Posted in Uncategorized on Nov 11th, 2007 No Comments »
Philippians 3:9 11/11/07
The Bible teaches that in order to be saved, to be accepted by God and have fellowship with Him now and for eternity, a person must be righteous – perfectly righteous. Let me say that again in case you missed it: in order to be saved, to be accepted by God and have fellowship with Him now and for eternity, you must be – perfectly righteous. We know that God Himself is perfectly righteous, that is, He speaks and acts in accordance with the purity of his own holy nature. Righteousness is an attribute of God in which He maintains what is consistent with His own character, and judges that which is opposed to it—sin. Scripture says, “Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.” (Ps 97:2) And, “Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.” (Ps 119:137) God will not wink at sin, nor will He neglect to punish it. He will not lower His righteous standard, His holy laws and commandments.
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Posted in Uncategorized on Nov 7th, 2007 No Comments »
Philippians 3:4-8 11/04/07
How much are you worth? I’m talking about net worth. Many of us don’t have a clue about the actual state of our finances. It is a useful thing, from time to time, to prepare a balance sheet of your assets and liabilities. You might find out that you were worth more ~ or less than you thought. At any rate, it’s good to know where you stand. Do you know where you stand right now with God? In the Old Testament, the prophet Daniel once said to King Belshazzar of Babylon, “You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting.”
If God were to evaluate your life today, to weigh your assets against your liabilities, what do you think would be the outcome? I’ll tell what would happen – we would all have to declare bankruptcy. That is exactly what the apostle Paul does in our passage today. In terms of salvation and spiritual life, Paul at one time thought he was rich. He thought he had accumulated everything necessary and more in order to be accepted by God and enter heaven.
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Posted in Uncategorized on Nov 4th, 2007 No Comments »
Philippians 3:1-3 10/28/07
Who are the true people of God? And are you one of them? There are a multitude of groups, religions and denominations today that all claim to be the true people of God. What characteristics should we look for in order to identify God’s people? While there are a number of features we could mention that would mark out those who truly belong to God, there is one that stands out in our passage today. Without this identifying trait, the authenticity of a church or of an individual Christian is doubtful. I wonder if this trait characterizes this church? I wonder if it characterizes your own life? I’m talking about joy. Not just any kind of joy, but joy in the Lord.
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