You are called to move beyond simple intellectual agreement and embrace a surrendered life that reflects Christ's attitude even in pain. As you face challenges, remember that maturity comes through perseverance, so choose to follow Him regardless of the cost. Today, declare your commitment to walk with Him through whatever comes your way.
You guys can be seated. Thank you so much. You honor well. She is over our the established leg of the church, meaning she ensures that all of the teams that happened on Sunday morning are doing well, are healthy, have healthy on ramps for people to come apart. She's over small groups.
She's over women at the well. She's over a lot that is happening at Real Church, raising up leaders and equipping them. And so, just so thankful for you and what God has done in your life and what he's doing through you in the church because we wouldn't be what real church is without her. Amen.
Thank you.
Well, my name is David John Phillips. I have the joy and honor of getting to be the pastor here. There's no place I'd rather be. There's nothing that I'd rather be doing, and I'm so thankful that you chose to spend your Sunday morning here with us. Our prayer is that you would encounter the power and the presence of *God* in a very real way, that you would experience his love in truth.
Because he can't love you without sharing truth. And he's not gonna share truth without loving you. The reason he shares truth with you is to love you well. Amen. The Amen?
World's way of saying love is I accept whatever you're going through. I don't wanna hurt you. I don't wanna say anything wrong that would offend you, and I'll just let you be who you are. God's way of loving is telling you the truth, so that you experience the freedom of change, and looking more like him. Amen?
Amen. Good way of saying it, and I've said it multiple times over the last month or so, **truth without love** is mean. Love without truth is meaningless. So I I want to share the truth in love in a way that meets you where you are. We love you where you are.
But we love you too much to leave you there. Because if we left you there without sharing the truth of the gospel with you, that would be mean. Because for some of you, if you've never received Jesus, if you've never made him his your Lord, the Lord of your life, then that would just say, I'm okay with you going to hell. Because really, if people don't receive Jesus as the Lord of their life, they're on the way to hell. Some of you are shocked that I said that.
It's just Bible. *John-3:16*, the verse that we're all all like know or grow up. John-3 yeah, know "John-3:16", for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believed in him would not perish, but have everlasting life. Do you know John-3:17? *John-3:17* says, for God did not send his world his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
*Saved* from what? Verse 18. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of his 1 and only son. There's a lot of people that don't believe. And so, we share the love of Jesus, and we live a life that demonstrates the reality of him, so that they will believe.
And belief is not what Christians in America, normal Christians, what people would think is a Christian is. People say, oh yeah, like I talk to people all the time. Man, I I just really believe that God loves you. I believe that Jesus is real. He goes, man, I do too.
I believe I believe Jesus. You do? Yeah. Do you know what it means to be born again? No.
Like does your life show proof that you believe? Because biblical belief always has fruit behind it. You can't believe that Jesus is Lord without following him as Lord. You can say you believe that Jesus is Lord, and then your life demonstrates that you don't. Yeah.
There
will always be fruit.
Amen? Amen. Okay. So today, we're not in the Corinthians series. We'll go back to it in a few weeks.
People laugh because we've been in that series for 2 and a half years. And every now and then, God will send us on a bunny trail. Today's a bunny trail. So I have been in my personal daily encounters with God, my personal bible study. I've been over and over in Philippians-3.
And so, from Philippians-3, I'll go to Philippians-4, and then from Philippians-3, I'll go to 2 and 1. But I've been over and over in Philippians-3. And the way that I do my my bible study is I will pick a book, and I will always go back to that book until I'm finished with it, and then pick another book, unless the Lord leads me somewhere. And over the last month, I just couldn't get out of Philippians-3, and I didn't know why. Well, it's for me.
He's speaking to me. But, I also think it's for you today. So, I'm excited just to overflow to you what God's been showing me in my own personal bible study. Is that okay? You're gonna laugh at this 1.
Some of you will. If you know, you know. Philippians-3:1. Watch this. Finally, my brothers.
Like, finally. Like, I can't wait to do this again. Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me. It's a "safeguard for you".
