More Miles Down A Very Dark Highway - Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. No unity of all. See recently received. That's what ends up happening we go by worldly wisdom, not by divine revelation of all for joining us today on this additional fellowship of the word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now again he shows us how God's word meets our world. God said while that's got a trial. That's why I can consider all joy because it's to help me become more like my Savior and to grow me in my faith.

How many times is that thought crossed your mind in the last 17 months beyond. How about this for consider it all joy and that's what he says I'll ask a more penetrating question how many times in your prayer life have you think God for covert, 19 serious. How many times you think.

Thank you Lord, I know this is for my good little thing like that.

You seem like the idea of enduring and that that when we get a trial. All we want is it we wanted over. You see, I went and eliminated that and get back to my happy way got just consider it all joy. I mean all joy, not some joy in other words, if you thought just like God things when you find yourself in a corporate trial or an individual one. You'd be joyful. You see, you'd be joyful in one of the reasons I'm joyful as I know that I'm wanting to suffer for little while from God's perspective, even when I even on a terrible prognosis for me.

This can be a little while and there be forever with the Lord cc things from a very different point of view than what we say. So God wants to use this for an opportunity for me to grow.

Secondly, I want you to go with me to Philippians chapter 2 Philippians chapter 2 in verse two. The second thing that God wants you and I do think like and act like during this covert crisis. The first thing he does.

He starts out with some conditions. By the way, that if you don't want to do this you really in bad state when it comes to your relationship with God, he says. Therefore, verse one. If there's any encouragement in Christ.

Is there any encouragement in Christ is the man say no I don't think there is made that makes sense right it's first-class conditions of assumption you could translate it since there is encouragement in Christ, if it's true. If there's any encouragement in Christ that there's any consolation a blog if there's any fellowship of the spirit, if any, if any affection and compassion. He said here's what I want you to make my joy complete by being of the same mind maintaining the same love, united in spirit antenna one purpose with divorce.

You and I must be unified. The body of Christ must be unified by the way, over all the sentries. How's the Christian church done this on my goodness, how many denominations are there in Christianity. How many church splits happen Christianity each year.

No unity at all why we don't see it the way God does, we see the way we see it, that's what ends up happening we go by worldly wisdom, not by divine revelation of all.

So he says let me give you. Here's the point.

How I do this. He said okay let me show you. Verse three. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourself. While do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also the interest of others while how many things can I do for my selfish perspective. None none.

He says you can't do anything. That way, or empty conceit with humility of mind regard one another's more importing yourselves. How do I regard you as more important than me.

I have to humble myself, why would I do that because God told me to, God told me to humble myself.

You see, when it comes to any situation you're more important than me. That's what he says, you're more important. That's our brothers and sisters in Christ number about three weeks ago I preached the greatest commandment love the Lord your God with all your heart mind soul and strength.

Love your neighbor as yourself. So I got to consider not just my brothers and sisters in Christ. But everybody else is more important than I am, they could just see what I find a lot going on in this covert thing is most of us don't even think about what's happening to other people.

No interest in what's happening this about me, these are my choices for me but he says is not true.

He said let me give you an example how you should behave this way have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus. Although he existed in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God a thing to be grass. He emptied himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself even further by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. What rights of the son of God. But what are his rights all there is is God he is God incarnate. He he has every right to have every right is if you have nothing to do that would humble myself. I'm to humble myself. First, becoming one of them.

The creature them to humble myself further to become a servant and then I'm going to humble myself even further when going die for the cross.

You and I can't do that we can never humble ourselves like that, he said, but that's my example not tell me why you can't humble yourself and think of everybody else is more important than you are. Tell me that. Tell me why you think you're the most important thing because you're not noticing when he says, is the aftermath. For this reason also, God highly exalted him, and bestowed on him the name is above every name you want to be exalted by God approved by God. Humble yourself. Consider everybody else is more important and you are our interest. This should be for everyone we know everyone.

