After she walked away one of the fellows said, “What happened to her!”
In other words she was not acting her normal self and it made this man to wonder what got her in a good mood.
Illus: Makes me think of two women are shopping and talking about their husbands.
• One says, "My husband said he was getting impatient with my mood swings, so he bought me a mood ring the other day to monitor my moods."
• "How'd that work out?" asked the second woman.
• "Well," said the first, "When I'm in a good mood, it turns green. When I'm in a bad mood, it leaves a big red mark on his forehead.”
• “Maybe next time he'll buy me a diamond that will leave a smile on my face."
When things are going great none of us have a hard time being nice.
It is when things are not going great for us that we have a difficult time being nice.
But there are some people that have learned to be in a good mood seven days a week and twenty-four hours a day in all circumstances.
The apostle Paul was this way. Circumstances did not control his behavior.
Look at Philippians 4:12-13 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Paul discovered through Christ in all circumstances riches or poverty He has learn to do all things through Christ.
For example, when the apostle Paul wrote this passage of scripture in Philippians he is in jail.
• You do not find too many people rejoicing in a jail cell.
• Notice he is writing to those who are not in jail.
After talking to them about a number of things he says, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord…”
To be effective as a Christian we need to learn to REJOICE IN THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!
WHY?
Because our Christian testimony for Christ can be best seen in the hard times not during the good times.
The book of Philippians is helpful to us as Christians because it reveals two things:
1) How we can be REJOICEFUL during the bad times.
2) How we should be ANGRY about some things.
First, let us look at some things that should…
I. CAUSE US TO REJOICE
Paul had many good friends that he depended on in his ministry.
Friends such as Mark, Luke, Timothy and a friend called Demas.
• Demas was with Paul also in Rome (Colossians 4:14).
• Demas was with Paul during Paul’s second imprisonment in Rome, at least for a while.
Then something happened. Demas forsook Paul, abandoned the ministry, and left town.
Paul tells us that he not only left him in the lurch, but he also tells us why he abandoned him.
Look at 2 Timothy 4:10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world...”
The Greek verb used in the original implies that Demas had not merely left Paul but had “abandoned Paul in a time of need.”
WHAT KIND OF NEED DID PAUL HAVE?
The apostle was in prison, facing a death sentence, and that’s when Demas chose to GO AWOL!
Boy! With friends like this who needs enemies!!!
Undoubtedly, Paul was deeply let down by Demas. It’s never easy to see a friend you placed your trust and they forsook you in the midst of a hardship.
Demas left Rome because he fell in love with the world.
In other words,
• Demas chose the corrupt value system of the unsaved world over what heaven values.
• Demas decided that what Satan has to offer in this life is better than what God has to offer in the next.
Friends like Demas we call “SUNSHINE” friends.
We all have SUNSHINE friends in our life. That is, when things are going great, they are there for us.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger says this kind of friend remind him of the time when he was a young man, and his parents planted a large garden each year. There were people you would not see for a whole year, but when harvest time came you could almost bet your life they would be coming to visit. The strange thing about it was that when they came, they always came with a sack or a wash tub in the trunk of their cars.
But after the garden season was over you did not see them until the next garden season.
But Paul was not a Christian that dwells on the NEGATIVE he always looked for the POSITIVE.
Paul was the kind of Christian that you should look for to hang out with. They do not pull us down they lift us up!
Paul was a great servant because he went through the hard times, but he refused to stay there.
But every Christian is not like that…
• There are some folks who lost a good job and they have never gotten over it. THESE FOLKS WILL DRAG YOU IN THE MUD IF YOU HANG OUT WITH THEM!
• There are some folks who have had a bad experience in the church, and they have never gotten over it. THESE FOLKS WILL DRAG YOU IN THE MUD WITH THEM IF YOU HANG OUT WITH THEM!
• There are some folks who have gone through a bad divorce, and they have never gotten over it. THESE FOLKS WILL DRAG YOU IN THE MUD WITH THEM IF YOU HANG OUT WITH THEM!
• There are some folks who have been deceived by a friend and they have never gotten over it. THESE FOLKS WILL DRAG YOU IN THE MUD WITH THEM IF YOU HANG OUT WITH THEM!
• There are some pastors who have been mistreated by a congregation and they have never gotten over it and left the ministry. THESE FOLKS WILL DRAG YOU IN THE MUD WITH THEM IF YOU HANG OUT WITH THEM!
Listen, we all have had bad situations occur in our life.
We all want that perfect life, but we will never have that life until we get to heaven. In the meantime, the best we can do is find Christians who know how to REJOICE IN THE LORD!!!
Illus: I know sometimes some of the movie stars appear on television and they act like they have the perfect life.
Why? Because they like to be admired and looked up to.
They want you to think they do not have a problem in the world.
But remember, THEY ARE ACTORS AND ACTRESSES. When they give this false impression, they are probably doing some of their best acting.
Illus: Our life is like driving a car down the highway.