To preach the same thing to you is no trouble for me. It's a safeguard to you. I'm gonna re hit some things, some foundational things today that I think are very vital. The majority of you that have been walking with us for a while, you know, but maybe you need to rehear. And then some of you are new, you're gonna hear some of these things.
You're gonna be like, pastor said, what? But I'm gonna show you in scripture. Don't worry about it. But to say the same things to you is no trouble for me. Why?
Because I know it's a safeguard to you. Why? Because I know scripture. Romans-12:2 says, do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind.
So then, you will be able to test and prove what is God's will, his good, pleasing, and perfect will. Renewing your mind takes repetition. I want my mind to be washed in the water of his word. Meaning, I want to be brainwashed by Jesus. Because the more I'm washed in the water of his word, the more my life reflects Christ in my life.
You're being brainwashed by something. You do realize that. Right? Whatever you're inputting into your ears and your eyes is washing your brain to live the way. Your life will reflect what you input the most.
Man, I want to input his word. Day in and day out, so it will reflect the love and character and nature of Jesus. So my life looks like what I'm inputting. Because remember, we are to be imitators of God as dearly loved children. How can we imitate the 1 we don't spend time with?
How can we imitate him if we're not in his word, getting to know his word? His word is special. It's precious. But look, Romans-12:2 says, I'm supposed to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. Then, everybody say then.
Then. Then, I will be able to test and prove what is His good, pleasing, and perfect will. A lot of people think they know the voice of the Lord, but they don't know His word. So they are just taken by any wind of doctrine. Any thought that comes in their mind, they assume is spiritual and the Holy Spirit, and they're not able to test and prove what is God and what is them.
What is God and what is demonic. You gotta know his word to be able to test and prove what God's will is. You don't know his word, then you're just gonna run this way, that way, this way, and that way, and never really look like Jesus, and be stuck in a rut and wondering what's going on and why. You want to grow to maturity? You got to get to know His word.
You got a hunger and thirst for righteousness. How do you how do you have a hunger and thirst for His word? I have in my life, many times prayed this prayer, knowing that I needed to desire his word more, Especially in the early days of Christianity. Knowing that I needed to and I didn't. I didn't want to get in his word, but I knew I needed to.
I wanted to want to, but I didn't want to. Can I just be honest? So what did I pray? Lord, would you give me a desire for your word? I'm not gonna put on a fake smile saying that I want to, because I don't.
My flesh is I I I just don't wanna read the Bible right now. But I want to want to. So Lord, would you help me? Would you teach me how to desire your word? I don't want to pray right now, but I know I need to.
I feel I feel like you're leading me to. Would would you give me, teach me how to pray? Give me an appetite for prayer. Asking him for the desire, then you know what you do? When you feel that thought to go pray and you don't feel like it, you do what a disciple does.
Because you're a disciple of Christ. You're not just a Christian. If you're just a Christian and not a disciple, you're actually not a Christian. Hey, just FYI, this is real church. I don't preach to make you comfortable so you come back.
You understand? Like if you're here just to hear a good word, and feel comfortable, and then, you know, feel good about yourself, you're you're at the wrong place. We're making disciples of Christ**. So sometimes what I say is gonna cut, but it's "cutting out crap". So that you look more like Jesus.
So Lord, I want to want to read your word. Lord, want to want to pray more. I don't feel like it, but I want to. After I pray that, a lot of people may pray that prayer, but then wait to feel like they want to. You're not going to.
When you pray that prayer and then you have the thought to go, and everything in you says, I don't wanna do this, you be a disciple. You know what a disciple does? Jesus said, you wanna be my disciples? Deny yourself, **pick up your cross**, and follow me. So tell your feelings to stuff it.
And do what you know to do, because you're maturing into manhood. You know what a man does? A man does what he knows he needs to do despite what he feels because it's right. You do what you know you need to do for your wife because it ain't about you anymore. You're laying your life down for her.
You do what you know you need to do for your kids. You go get a job. Come on. Do you realize the Bible actually says, a man who doesn't provide for his family is worse than an unbeliever? So to call yourself a Christian man, and have a family, and refuse to work and provide for them, is demonstrating that you either don't know Jesus, or you're such an infant in Christ that you look just like the world, and even worse.
