:43.000 You see, the kind of love that is prayed for right here is the kind of love where the husband takes a step back and he thinks maybe one of the reasons she's not being very lovable right now is because she's had to deal with some really hard things. 00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:58.000 And instead of move in with harshness and instead of move in with confrontation, he decides to move in with grace, with mercy, and with compassion. 00:23:58.000 --> 00:24:06.000 Instead of being confronting and being tempted to just say, well, you know what, she just needs an attitude adjustment right now. 00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:23.000 Instead, he decides that the pathway to that confrontation is not aggressive confrontation, but instead mercy, grace, compassion, and leaving room for the work of God to bring about conviction. 00:24:23.000 --> 00:24:29.000 You see, that's the kind of love that is based on knowledge and discernment. 00:24:29.000 --> 00:24:31.000 Not just a warm, fuzzy feeling. 00:24:31.000 --> 00:24:36.000 It's the kind of love that is able to look at circumstances and decide what is best about them. 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:38.000 That's what verse 10 says. 00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:44.000 When you have this kind of love, you may approve the things that are excellent. 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:47.000 That is, you can determine what is best. 00:24:47.000 --> 00:24:52.000 Now, I'll just tell you, I have no interest in living my life thinking solely about what I'm doing. 00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:55.000 Thinking solely about what is right and what is wrong. 00:24:55.000 --> 00:25:01.000 I want to live my life in the world of deciding what is good versus what is best. 00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:09.000 And the only way that I can do that is if my heart is full of love and is characterized by knowledge and discernment. 00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:11.000 You know, that's true for my dad. 00:25:11.000 --> 00:25:13.000 And it's true for you. 00:25:13.000 --> 00:25:18.000 And I am sure that my dad will enjoy a little slower pace. 00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:25.000 I know that freeing a salary for the church will put you in a wonderful position because you get his service and you get another pastor. 00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:27.000 That's a two for one deal in my book. 00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:29.000 But I know this. 00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:39.000 He is going to need, you are going to need, love characterized by knowledge and discernment in order to do productive, gospel-centered ministry in his retirement. 00:25:39.000 --> 00:25:41.000 That's what it's going to take. 00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:49.000 And you're going to need the kind of love that is built on knowledge and discernment not to waste the productive years of your life either. 00:25:49.000 --> 00:25:56.000 Where you're stuck merely between the right and the wrong instead of moving to the good and the best. 00:25:56.000 --> 00:26:02.000 Many of you know, I'll just give you some practical illustrations of this. 00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:05.000 Many of you know I am a graduate of Ohio State. 00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:09.000 My blood, sweat, tears, as well as my parents' money were given to Ohio State. 00:26:09.000 --> 00:26:12.000 And I am, to this day, a loyal fan. 00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:15.000 I live 15 minutes from Purdue University. 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:17.000 But I'm still a loyal fan. 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:20.000 And so when the national championship game was on, we had a party at our house. 00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:22.000 We invited all our friends. 00:26:22.000 --> 00:26:26.000 But one of the lessons I had to learn was this. 00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:29.000 There are some things a whole lot more important than that. 00:26:29.000 --> 00:26:31.000 Saturdays used to be given to football. 00:26:31.000 --> 00:26:34.000 Now they're given to a lot of things. 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:35.000 Why? 00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:39.000 Because I needed love characterized by knowledge and discernment. 