It comes our way. My interest is in you. My interest is in your health. That's my interest. There will not done so many of us take. There's been so much IN me talk is just amazing. Listen, if you really understand Christianity there is no IME in Christianity there's just us and him. That's my that's my perspective there's also nurse him IME. I am amazed I hear this over and over again. Many people saying no one can tell me what to do. How I think the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ can tell you exactly what to do that. That's a mean you do it member. Jesus said why do you call me Lord, then you don't do what I ask you see the job descriptions in the name Lord Lord means he's the Lord in your the servant is a why you call me Lord and then you won't do what I ask so that that's the selfishness bread inside of us. So he says God wants us to know that we he wants us to love our neighbor and consider everybody else is more important than us. Thirdly that's go back to first Peter chapter 2 first Peter chapter 2 in this case get more more difficult for us as we go Peter speaking verse 13, submit yourselves now watch for the Lord's sake. Why do I submit myself for the Lord's sake, or in other words, my Lord told me to submit myself so I will, for the Lord's sake. He said to every human institution, while he said whether it came as the one having authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers in the praise of those who do right, for such is the will of God. What you submit yourself for the Lord's sake to every human institution, Kyle Lee, but not this government, not ours. Knowing the right it's Nero's all and by the way, Nero crucified Peter upside he executed and Peter submitted see how we get into this critically clear and why do we have to do this okay go with me to Romans chapter 13 Romans chapter 13 Paul talking this time, it gives us the reason every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. There's no wiggle room here now I think I can manipulate this.

You can't unify God's. I don't care what God says that matter to me carefully that he said why there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God think that there is no authority but God member. Why was Nebuchadnezzar on the throne of God that I put there's no authority but mine. There is no human authority but mine so the government we have got you.

I have authority over and by the way, if you study history throughout. You know very thoroughly from ancient times to the day I am so grateful for the government we have versus all the other governments of every existed in this world. By the way our human government usually good and righteous. In fact, I challenge you to tell money how many were good and righteous the pretty terrible. They press people take advantage of people. Yeah, that's one telling you, for the Lord's sake you have to submit the why because Gov. human government isn't it institution that I established God said why did you establish human government because of you were sinners. If you have no human government, you know what you have anarchy, chaos, you have to have a human government. Sometimes it's dictators and kings and sometimes it sometimes it's democracy sometime to socialism, but you need a human government because were all sinners and he said that's what I want you to submit to it.

Now he never tells us to submit to it when it tells us the sin or submit to us when it tells us to deny God. Well, we never do that. That's Peter and John saying we have to obey God rather than you then. Their job was to proclaim the gospel.

They said would not let you proclaim it a good time so I'm gonna proclaim now even in that though if we were so you can proclaim the gospel. My view would be still gonna proclaim it and I'm willing to pay the consequence so that means I go to jail for me to get so what were willing to do that.

I'm not talking about that but he said, by and large, he said your job and my job, I will. I want you to submit to human government and again you hear over and over again, not me. Not me, while your child of God. Maybe I can do it from another point of view.

Next point I want to make a go with me to Philippians chapter 3 Philippians chapter 3, Paul going through this chapter is says in verse 20, an interesting little phrase for our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. God wants me to believe in my heart that I am a citizen of heaven first and foremost let me give you an analogy that maybe make it clear I am not an American who is a Christian I am a Christian who is an American. The different this is in secondary citizenship that I have is with in heaven. That's why Paul says that the priority of my life is in heaven. The perspective of life that I have comes from heaven. I think God all the time that I'm an American when you think of all the possible places in the world. You could've been born at different times. Thank God were in America. I was good government as is existed in this world, perfect.

Clearly not getting worse. Clearly so, but the point of it is it's a great government to great country but it's not my primary idea and see and I keep hearing Christian say, my rights, I have my rights. I have my rights, my rights well I'm a citizen of heaven. And just like the apostle Paul to what my rights are, do loss of Jesus Christ.