I'm not I'm not being mean, I'm quoting scripture because I love you enough to shock some of you out of what you've called normal and excused as okay. So, what do you do when you don't want to read the Bible, and you don't want to pray, but you pray, Lord, give me a desire. I want to want to read the Bible. I want to want to pray, which is a prayer I prayed a lot. And then you have the thought to go do it, but your body, your flesh, and your mind has been trained not to.
What do you do? You deny yourself. You pick up your cross and you go do it anyway. You go get in the word. I'm not saying you have to stay there for 2 hours.
Start with 10 minutes. You don't run a marathon in a day, do you? But you begin to feed yourself. You begin to develop an appetite. And guess what?
1 of the principles in my list of principles, because I have a list of principles that God has taught me that I I live by. 1 of them is, in following Jesus often, **desire follows obedience**. Process that for a second. The world says live how you feel. Jesus says do what I say regardless how you feel.
Your feelings will line up. So by faith, I obey his word, and by grace through faith. So in my obedience, faith comes by hearing, I believe what He said, and I believe it enough to obey. His grace empowers my obedience. Right?
Sometimes it's way after, sometimes it's a couple weeks after you start reading the word, or going to church consistently instead of just when you feel like it. Come on, it's American culture just to come twice a month, once a month to church, because you don't really need it. You developed a habit of being out of the body of Christ. It's demonic. And you've excused it as okay because you've been deceived.
And deceived means you don't even know that you've been deceived. I'm telling you the truth, so it'll cut. The Bible says, do not forsake the assembling of yourself together, as some are in the habit of doing. So get out of that habit. What does that mean?
To create a new habit means you've got to act opposite of how you feel, but what you know to be true, because you're denying yourself, picking up your cross, following. I'm not saying this so you'll come here. I'm saying this so you'll get in a healthy church. And if it's here, well, it's my will that it's here. Praise the Lord.
Come. But if it ain't here, go somewhere that's going to challenge you to grow, to look more like Jesus, to really reflect this thing, to be a real person living a real life for a real Jesus, and having a real good time. Not just some Humpty Dumpty sitting on a pew, and then going about your daily habits doing what you do. Instead somebody that's been broken by Jesus, and is really willing to follow him every single day of their life, you've been captured by his love and by his joy. And you know what's real, and you deny yourself until your feelings line up with what his word says.
Amen? Alright. To Philippians. Rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble for me.
It's a safeguard to you. Why? Because we're renewing the mind. So our life is transformed. So we really reflect Christ in our daily life.
So we shine like stars in the heaven. We ain't living for ourself anymore. The world's tried to train us to live for ourselves. You do you. No, no, no.
I'm gonna do Christ. It ain't about me. I died to myself when I gave my life to Jesus. That's what baptism showed. It ain't about me no more.
I came up out of the water and it's like, what you say about me is my truth. Let's let's go let's go to Ephesians-3:20 real quick. Maybe we'll come back to Philippians. It says, now to him to who? *Jesus*.
To him. Who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think. You know, I trust God's goodness. And he's able to do far more than you ask or think. Because he's all powerful, he's almighty, he's all good, and he wants to.
And how does he do it far more abundantly than all you ask or think? A lot of people think, well, it ain't happened yet, so I'm just gonna sit back here on my hind parts. Sorry, I'm from Louisiana. I'm just gonna sit back here and wait on God. Well, that's good to some extent.
But if you're doing it because you're lazy or because you're fearful and you don't wanna take a step, that's off. He's able to do abundantly more than all you ask or think. How? Let's read the rest of the verse. According to the power at work within us, to him be the glory forever and ever.
Amen. When you were born again, you were born of the spirit. He put the Holy Spirit inside of you. What good is it to cover a light? Put a lampshade on it so nobody sees the light.
Instead, we let it shine for all to see. He put the Holy Spirit in us, the light of the world, so that we would be the light of the world. But we have to be broken of us, which means we have to obey how the work, the power that's at work within us is the Holy Spirit. And we have to, Philippians-2:11 and 12, work out our salvation in fear and trembling. How do you work out what he put in?