00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:45.000 So that I could approve the things that are not simply okay, but the things that are excellent. 00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:49.000 I carry a fairly heavy ministry load at faith. 00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:53.000 And one person once told me I have three jobs all wrapped into one. 00:26:53.000 --> 00:26:55.000 I think that's an exaggeration. 00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:57.000 But I do carry a load. 00:26:57.000 --> 00:26:59.000 But some of that is my fault. 00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:02.000 I am not assigned everything I do. 00:27:02.000 --> 00:27:04.000 Some of it I volunteer to do. 00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:11.000 And I volunteer because I understand that every waking moment needs to be focused on accomplishing something for Christ. 00:27:11.000 --> 00:27:13.000 Maybe it's preparing a message. 00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:14.000 Maybe it's teaching. 00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:15.000 Maybe it's counseling. 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:16.000 Maybe it's teaching counseling. 00:27:16.000 --> 00:27:18.000 Maybe it's spending time with the family. 00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:20.000 Maybe it's having special time with Stephanie. 00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:24.000 Maybe it's playing games with folks from our adult Bible fellowships. 00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:30.000 I recognize that I am much more tempted to sin when I am idle than when I have a plan. 00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:33.000 But I'm only going to do this. 00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:40.000 I'm only going to invest like this if my heart is full of love characterized by knowledge and discernment. 00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:43.000 Now what about you? 00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:45.000 Let me make a few suggestions. 00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:50.000 Some of you guys aren't really loving your wife like you should. 00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:55.000 And you aren't because your love is not characterized by the right thing. 00:27:55.000 --> 00:28:00.000 It's not characterized by this love associated with knowledge and discernment. 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:02.000 And instead it's wait, wait, what's in this for me? 00:28:02.000 --> 00:28:03.000 What's in it for me? 00:28:03.000 --> 00:28:04.000 What's in it for me? 00:28:04.000 --> 00:28:06.000 What's in it for me? 00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:09.000 Love that results that Paul is praying for. 00:28:09.000 --> 00:28:12.000 He says here's what the church is to be having. 00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:15.000 This is the kind of love we as a church body need to have. 00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:18.000 Is knowledge and discernment. 00:28:18.000 --> 00:28:22.000 Parents, are you loving your children like you should? 00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:26.000 Are they loved based on knowledge and discernment? 00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:32.000 Are you looking for ways to use every square inch of this beautiful property? 00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:34.000 I was walking around earlier this morning. 00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:37.000 And just thinking, oh my goodness. 00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:40.000 I wonder what we could do. 00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:42.000 Just walk around the yard. 00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:51.000 Now wouldn't it be amazing if every square inch of the grass was used for gospel centered ministry? 00:28:51.000 --> 00:29:00.000 What if every square inch of every piece under roof was used for gospel centered ministry? 00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:01.000 Not just one day a week. 00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:03.000 Seven days a week. 00:29:03.000 --> 00:29:06.000 Thinking about what could we possibly do? 00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:08.000 There's an amazing kitchen. 00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:09.000 Talk about the towel. 00:29:09.000 --> 00:29:10.000 Right? 