I'm his slave that the pulses I am a slave of Jesus Christ. So whatever America talks about has no real ultimate bearing in my life only what my Lord talks about my citizenship, primarily see primarily is in heaven. The idea that is an American that trumps everything and I can assert my rights. You see, my rights, no matter what Jesus said, it's not true and ends up with worldly wisdom and ends up with the wrong perspective of the way you and I should live our lives so God once to use this as an opportunity for you and I to grow.

God wants to use this for you and I to demonstrate our love for our neighbor may consider everybody else's brothers and sisters in Christ.

More important than us. God wants us to submit to human government and God wants us to believe in our heart and in our mind that we are citizens of heaven first and foremost, and one last thing.

Go with me to Ephesians the book of Ephesians chapter 4 verse 32 Paul goes through this whole section about from verse 17 one is called the Christians walk in other words, how should a Christian live and he goes over all these things and it basically says word were to be angry but not sin. You know there's a we should tell the truth, all those things are in there, but I was one. Look at verse 32. Here's what he says to us, be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you well kind tenderhearted, forgiving. I can imagine why any church or Christians would split over any issue with forgive each other and we ask you some how is God forgiven you. That's the how personal tell me how many of your sensitive review about the one Jimmy's committed today.

Forget about tomorrow. He said that's exactly the way I want you to forgive one another the same way that I forgive you.

So even if you get on sides of the Seabees.

Other issues with COBIT.

Some people even say but but I believe what they're doing is actually said okay. Isn't that what God forgives see if it actually is a debit, just as God in Christ forgave you. But we don't. We use of the set up animosity intention. There's no place for it. This covers almost every possible thing we could do see it, there's no problem with pointing out things that you think are important in someone's life. That's an important part of our life, but ultimately you see in a sense we don't so discord we so forgiveness one with another. Give each other the grace that God is giving you those are five things and there's more that God says these are how you should think as you go down this dark road you see as you go down is bad road start thinking this way it gives us an opportunity to live our lives based on what God said and I don't mean mistress is a joke, but I've heard it so many times you want. Many of you are basing their lives on our YouTube video I saw a video on YouTube at Mrs. what God said and that's what I'm going to hold onto how never hear anyone say was reading the word of God and is what God says that is having to do this.

I saw YouTube video agrees with me and I love that there's no place for that for a child of God. That's not the way we operate.

You see as we go through this. This may seem strange, but as we go forward on this road we should be a people that are full of joy and peace and hope and love. That's who we should be. It's for our good. I consider everyone else is more important. I'm going to submit all the and it and how they're not like that but you know what if we were somebody out there might ask you how can you be like this. And now that's the purpose of the church. I can give an account for the hope that sent me, I can tell them what the reality of Jesus Christ means my life but my fear is that for many of us are testimony through COBIT is exactly the same as the lost. We just wanted over, but is even got worse now that it's infiltrated the church and become divisive. There is just absolutely no place for this so for the rest of the journey. I pray you will start filling your hearts and your minds with what God says if you do, you'll let him lead you on this journey as sovereign love, he will. And this is completely up to him and I'm okay with that. I pray you are to that spring.

Father, I am afraid that we've got caught up in the suffering and the fervor and we think so horizontally that we end up coming to conclusions that are absolute denials of what your word says. I confess that father that's not right. I pray father that I will allow you to speak to me through this.

I pray father that I will move from worldly wisdom to divine insight and getting that father. I know it will be for my good. I know will have the body of Christ I know will help our witness and father use this time for a good glory in Christ name Pastor Bill Gilbert on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you dislike of the sum of the message one more time. Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online at that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio programs as well Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting us monthly with just a one time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor Bill delivered during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible church visit our website FVC Nola.org that FVC and oh LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastor Bill sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sermon series are looking for, or you can search by title. Once you find the messenger looking for.

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