*Obedience*. Yes, Lord. In the little things and in the big things. Yes, Lord, I hear your voice. I'm gonna say yes to you telling me to go share the gospel with that person.
I'm gonna say yes to doing the dishes when you tell me to and I don't want to. I'm gonna say yes to go and get that job that I don't wanna get. I'm gonna say yes to saying hello and smiling at that person. Little things and big things. I'm gonna say, yes, Lord, because I know your voice and every step of *obedience* is working out what God put in, so the world sees the light of the world through you.
Amen. But how can you do that if your mind's not renewed? If your mind's renewed, the more your mind is renewed, the more you can test and approve what his good, pleasing, and perfect will is. But if you're not in the word, you're not gonna know. You're not gonna be able to to know what's his character in his nature, and differentiate between what's your thoughts and what's God's.
You're either gonna assume everything's from him or everything's from you, and you're not gonna know the difference. It's the sword of truth that divides between soul and spirit. You've been born again. Your spirit is in communion with the Holy Spirit, but you have to be sanctified in your soul, your mind, your will, and emotions. You're being made like him.
So as you're
as the Holy Spirit speaks, you might not even hear it because you're so focused on yourself and on what you want. But as you allow the sword of the spirit to cut away and to divide between what's you and what's the Holy Spirit speaking, now you can *surrender* and and walk in line with his leading. What I'm what I mean by this is you used to be led by what you thought, But when you gave your life to Jesus, you surrendered to His Lordship, so now you're led by what He thinks. And He's in communion with the Spirit. So we need to be led by the Spirit, submitting what we think, what we feel, and what we want to what He's saying.
And we can only do that if we know this. Alright. *Philippians-3:2*. Paul's savage. My wife says, no chill.
He says, look out for the dogs, those evil doers. Look out for those who mutilate the flesh, for we are the circumcision, who worship by the spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh. Paul's calling those religious people who try to make you look like a Christian, but not really be transformed into 1. He's calling them dogs. Savage.
I'm just saying. Religious punks would be my way of saying it. And the way that they did that back then is is they were saying like, hey, you know, just following Jesus isn't enough. You gotta be you gotta be circumcised. I don't know how they checked for that.
That's weird. I'm sorry. I said that out loud, didn't I? Alright. But we are the circumcision because God has Colossians-2, circumcised our heart of the sin nature.
When you gave your life to Jesus, he circumcised your heart. Go read Colossians-2, of your sin nature. That's why it says you've been born again, born of the heavenly father. You have the nature of your heavenly father. 2 Peter-1 says you get to participate in the divine nature through the promises of God.
You're no longer a filthy, rotten sinner. Man, those religious dogs are the 1 that say, oh, I'm just a filthy, rotten sinner saved by grace. Come on in.
No. No.
No. You were a sinner.
Yeah. Amen.
Then you were saved by grace. Yeah. And he's made you righteous in him. Yeah. You've accredited his righteousness to your account so you know he's standing right next to you no matter what you're going through.
The devil wants you to say that you're still a sinner so that you repeat that junk, but you've been crucified with Christ. It's no longer you who live, but him who lives in you. And now you're renewing your mind to the reality of what he says about you, so you never wouldn't walk the old way that you used to, but you walk in the new way of life because you're a new creation. Those religious dogs try to minimize what God has done. Religious punks minimizing the new creation.
You're a new creation in Christ. Either you are or you're not. Either you're forgiven or you're not. If you could still confess that you're a filthy rotten sinner you're probably going to live like 1. Or you're probably making excuses for how you've been living because you don't feel up to par.
Guess what? You can't make yourself up to par. *Jesus* did that. Jesus does that. And you follow him by *grace* through *faith*.
Watch. Paul just kinda turns it on him. Though I myself have reason for confident in the flesh. Like today's religious dogs, they'd be all uppity about what you wear to church. You don't look like a Christian.
They'd all uppity about what kind of music is happening. Oh that's got electric guitar. Oh let's flip it. Oh that doesn't have electric guitar. Same religious dog mindset.