00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:11.000 The kitchen? 00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:13.000 I mean it's sweet. 00:29:13.000 --> 00:29:15.000 So how can you use the kitchen? 00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:17.000 To get gospel centered ministry done? 00:29:17.000 --> 00:29:18.000 As often as possible. 00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:21.000 As regularly as possible. 00:29:21.000 --> 00:29:25.000 Now some of you might say, but Rob, that's a ton of work. 00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:26.000 It's a ton of time. 00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:33.000 That may mean that I have to use part of my time and part of my energy and part of my efforts to do stuff like that. 00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:38.000 Let me suggest to you that's exactly what Paul's praying for. 00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:41.000 He's praying that that's exactly what would happen. 00:29:41.000 --> 00:29:48.000 That your love would be full of knowledge and discernment so that you could approve the things that are excellent. 00:29:49.000 --> 00:29:53.000 Many of you know that I'm in charge of the biblical counseling training conference at Faith. 00:29:53.000 --> 00:29:55.000 Some of you have been there. 00:29:55.000 --> 00:30:00.000 And because of the size of the conference, our school cannot be in session. 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:03.000 And so everybody is off that week. 00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:05.000 And guess what? 00:30:05.000 --> 00:30:07.000 All of my kids' friends, here's where they are. 00:30:07.000 --> 00:30:08.000 Disney World. 00:30:09.000 --> 00:30:14.000 So they're getting Facebook posts and Instagram pictures of, you know, like I'm hanging out with Mickey. 00:30:14.000 --> 00:30:16.000 And guess what my kids are doing? 00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:19.000 My kids are serving in the conference. 00:30:19.000 --> 00:30:21.000 My kids are serving in the conference. 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:22.000 And they work. 00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:24.000 Like their spring break is work. 00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:27.000 And they start early and they end late. 00:30:28.000 --> 00:30:29.000 Every day. 00:30:29.000 --> 00:30:35.000 And there was that one point where I just kind of reflected on that thought, you know, am I really being fair? 00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:38.000 Am I really handling this right? 00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:44.000 I mean, boy, I kind of feel bad for my kids that everybody else's kids are going to Disney World and my kids are here. 00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:48.000 And then I decided, what am I talking about? 00:30:49.000 --> 00:30:50.000 I mean, I need to smack myself. 00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:52.000 I mean, that's what the palm of your hand is for, right? 00:30:52.000 --> 00:30:54.000 Sometimes you just got to whack yourself in the head, right? 00:30:54.000 --> 00:31:00.000 Every once in a while when you're thinking crazy, you just got to go wham, you know, and start thinking differently. 00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:03.000 And so I thought, wait a minute, what am I talking about? 00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:09.000 In fact, they have the privilege of serving pastors from all over the country, all over the world. 00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:13.000 Many of them who are coming after getting beat up all year long. 00:31:13.000 --> 00:31:17.000 They're looking for some encouragement and some little cute girl hands them a drink. 00:31:17.000 --> 00:31:18.000 Praise God for that. 00:31:19.000 --> 00:31:22.000 Someone works over and delivers all the lunches. 00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:24.000 Great. Praise God for that. 00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:25.000 So what did I do? 00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:27.000 I signed them up for more work. 00:31:28.000 --> 00:31:29.000 Isn't that right? 00:31:29.000 --> 00:31:30.000 I mean, absolutely. 00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:31.000 What are they going to do instead? 00:31:33.000 --> 00:31:36.000 I'm not trying to set directions for anybody. 