Sermon in Seattle 01.04.2007

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, let us quieten this morning in prayer and thanksgiving.

Dear Heavenly Father, we Thy children pray unto Thee and give thanks. And we thank Thee, dear Father, for this most precious gift of faith. That we, today, this moment, can yet travel in Thy kingdom as Thy children. Can own, through faith, that name of a child of God.

We cannot thank Thee as we ought, dear Father, that Thou hast, in Thy great love, given Thy beloved Son, our Lord Jesus, to die on our behalf. That we could have this hope of heaven, through faith.

We, dear Heavenly Father, pray that Thou would continue to protect and to guide and to instruct us on this pathway of faith. Give us that strength to endeavor to keep faith in a clean conscience. To put sin away when it comes on the heart and the conscience.

We acknowledge, dear Father, that we cannot of our own power or strength even believe. Thou hast given us this grace gift.

We, dear Lord, we yet also remember and wish to thank Thee for the many temporal blessings. Thou who hast so richly blessed us. Thou hast, dear Lord, we, this morning, are not having to go hungry temporally. Thou hast, dear Lord, we have been given that daily bread. And we acknowledge that there are many yet in this world who yet have these needs and wants. And we would remember them in our prayers. But these things are even in Thy hands, dear Father.

We wish also to remember those of Thy children, wherever they may be gathered in those faraway places. Give them strength, dear Father. Strength to endeavor in faith. To continue believing. And protect them also. Those serving in our military. And all of Thy children.

We even remember this morning hour also those prodigal sons and daughters, those on the outside. If it be Thy will, dear Father, call yet to them. Prick their heart and conscience that they would be humbled unto repentance.

Hear our weak prayer even in these matters, dear Father. And we pray for Thy service blessings. Give unto Thy servants Thy word according to Thy will, to Thy honor and glory, and for the nourishment of our undying souls. Feed us with that food that is necessary, that food of the gospel.

And we yet pray as Thy dear Son has taught, that our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. Amen.

For our study of God's word this morning, we will hear from the second chapter of Philippians, Paul's epistle to the Philippians, verses 5-11. And these words in Jesus' name are as follows:

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

And that every sight to him. Most miles.

This portion of God's word was part of Paul's letter to that congregation there in Philippi. And this particular letter was one that Paul wrote when he was there in prison. He had been to Philippi, I think it was on his second missionary journey, his second trip. And this church in Philippi would have been one of the first European congregations there at the north, very northern, eastern part above Greece there.

Paul here was in prison and had been given a gift, some sort of temporal gift, by these brothers and sisters from Philippi. And it warmed Paul's heart there to be remembered even in his situation where he was in prison.

And this is not how it is in God's kingdom, dear brothers and sisters, that we are one flock of one faith, one hope, and one baptism. And Paul speaks of this mind of Christ.

Earlier in this letter before our red text here, he speaks and reminds them of looking out for one another. In the second through the fourth verses of this same second chapter: Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

There have been those times in each of our lives, I'm sure, where we have had trials or difficulties. Each of us can probably think of a time in our life. And haven't we also been able to remember when we've had those times? Perhaps it's been a death of a close one, or a difficult trial when someone is even injured.

How in God's kingdom we have this extended family, if you will, these brothers and sisters in faith who have been there to comfort and to support, to show that love.

Here, Paul then in our text reminds these brothers and sisters in Philippi about this mind of Christ and speaks of this example of Jesus.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.

Today in our church calendar, this text is part of those group of texts for this Sunday. Today we know is Palm Sunday. And this gets its name from that time there, on this day so many years ago, when Jesus made that last trip into that city of Jerusalem.

He had spoken to His disciples and to those around Him how these things would come to be, how He would go to fulfill the will of the Heavenly Father. How many there, on the outside, could not see the Lord and Savior Jesus as He was, their Lord and Savior.

He took it upon Him to be this lowly servant, but yet He was the King of kings, the Lord of life, our Lord Jesus.

He then, we remember, even when He approached that city there of Jerusalem, even wept over that city, that they could not see, could not comprehend, and were not given to see through eyes of faith the Lord Jesus. But rather they had rejected that call to repent and believe the gospel.

Jesus, we know, John speaks how Jesus was the Lord and Savior. He was the Word, part of the Godhead from the very beginning.

In the first chapter of the Gospel of John, it is written in this way, in the first verse: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

And then He, John, continues moving in there further on in the 13th or 14th verse: How this Word was made flesh, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

This was all part of the plan of the Heavenly Father that Jesus would come and be obedient to that God's will, but would come and dwell on earth in the form of man, flesh and blood like you and I today, dear brothers and sisters.

But yet there was a great difference for Jesus. Even though He was flesh and blood like us, He was without sin. He was our Lord and Savior for you and I, dear brothers and sisters.

We know and we experience falling into sin. We daily fall into sin. And that is what it is. Sin, which separates man from God, unforgiven sin.

And that is why this instruction from God's word is so important, that instruction that we would endeavor to keep faith in a good and clean conscience, to not let this sin build on the heart and the conscience.

For this then makes our journey slow and makes it difficult to believe.

Jesus was without sin, but yet as we also know in the book of Hebrews, the writer to the letter of Hebrews relates how Jesus knows how it is, knows how our walk as people is.