I mean, there's a lot of people in the church today that grew up in Florida, and they look down on those that wear suits to church. It's the same religious dog mindset. Maybe you just need to wear a suit so you can walk in more freedom. Maybe you need to do the opposite of what you think you know is holy so that you can realize that God works in both places. I'm just ripping the religious dog mindset.
You understand? It ain't about what you wear unless the Holy Spirit told you to wear it. Don't judge others by the outward appearance. You're like the circumcision party. That's just weird.
Now, I challenge you guys in worship. I challenge you guys to respond. I do. But can I just be honest? If you're just standing here like this and worshiping Jesus with your whole heart, and I'm judging you, but you really are worshiping with your whole heart, then I'm a religious dog.
It's not about the outward appearance. It's about going all in from the heart. *God* may have told you to stand solemnly. You know what I'm saying? So, don't just think you got it all together.
See from the heart in spirit and in truth. Make sense? So Paul says, Paul Paul, hey, all these religious dogs and how they see people. Though I myself, I have reason for the confidence in flesh. If anyone else thinks they have reason for confidence, I got more.
Paul just starts to list his credentials. Circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin, Hebrew of Hebrews, that's the law of Pharisee, which means I know scripture. There's a lot of Pharisees that know scripture, but don't know him. You can read this book all day long and it'd be nothing but dead works to you. And you think you got it, and you got a bunch of head knowledge, but no life knowledge.
No life application. How do you get to really know him through this? You read it with him. Let the Holy Spirit illuminate it. God, I want to know you.
Let him open up these words as you read it. Pray through it. God, don't understand. Would you show me what this means? Lord, put this into practice in my life.
Don't skip over the stuff that you don't like. *God*, don't like it that says that, but would you show me why? Because I know you're good. Help me to understand what I don't understand because I know you. Pharisee, as to zeal, a persecutor of the church, he was all in for what he thought was right.
As to righteousness under the law, blameless. I was a "goody 2 shoes". But whatever gain I had I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. What that looks like today is, hey man, before Christ I used to wear my best suit. I used to shave up real good.
You know, never slept around outside of marriage. I read my Bible every day. I gave the shirt off my back to the guy down the street that needed it. I bought meals for the homeless. I mean, I'm doing good.
But you can do all of those things and still be damned to hell because you don't know Jesus. Because you've never really surrendered to him as the Lord of your life. Because you had a righteousness based on your good works instead of on Jesus' good works. Now when you know him, he's gonna empower you to do all the more. But it's from his power, not your own performance.
It's from his grace, not your earning. Amen? So that's what Paul is saying there. Okay? You get it?
But I count everything as a loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake, I have suffered the loss of all things, and "count them as rubbish", in order that I may gain Christ. So it's not about your credentials, it's not about your efforts, it's not about how many good works you piled up, or you know, and they're overweighing your bad works. It's not the gospel, it's not Christianity. I count all the good stuff, all the things that I thought was a strength as a weakness for Christ.
Lord, if I a strength of mine has always been speaking. I've been speaking since I was fourth grade. But Lord, if you want me to never speak again, so be it. Whatever it takes to follow you, I give you my strengths and I give you my weaknesses. If you press me into the things that I consider weak, I'll do it by faith because I know you'll make my weaknesses into your strength by your power.
If you ask me to walk away from the things that I've always seen as strong in myself, I'll do it. Why? Because it's not about me, it's about you. I want to follow your plan for my life, not my own. I count it all as a loss for the sake of knowing you.
Because the surpassing worth. I've asked this a few times the last weeks. How much is Jesus worth to you? Is he worth it all? What's your price?
What price would buy you out of following Jesus? Do you have a price? Because if you have a price, you'll walk away 1 day. Is your price *God* taking away the blessings you hold dear or the devil taking them away? Is that your price?
I prayed for this man. I prayed for this woman, and they died. So now I'm gonna walk away. It's hard. What's your price?
Millions of dollars? Billions of dollars? Things going your way? That's why a lot of people come to church or go to church. So they can have a better day and things can go their way.
And when things don't go they they try Jesus on. And then a month later, when they go through some suffering, say, well, he didn't work for me. Why? Because it was about them, not about him. That make sense?
Yeah. What's your price? Does he take you through things that you're ready for? Yes. When you're ready?