00:31:37.000 --> 00:31:45.000 I'm just simply suggesting that a love characterized by knowledge and discernment results in things that are excellent. 00:31:45.000 --> 00:31:49.000 Now, the text continues with the result. 00:31:49.000 --> 00:31:52.000 Here's what happens when you approve the things that are excellent. 00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:54.000 Something else happens. 00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:58.000 You get to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ. 00:31:59.000 --> 00:32:01.000 And I would hope that's what we would want to be. 00:32:02.000 --> 00:32:05.000 That we would want to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ. 00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:09.000 So we've covered two responses so far. 00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:13.000 Praise God for his work in my mom and dad's life. 00:32:14.000 --> 00:32:15.000 To make it gospel centered. 00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:18.000 That he's going to continue to work all the way to the end. 00:32:19.000 --> 00:32:22.000 That his work resulted in binding your hearts together. 00:32:23.000 --> 00:32:25.000 Number two, that we pray. 00:32:26.000 --> 00:32:32.000 That we pray that our love would grow in knowledge and discernment so that we are able to focus on the right things. 00:32:32.000 --> 00:32:39.000 To determine not simply between what is right and what is wrong, but between what is good and what is best. 00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:42.000 Now, here's the third response. 00:32:43.000 --> 00:32:47.000 Emulate the positive examples of gospel centered thinking. 00:32:49.000 --> 00:32:52.000 In verses 12 to 26, most people don't connect this to the prayer. 00:32:53.000 --> 00:32:56.000 I think it's intently connected to the prayer. 00:32:56.000 --> 00:33:03.000 In other words, what does it look like for a person to actually do this? 00:33:04.000 --> 00:33:07.000 What does it look like for a person to approve the things that are excellent? 00:33:08.000 --> 00:33:11.000 And Paul does that right here in verses 12 to 26. 00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:20.000 Paul makes three judgments in these verses based on gospel priorities that are in turn characterized by knowledgeable and discerning love. 00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:25.000 Let me just take one minute to talk about each one of them. 00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:25.000 00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:26.000 Here's number one. 00:33:27.000 --> 00:33:31.000 Progress of the gospel is more important than Paul's personal freedom. 00:33:32.000 --> 00:33:34.000 If you were in prison for four years, would you write, 00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:38.000 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel. 00:33:39.000 --> 00:33:42.000 You'd be thinking, I'd really like to get out of here. 00:33:43.000 --> 00:33:44.000 I would like to be released. 00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:49.000 But Paul has a love that is based on knowledge and discernment. 00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:52.000 And so he is able to say, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. 00:33:52.000 --> 00:33:53.000 Wait a minute. 00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:56.000 I realize that when I'm church planning, I get a church done every three weeks. 00:33:56.000 --> 00:33:58.000 Okay, I get that. 00:33:58.000 --> 00:34:01.000 And if you read the book of Acts, that's about what it is. 00:34:01.000 --> 00:34:10.000 But God has designed this particular time in prison, four years plus, for the greater progress of the gospel. 00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:12.000 You say, what is that greater progress? 00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:15.000 Well, the whole praetorian guard has heard about Christ. 00:34:15.000 --> 00:34:20.000 And that most of the brethren, because of his imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. 00:34:21.000 --> 00:34:23.000 He says, praise God for that. 00:34:24.000 --> 00:34:25.000 Praise God. 00:34:25.000 --> 00:34:31.000 There's actually more gospel work getting done now because of my imprisonment than would have gotten done if I had been released. 00:34:33.000 --> 00:34:38.000 He also praises God and shows his discerning love. 00:34:38.000 --> 00:34:41.000 Love characterized by knowledge and discernment. 00:34:41.000 --> 00:34:46.000 By saying that proclamation of Christ is more important than silencing the fakers. 