In the fourth chapter, the fourteenth and fifteenth verses speak about Jesus this high priest: Seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Then the writer further encourages in the sixteenth verse: Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

This is that encouragement we have and the kind of Lord Jesus we have, dear brothers and sisters. He knows our needs and He knows our weaknesses and our failings, and He is there for us that we can, when these failings occur, that work that He has done on our behalf is there, that there at work.

You little children even study in Sunday school, maybe today you visited about this Palm Sunday.

Here we see up at the pulpit these plants that sort of look like what we would picture to be palm trees and how those were spread on this way where Jesus, when He walked there on that last trip to Jerusalem.

And He went there knowing that He would soon be crucified to do that merit work so that we could have this hope of heaven.

Here in our text says how He was found in fashion as a man. He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

This week we will pause before these events: Maundy Thursday coming up and Good Friday followed by that Easter Sunday where Jesus on that triumphant Easter morn rose victorious.

He overcame death, the enemy, the devil, and even hell to rise victorious that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.

We can be thankful this morning, your brothers and sisters, that God has called each of us to be citizens in this kingdom.

Let us never lose sight of this or let this not be our most important priority, our life of faith.

How often in our busy time in this world today though we experience the trials, the temptations, and the pull from this world, and being flesh and blood sin-fallen people that we are.

Has it been your experience, dear brothers and sisters? I know from time to time it surely has been mine.

And how we don't always have this faith as the foremost priority in our hearts, that the cares in the matters of this world, their work or our school or these temporal matters that we can get wrapped up in can begin to work their way up on our priority list.

But in the end, dear brothers and sisters, will any of these things matter? How much wealth we have accumulated, at our business, what kind of houses we have had, what kind of goods we have been able, what kind of jobs we have been able to accomplish, or schooling, or any of these temporal matters?

Will any of that account for anything on that last day? We know in our hearts that none of these things will matter but only this: that our names are written in that Lamb's Book of Life there in heaven, that we own this name of a child of God.

And dear brothers and sisters, be yet encouraged this morning to believe even now, to believe all sins and doubts of the journey forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood.

These it pays to believe. We have this our Lord Jesus, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, who we through faith can comprehend and believe through this promise of God's word.

One day will come again, will come to gather the believers from the beginning of time to the end, to the day that He comes to be gathered and taken there to heaven.

Isn't this our most simple desire that we want to get to heaven, that in spite of our many trials and weaknesses and tribulations, that yet is this desire, this weak desire, that I want to get to heaven, that yes, I desire to believe upon the Lord Jesus, I wish to travel as a child of God.

This is the most important matter, dear brothers and sisters.

Brothers, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. This is our prayer this morning, dear travel friends.

As we look forward this week even and pause to recall these Easter events days, and we know there is no merit or worth or anything in our self but only in that work of our Lord Jesus.

That even there in Sunday school we visited today even on this matter of heresies and how even these come through unforgiven sin.

When members of God's kingdom allow sin to build on the heart and the conscience, there begins to be that there can come then the wrong spirit and division in the kingdom.

And how this cleansing then will occur, for God's kingdom is a united kingdom and cannot be two kingdoms divided, but one kingdom.

We spoke even on this part here, even in the last heresy, how there was misunderstanding even in that Peter's denial.

When he was asked, here is our text mentions about confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord.

When Peter was asked, we know even on that last week there, it had been Jesus had already been captured and taken to be tried after that last supper.

And Peter was asked, are you not one of His? And we know how Peter there denied the Lord Jesus, and not only once, but three times as Jesus had told him He would.

And here how in God's kingdom we have understood that Peter here denied his faith by denying his Lord and Savior Jesus. He denied his faith.

But yet we know also how Peter was granted that grace of repentance, that he could put away that sin, that sin of unbelief, and he granted that grace to yet believe.

So, dear brother and sister this morning, even there we pray for this strength to confess our faith in this world.

We know here even it is difficult. We rely on the grace of the Heavenly Father and that power through the Holy Spirit to even be able to confess our faith.

We find ourselves to be such weak confessors, weak disciples. But there is power in the Gospel, and in all our weaknesses and faults, they can be washed.

And that journey garment, our robe of righteousness, can be washed whiter than snow through the blood of the Lamb, the work of our Lord Jesus.

So yet in closing, even the most doubting ones that would even hear today, even maybe wonder, am I even yet believing? Be assured and be uplifted that the Gospel yet also belongs to you, that you can believe as you are, sins forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood.

And coming to this place to serve, find myself coming with much fear and many doubts, feeling my own sinfulness.

We even visited there and also on these matters of heresy, how back in time, many had, even we visited about the recent time, or actually it wasn't recent, back in New Testament time, how in Paul's time, many had fallen away and began to follow the servant.

And how as we do not come to services to hear what the particular servant has to say, but what God reveals.

But the servants certainly come to this place with much fear and trembling, even in these matters.

And I yet wish to hear the Gospel, dear brothers and sisters. Can you? I wish to believe with you and would pray that you would always be there to speak and to remind of coming to this place with these doubts as servants.

We must rely on the congregation to remind, to speak if there are words that do not sound true. And yet we desire to be obedient to serve as God wills.

So we can go forward this Easter week. Remember those this coming week that work of our Lord Jesus.

In Jesus' name, Amen. Amen.

Sir, let us quiet and enclosing benediction.

The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make His face to shine upon us and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up His countenance upon us and give us peace.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

Thank you.