Yes. Test you? Yes. Absolutely. Because he wants to develop maturity in you.
You gotta get to the point where there's no price. He's worth it all. Revelation-12:11, they overcame him. Christians overcame the enemy, Satan. How?
By the blood of the lamb, by what Jesus did for them, and by the word of their testimony. They were unashamed to share what Jesus has done. If you're unashamed to share Jesus with others, I would lean into that and start sharing him. Because those that overcame were unashamed. If you're ashamed, then you your price is what they think about you.
Does that make sense? Yeah. I'm not condemning you. I'm pressing you forward. I have to deal with that.
Every time I've shared the gospel since I was 11, 12 years old, leading people to Jesus, and I still get nervous sometimes and still have to step outside of myself to go share the gospel with people. Because I'm not leaning on yesterday's successes. I'm pressing forward 1 day at a time. And then it says, they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony, and then it says, they did not love their life unto death. Which means they had "no price to be bought out".
They were in it come hell or hot water. Does it matter? I trust him. I'm all in. I don't live for me anymore.
I live for him. And if my commander says go into war, I'm gonna trust him. If he says die on the battlefield, I'm gonna trust him because he knows what's best. My life's not my own. Why?
Because he's worth it. The surpassing worth of following him. For his sake I've suffered loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, comes from trying to earn it, comes from trying to perform, to be good enough on the outside. No, Jesus fulfilled it so that it could be fulfilled in us, and we could walk by the Holy Spirit, Him writing the law in our hearts. But that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.
By grace, through faith, you have been saved. Meaning, by grace, through faith, his righteousness has been credited to your account, so you can make it. Grace is God's power, empowering you to be who you can't be on your own. The righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. And to do what you can't do on your own, righteous things.
And how does that happen? By grace, through faith. His righteousness depends on faith. What is faith? Faith comes by hearing, requires believing, and is completed by obedience.
*Romans-4*, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. How do you know he believed? He picked up his family from the land of Ur, going to where God said he did it. What does that look like? When you really believe, you surrender to him as Lord.
He credits His righteousness to you, when it's real. You're forgiven of all of your sin, past, present, and future. He puts the Holy Spirit inside of you. So if you're righteous, that means you're in right standing with God, which means he's standing right next to you, really in you. And when God is standing right next to you by faith, which means you really believe it, then you're going to reflect that fact increasingly through life, as you renew your mind to the reality of what's happening.
Your life is transformed because you're reflecting the character and nature of the Father that's standing right next to you by the *Holy Spirit* in you. But you get the analogy. So *righteousness* always leads to righteousness. I am righteous in Christ because of Christ. So I will do right things because I've been transformed.
Yeah. I don't do to be. I am, so I will. Come on. Amen?
Amen. That doesn't happen. The the doing doesn't happen all in a day, lest you be condemned. The being happens in a moment. But, when you when it really happens, the doing is worked out over time through surrender.
I got a promise for you, before I do. When you *surrender Jesus* as Lord, you are, but you are a baby. Babies, spiritual infants born again, born of the spirit, poop on themselves, and don't know how to clean up their own messes. They need older brothers and sisters to help clean up their messes. At some point, you gotta transition from a baby to an older brother and sister and help clean up some messes.
Otherwise, you ain't growing. And if a baby, a 3 month old, stays a 3 month old for 10 years, it has developmental issues. Something's off. It should start growing and multiplying and helping. Maybe they're not getting fed what they need to be fed.
Maybe they aren't being equipped or maturing, or maybe they're just choosing not to listen. Either way, a baby has to mature if it's really alive. Amen? Amen. Watch this.
Here's a promise for you. I didn't give you a lot of these verses. I'm sorry. *1 John-5*. Listen to this in the context of all of this.
Verse Let's start in verse 2. No, no. Let's start in verse 1. It's good. Everyone, everybody say everyone.
Everyone. Who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. Now, how many know you can say, I believe Jesus is the Christ, but not really believe it? Because true belief, there's fruit from it. Back to Philip let me show you just real quick.