00:34:47.000 --> 00:34:52.000 In verses 15 to 18, he says, hey, look, there are some people who are preaching who do it out of love. 00:34:52.000 --> 00:34:53.000 They do it for the right reasons. 00:34:53.000 --> 00:35:02.460 And then there are other people who do it essentially to say to me, you know, hey, look, you know, I hope you're enjoying your house arrest because I'm out here preaching the gospel. 00:35:02.460 --> 00:35:03.500 Is that okay with you? 00:35:04.000 --> 00:35:08.039 You know, kind of harming him, kind of like, you know, jabbing him a little bit. 00:35:08.079 --> 00:35:09.360 And he says, I don't care about that. 00:35:10.079 --> 00:35:10.880 I don't care about that. 00:35:11.579 --> 00:35:12.539 Here's what I care about. 00:35:12.539 --> 00:35:21.960 I care that in every corner of this planet, I care that every square inch of ground there is somebody talking about Jesus. 00:35:21.960 --> 00:35:30.340 Because, quite frankly, either people repent of their sin or they suffer the consequences of that sin in eternal hell. 00:35:31.240 --> 00:35:32.380 Those are the only choices. 00:35:33.380 --> 00:35:43.800 They either repent and they believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for their salvation only, or they suffer eternally in hell forever. 00:35:43.800 --> 00:35:44.240 That's it. 00:35:44.240 --> 00:35:45.420 That's it. 00:35:46.039 --> 00:35:50.940 And he says, hey, look, I'm not so much worried about the motivation of the fakers. 00:35:51.080 --> 00:35:52.460 I'll let God deal with that. 00:35:53.019 --> 00:35:54.260 Here's what I'm excited about. 00:35:54.660 --> 00:35:59.880 I'm excited that there's another corner of God's earth where Jesus Christ is proclaimed. 00:36:01.100 --> 00:36:02.160 That's what I'm for. 00:36:03.620 --> 00:36:09.920 And he even says this in verses 19 to 26, that serving others is actually more important than enjoying the glories of Christ. 00:36:10.740 --> 00:36:12.720 I find this to be an amazing choice. 00:36:13.800 --> 00:36:18.360 I mean, sometimes when I think about heaven, of course, I am excited about that. 00:36:18.420 --> 00:36:20.700 But on the other hand, I want to provide for my wife. 00:36:21.380 --> 00:36:23.260 I still want to help raise our kids. 00:36:23.920 --> 00:36:29.080 I want to ensure, to the degree that I can, that none of my kids marry a goofball. 00:36:29.960 --> 00:36:30.200 Right? 00:36:30.320 --> 00:36:31.519 I'm in all for that. 00:36:32.580 --> 00:36:35.460 However, the Apostle Paul, here's what he says. 00:36:36.200 --> 00:36:37.740 He's doing this for all the churches. 00:36:39.000 --> 00:36:40.780 He values that for the churches. 00:36:40.780 --> 00:36:42.820 When I read the text, did you hear his heart? 00:36:42.820 --> 00:36:48.100 He says, hey, it would be better for me to enjoy the glories of Christ, but it's better for you if I remain. 00:36:49.480 --> 00:36:54.740 In other words, he's able to discern between what is good and what is best. 00:36:55.600 --> 00:36:57.980 And I'm encouraging you to emulate that. 00:36:58.400 --> 00:37:00.160 Emulate those positive examples. 00:37:01.140 --> 00:37:02.760 That's why Paul prays. 00:37:02.760 --> 00:37:06.060 So, how's that profitable for you and me? 00:37:06.420 --> 00:37:10.880 Well, I want to encourage you to follow the example of the Apostle Paul and those who have walked in his footsteps. 00:37:12.240 --> 00:37:15.480 And we are celebrating today the Lord's work in my dad's life. 00:37:16.040 --> 00:37:17.880 Because I believe there is a track record. 00:37:17.880 --> 00:37:22.599 Especially the last 25 years of gospel priorities. 00:37:23.720 --> 00:37:28.360 And I think this passage encourages mom and dad to continue to function that way. 00:37:29.160 --> 00:37:35.619 I think they should not become like Demas who left for the cares of this world, even in retirement. 00:37:35.619 --> 00:37:38.380 But this passage is also for us. 00:37:39.380 --> 00:37:42.000 It's a clarion call for us to look at our own lives. 00:37:42.500 --> 00:37:45.659 To discern where we are giving time and effort and energy. 00:37:46.299 --> 00:37:51.699 And to decide whether or not that is really about proclaiming Christ or if it's really about something else. 00:37:53.299 --> 00:37:55.639 For Paul, he just simply has this attitude. 00:37:56.319 --> 00:37:56.739 Hey, look. 00:37:57.339 --> 00:37:58.019 I'm excited. 00:37:58.019 --> 00:37:59.059 I'm in prison. 00:37:59.300 --> 00:38:00.039 But I'm excited. 00:38:00.820 --> 00:38:01.759 And I'm excited. 00:38:01.960 --> 00:38:07.280 My life is characterized by joy because my life is centered on one thing. 00:38:07.619 --> 00:38:08.519 I've got a mission. 00:38:08.880 --> 00:38:09.719 I've got a purpose. 00:38:11.059 --> 00:38:14.820 That gets to the final point that we're going to think about this morning. 00:38:15.400 --> 00:38:17.679 And that is to contend for the gospel. 00:38:18.820 --> 00:38:20.719 Let me just read verse 27. 00:38:22.719 --> 00:38:23.519 It says, 00:38:23.519 --> 00:38:24.000 Only. 00:38:25.539 --> 00:38:25.980 Only. 00:38:26.940 --> 00:38:27.380 Only. 00:38:27.579 --> 00:38:27.980 Only. 00:38:28.219 --> 00:38:28.579 Only. 00:38:28.800 --> 00:38:29.139 Only. 00:38:29.380 --> 00:38:29.699 Only. 00:38:29.940 --> 00:38:30.300 Only. 00:38:30.480 --> 00:38:30.820 Got it? 00:38:31.000 --> 00:38:31.380 Only. 00:38:32.460 --> 00:38:35.099 Conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel. 00:38:35.980 --> 00:38:40.599 If you have been saved by grace, only conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel. 00:38:41.460 --> 00:38:42.739 There's nothing else worth living for. 00:38:43.900 --> 00:38:45.360 That's what is worth living for. 00:38:46.239 --> 00:38:47.679 As we were singing those songs. 00:38:48.320 --> 00:38:49.259 As we were reflecting. 00:38:50.159 --> 00:38:53.219 On before the throne of God, I have a perfect plea. 00:38:53.519 --> 00:38:55.960 A great high priest whose name is love. 00:38:56.019 --> 00:38:57.159 Whoever pleads for me. 00:38:57.880 --> 00:38:58.679 Who is that? 00:38:59.940 --> 00:39:00.420 Jesus. 00:39:01.380 --> 00:39:02.159 Who is it? 00:39:02.219 --> 00:39:02.599 Jesus. 00:39:02.920 --> 00:39:04.219 I have an intercessor. 00:39:05.239 --> 00:39:06.659 Praise God for that. 00:39:07.440 --> 00:39:09.880 And so therefore, where is my life focus? 00:39:10.139 --> 00:39:11.280 Where is my life mission? 00:39:11.579 --> 00:39:12.880 What am I trying to accomplish? 00:39:13.219 --> 00:39:13.960 He says this. 00:39:14.059 --> 00:39:14.360 Only. 00:39:14.539 --> 00:39:16.659 Conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel. 00:39:17.619 --> 00:39:18.940 Gives us purpose here. 00:39:20.259 --> 00:39:21.539 And friends, if there's someone here. 00:39:21.539 --> 00:39:24.039 You just decided to come for this day. 00:39:24.480 --> 00:39:25.619 You know my dad. 00:39:26.519 --> 00:39:29.559 And you have never come to the place where you have repented of your sin. 00:39:30.259 --> 00:39:33.320 And trusted in the death, bread, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 00:39:34.259 --> 00:39:37.519 You know, one of the songs that we sang this morning reminded us. 00:39:37.519 --> 00:39:40.059 That we don't bring anything. 00:39:40.960 --> 00:39:44.880 Our hands are raised and what they're full of is just filthy rags. 00:39:44.960 --> 00:39:46.000 That's all we bring. 00:39:46.099 --> 00:39:47.079 That's all we've got. 00:39:48.739 --> 00:39:51.019 But by God's grace, he made a way. 00:39:51.880 --> 00:39:53.159 He offered something. 00:39:54.199 --> 00:40:01.360 And those filthy rags are then turned and exchanged for the clothing of the righteousness of Christ. 00:40:01.360 --> 00:40:05.320 And friends, if you have not ever repented of your sin. 00:40:05.539 --> 00:40:08.000 Seen your sin as an offense against God. 00:40:08.980 --> 00:40:10.840 And I want to encourage you to see it today. 00:40:11.760 --> 00:40:13.700 I want to encourage you to repent. 00:40:14.599 --> 00:40:16.820 To acknowledge your sin for what it is. 00:40:17.559 --> 00:40:22.660 And to believe in the death, bread, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as your only hope of salvation. 00:40:22.659 --> 00:40:26.139 And so when you are standing before the judge of God. 00:40:26.219 --> 00:40:28.440 And he says, why should I let you into my heaven? 00:40:28.759 --> 00:40:31.619 You're not giving the answer of, well, I was a really nice person. 00:40:31.879 --> 00:40:32.879 Yeah, I was really good. 00:40:33.099 --> 00:40:35.219 You know, I've done a whole lot of good stuff rather than bad. 00:40:35.460 --> 00:40:36.279 It's here's the answer. 00:40:36.379 --> 00:40:40.359 I got nothing other than the death, bread, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 00:40:40.420 --> 00:40:41.179 It's all I got. 00:40:41.779 --> 00:40:44.460 And if that's not good enough, I'm not good enough. 00:40:46.539 --> 00:40:47.659 I want to encourage you. 00:40:48.539 --> 00:40:51.339 It's either the death, bread, and resurrection of Jesus Christ or nothing. 00:40:51.340 --> 00:40:54.480 And so for those of us who know Christ. 00:40:54.600 --> 00:40:58.820 And we know that it's only the death, bread, and resurrection of Jesus Christ or it's nothing. 00:41:00.100 --> 00:41:01.380 It gives us mission. 