Back to Philippians-1:10, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of *righteousness* that comes through Jesus Christ. There is fruit, results of righteousness. Does that make sense? There is results of true belief. If you just say you believe, and you don't.
If you just say you believe that you're gonna be an NBA star 1 day, but you go and work like a mechanic, you're never gonna be an NBA star because you really didn't believe it. If you really believe you're gonna be an NBA star 1 day, you start working like Michael Jordan did in his sophomore year of high Right? You start putting in the work, because you really believe, you start preparing. That make sense? How is your life showing what you really believe?
Watch this. Everyone, *1 John-5:1*, everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. And everyone who loves the Father, loves whoever has been born of him. Meaning, you can't hate a brother in Christ and call yourself a Christian. Shot to the heart.
You gave love a bad name. When you claim to be born of the father, you begin to love like the father, and the Holy Spirit begins to bring all those offenses that you had, and you begin to repent and look more like the father, and you can't stay in hate for a brother and claim to be of the father. Verse 2. By this we know that we have, that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. What's that talking about?
It's New Testament. The law of the spirit of life that has been written on your heart. Which means you know his word, you've been transformed by the renewing of your mind, so you can test and approve what God's will is, his good, pleasing, and perfect will in your daily life. And so as he leads you, because it's written on your heart, you obey, and if he commands it, God is love. Right?
The Holy Spirit is God. Right? So if the Holy Spirit commands something, what he's saying is the most loving thing possible for everyone involved, even if it looks like it's gonna offend someone. So to confront somebody because the Holy Spirit told you to do it is the most loving thing for them. To not say something when your flesh wants to say something, because the Holy Spirit told you to do it, is the most loving thing for them.
Which is it? Well, you know which it is because you know his word, and now you're testing and approving what's God's good and perfect and pleasing will. Because your mind's been renewed, because you've been in his word every day. And you're growing to look more like him because he's standing right next to you, you know it. So you're just walking through life with him.
You follow me? This is the Christian way. This is life. So we keep his commandments, loving the children of God, and really loving the world because Jesus did that. So he's gonna lead us to lay our life down so other people can know his love as well, just like he did.
Verse 4. This is where I was getting to. All of that was precursor for this point. For everyone, everybody say everyone. Everyone.
Who has been born of God overcomes the world. Amen. And this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. Amen. Meaning, if you're really born again, you will overcome the world.
But if you're just saying you believe, but don't have fruit, you weren't really born again. If you're just saying you believe 1, let me let me backtrack on that. If you're just saying you believe and don't have fruit, you either weren't really born again, or you're still an infant that's pooping on themselves. And you need to grow. Okay?
But everyone born of God overcomes the world. And my prayer is that the faith that you say you have is real. I'm gonna preach to you like it is. I believe it is, and Satan believes it's So he's gonna come at you trying to steal what you call faith, because he doesn't really think you believe what you say you believe, but I do. So I'm gonna claim you're the ness of God in Christ Jesus.
I'm a preach to you like the word says that you are. And my hope is that over time, your life will show it more and more, that you really believe what you said you believe, and you overcome in the areas that you've been struggling and falling, because you start to renew your mind to the reality of what he says about you. I got like 7 ways I could go right now, but I only got 1 to 5 minutes. Let's go this way. In running a race, if God called you to run a 5 k or a 10 k or a marathon, the only way you're really gonna finish it is if you believe him.
This born again lifestyle, Christianity, is an ultra marathon that's gonna require suffering. *Jesus* said, in this world, you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world. Paul writes in Philippians-1:27, 29, that we get to suffer for Christ. We get to.
It's a joy. Quit trying to get out of it. Because suffering produces perseverance, which produces proven character, which produces hope. It makes you look more like Jesus. *James-1* says, "count it all joy" when I suffer trials of many kinds, because I know that perseverance, when it's had its finished work, I'll be "mature and complete", lacking nothing.
So suffering conforms me into his image. But a lot of Christians, when they go through suffering, they think, oh God's not really good. This is not what I signed up for. What are you talking about? Did you sign up to look like Jesus or not?
You complain with every little thing you go through, it just shows how immature you are in Christ. Because suffering conforms you to look more like him. And when you reflect suffering, oh my gosh. *1 Peter-4:1*. This is crazy.
Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, **"arm yourselves"** with the same way of thinking. We're in a battle, guys. Jesus has already won, but the devil don't want you to think that that's the case. And so he's fighting against you, so you don't stand in the finished victory of Jesus. And you're supposed to arm yourself like a good soldier, with the same mindset that Jesus had when he went through suffering.
And to the extent that you do, that's the extent that you're gonna reflect the victory of Christ in your life. Oh, don't believe me unless you see it. For whoever has suffered in the flesh, ESV says, has ceased from sin. NIV says, has stopped sinning. So as to live the rest of the time in the flesh, no longer for human passions, but for the will of God.
When you suffer like Jesus, you live like Jesus. And I'm not just saying suffering for suffering's sake. I'm saying going through the pain with the same attitude of Christ, instead of complaining like a little baby. Come on. Is there a time to be comforted?
Yes. God is our comforter. And sometimes we go through things, and it's hard, and we need a brother or sister to lift us up. But if we always need that, we're not maturing. In in training, marathon training right now.
When I first started, 5 miles was suffering. It was hard. It stunk. But now, 5 miles is easy. I could do it no, I mean, no problem.
Why? Because I suffered and persevered, and now I've matured and grown, and can encourage others to do the same. In your life with Christ, when you go through suffering and reflect the same attitude and mindset of Christ, now it's time to help others do the same. Because in that, the world sees your suffering, and they expect a worldly response. But when you're responding like Jesus, it causes them to want him.
Because who can go through suffering and still have peace and joy and it not be fake? Only those who have been transformed. And become a light. Amen? Amen.
I want the band to come up. We're gonna end like this. There's a song. As I have decided to follow *Jesus* anywhere he leads me, that's where I will go. Come hell or high water, I'm in.
I have decided to follow Jesus. I mean, so we're gonna sing this song as a **declaration of war**. Arming ourselves with the same mindset. As a declaration of faith. Hey, some of you, if you've never given your life to Jesus as Lord, if you if you've never really been born again, sing this song as a declaration of faith, and you'll be saved right there.
Because it says, believe in your heart Jesus rose from the dead and confess with your mouth, and you will be saved. So you believe in your heart, and you're you're confessing with your mouth, in that moment, God's gonna forgive you of all of your sin and put the Holy Spirit inside of you to lead you like a father leads a son so you can start the race we're talking about. This is a declaration. I have decided, Anywhere you lead me, that's where we will go. And it says this, I'm "riding with Jesus" wherever he goes.
This life that I'm living is not my own or something like that. What's what's I'm riding with Jesus wherever he goes. Living surrendered. This life's not my own. I'm riding with Jesus wherever he goes.
Living surrendered. This life's not my own. And then maybe something else after. But we're gonna sing this as a declaration. And as we do, whenever you're done declaring before the Lord, you can leave.
Okay? I want the altar team. I want the altar team. After about the first verse, I want the altar team to come fill here fill here. And if you need ministry, we're not a fake it till you make it church, guys.
What I'm telling you is the maturity. It's walking in maturity. It's the race that we're called to run. But maybe you're still a baby. It's okay to be a baby.
Everybody goes through baby hood, childhood, and growing. Maybe you need some mess wiped up. That's okay. Maybe you need some encouragement. You need comfort.
You need healing. You need deliverance. Whatever it is. Our altar team is here. They're gonna be here.
Come forward. It's not noise looking down at you for that. As brothers, encouraging brothers and sisters, but let's make the declaration first, then the altar team come forward as singing, as they continue to sing. If you need ministry, they will. But we're lace up our bootstraps too.
Let's go. I
have decided I will follow *Jesus* anywhere he leads me that's where I will go I have decided I will follow Jesus anywhere he leads me that's where I will go. Sing I have decided I have decided I will follow Jesus anywhere because I'm riding with Jesus wherever he goes living for his
I want the altar team to go by the windows over there because they're going keep worshiping a little bit. Altar team, go by the windows right now. If you need prayer, go to the altar team. They're going to minister to you. They're going to worship a little bit more.
You're dismissed if you need to go.