00:41:01.900 --> 00:41:03.059 It gives us purpose. 00:41:03.680 --> 00:41:04.840 It gives us energy. 00:41:04.980 --> 00:41:06.820 It gives us a reason to wake up in the morning. 00:41:07.059 --> 00:41:09.500 It gives us a reason to stand up and fight. 00:41:09.700 --> 00:41:10.920 To contend. 00:41:12.920 --> 00:41:17.019 So I'm going to encourage you to be united in your gospel priorities. 00:41:17.120 --> 00:41:18.539 Even if you face difficulties. 00:41:19.960 --> 00:41:21.019 That's what Paul says. 00:41:21.019 --> 00:41:23.559 He says, hey, look, only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy. 00:41:24.420 --> 00:41:26.780 And don't be worried about your opponents. 00:41:27.759 --> 00:41:29.579 Don't be worried about suffering. 00:41:30.300 --> 00:41:37.800 Because if God in his grace chooses to bring about suffering, then he is going to allow that to result in his praise and glory. 00:41:38.460 --> 00:41:44.000 Assuming you seek to continue to contend for the gospel in the midst of it. 00:41:44.000 --> 00:41:56.179 I hope a year from now to hear that there are so many servants contending for the gospel that the ministry here is just flourishing. 00:41:56.179 --> 00:42:04.279 You know, when Jack said, you know, pray for the deacons to cover all of Pastor Saul's work. 00:42:04.280 --> 00:42:07.860 I couldn't help but think, well, why not pray for everybody? 00:42:09.480 --> 00:42:10.680 Pray for everybody. 00:42:11.040 --> 00:42:12.200 Not just the deacons. 00:42:13.140 --> 00:42:13.600 Everybody. 00:42:14.840 --> 00:42:16.380 Everybody has to do something. 00:42:17.180 --> 00:42:20.340 If you're going to contend for the gospel, everybody has to do something. 00:42:20.340 --> 00:42:33.559 I hope that a year from now, Maranatha is a brighter light in this community and known far and wide as being a gospel-centered place. 00:42:34.579 --> 00:42:35.940 You want to know where to learn about Jesus? 00:42:36.980 --> 00:42:38.320 Show up on Treby Road. 00:42:38.320 --> 00:42:43.500 You want to know what it looks like to develop love based on knowledge and discernment? 00:42:43.600 --> 00:42:44.940 Show up on Treby Road. 00:42:47.300 --> 00:42:51.559 And I hope to hear that you've hired a replacement for my dad who will serve as one of the generals. 00:42:52.340 --> 00:42:53.640 He's marching into war. 00:42:54.480 --> 00:42:57.820 Fully armed with both the armor and power of God. 00:42:59.440 --> 00:43:04.400 Now, let me just conclude by offering a word of thanks to you on behalf of my wife and I. 00:43:05.360 --> 00:43:07.240 Thank you for being a wonderful church family. 00:43:07.239 --> 00:43:15.339 Yesterday was special because it was the culmination of 30 years of really ministry involvement here. 00:43:15.439 --> 00:43:16.539 So thank you for doing that. 00:43:17.619 --> 00:43:22.159 Thank you for being an instrument of growth in his life over the past 30 years. 00:43:23.139 --> 00:43:25.599 He's not the person that he was 30 years ago. 00:43:26.879 --> 00:43:30.839 Thank you for accepting his ministry and seeking to learn from it. 00:43:30.840 --> 00:43:38.600 Paul prayed that when he ministered, he prayed that the people would accept that ministry. 00:43:39.039 --> 00:43:40.480 So thank you for doing that. 00:43:41.800 --> 00:43:47.980 Thank you for being financially generous with him and mom so that they could devote their lives to gospel-centered vocational ministry. 00:43:47.980 --> 00:43:51.719 We appreciate that as his kids. 00:43:52.940 --> 00:43:59.980 Thank you for giving him the opportunity to continue to serve around here so that he can remain gospel-centered. 00:43:59.980 --> 00:44:09.039 And then finally, thank you for giving me the chance to speak about God's work in his life and the opportunity to encourage and challenge you. 00:44:09.280 --> 00:44:09.780 Let's pray. 00:44:10.460 --> 00:44:13.000 Father, thank you for your amazing work. 00:44:13.900 --> 00:44:18.219 Thank you that you take us and you accept us as sinners. 00:44:18.219 --> 00:44:24.659 And you say that you demonstrated your love for us while we were sinners, while we were rebels. 00:44:25.759 --> 00:44:28.239 And Lord, we thank you for that wonderful privilege. 00:44:28.539 --> 00:44:36.639 And Lord, as we sang that before the throne of God, we have a perfect high priest whose name is love, whoever intercedes for us. 00:44:36.719 --> 00:44:37.480 Thank you for that. 00:44:37.480 --> 00:44:48.980 And Lord, I'm asking now that you would help us to respond to a day like today with praise, with prayer, with emulation, and with focus. 00:44:49.320 --> 00:44:50.719 In Jesus' name, amen.