• It is nice to drive down nice smooth roads
• Sometimes we are forced to drive down bumpy roads
• Sometimes we drive down roads that are so bad we get stuck in the mud.
BUT ONCE WE GET STUCK, WE DO NOT STAY THERE, we get out of our car and find some way to get out of the mud.
Paul could have stayed behind bars and moaned and groaned about the INJUSTICE he had suffered, and the disloyalty of his friends, but he got over it!
In fact, Paul is in better shape than those who are on the outside of the prison, and he is writing to them and saying, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord…”
Notice, he is not rejoicing in the fact that he is behind bars, that is nothing to rejoice about. He said, “REJOICE, IN THE LORD.”
When you and I cannot find anything good in our life to rejoice about, we can ALWAYS find something to rejoice about IN THE LORD.
Illus: As a pastor one of the things that keeps me rejoicing, I can visit the hospitals and the nursing homes and there are always people there in worst shape than I am.
Illus: I remember when Gerald Rye (who is a member) had surgery and I told him before he had his surgery I said, "Gerald, if I could take your place, I would have the surgery for you!
Gerald said, “Thank you pastor! I wish you could have this surgery for me, I would be glad to let you do it!”
• If we look for the worst in everything, we should not be surprised if we find it.
• But if we look for the best, we will also find that.
Paul was a great servant because even in a prison cell he could REJOICE IN THE LORD!
We Christians have to be continually reminded to REJOICE IN THE LORD.
If we rejoice in the things of the world, our emotions will be like a roller coaster.
That is:
• You can buy a new house today and rejoice over it for a while, but in six months you might be cursing the day you signed on the dotted line.
• You can buy a new car today and rejoice over it for a few weeks, but in a few weeks, you wonder why you made such a dumb decision to buy that car.
But listen, we can always find something good to rejoice in the Lord.
Illus: Old Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. said he had been at the bedside of many just before they breathed their last breath. Many of these people say how much they REGRET they have lived a life of sin. But he said he never heard anyone say, “I regret I served the Lord!”
Many folks have spent their life complaining about their situation in life. One day they will regret how they have lived their life.
But those who have lived their life rejoicing in the Lord will never live to regret the way they lived their life.
The most successful Christians on this earth are Christians who have learned to REJOICE IN THE LORD!
But now let us look at some things that should…
II. CAUSE US TO BE ANGRY
We know as Christians there are things that should cause us to REJOICE but there are some things that should also as Christians cause us to be ANGRY.
That is as Christians there are somethings that should cause us to be ANGRY.
DOES THE BIBLE TEACH THAT?
Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.
WHAT SHOULD WE BE ANGRY ABOUT?
We should be angry about sin because it destroys lives and send souls to hell.
The New Testament church took a stand and because they did:
1) They were stoned
2) Jailed
3) Beaten
But today's church will not take a stand against sin they believe in TOLERANCE.
Let me illustrate in two ways:
(1) For example, an ungodly person can take God’s name in vain, and many Christians will not open their mouth.
They believe in TOLERANCE WHICH MEANS TO GET ALONG GO ALONG!
God said BE YE ANGRY which means when we are exposed to evil it should cause us to be ANGRY and take a stand!
Let me say again, we should be angry with sin because it destroys lives and send souls to hell.
(2) But another reason we should take a stand against sin is because ALL SIN IS AGAINST GOD AND WHEN WE TAKE A STAND WE ARE LETTING THE LOST WORLD KNOW WE ARE ON GOD’S SIDE.
And God is please when we take a stand on His behalf.
Illus: For example, suppose someone was telling all kinds of lies about you and your best friend is standing there and they would not open their mouth on your behalf.
WHAT WOULD YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR FRIEND!
SOME CHRISTIANS ARE ANGRY BUT THEY ARE ANGRY WITH GOD!
For example, there are Christians who are ANGRY WITH GOD.
They will never have anything in life to REJOICE about because they live a life of being ANGRY WITH GOD almost daily.
Illus: Let me illustrate:
Illus: For example, there are Christians that can drive through a neighborhood and see beautiful homes and they are ANGRY WITH GOD BECAUSE THEY DO NOT HAVE A BEAUTIFUL HOME.
It never crosses their mind the reason some folks have a beautiful home is because they worked hard for years, they sacrifice for years and gave up many things to have a beautiful home.
SOME PEOPLE ARE ANGRY WITH GOD!
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger was talking with a lady that lost a loved one and she told him I am angry with God for taking my sister. And he could tell the way she said it…SHE MEANT IT!!!
Listen, God promised us eternal life in heaven not on earth. We all know in this life that we are not going to live forever!!!
SOME PEOPLE ARE ANGRY WITH GOD!
Illus: A farmer in South Carolina during a hot season his crop burned up due to a lack of rain. He got mad with God and quit attending church and tithing.
Some folks are:
• Angry with the Lord because they were born in poverty.
• Angry with the Lord because of their physical appearance and they are not Miss America or Mr. Universe
• Angry with the Lord because of bad health.
• Angry with the Lord because things did not go the way they wanted them to go.
• Angry with the Lord and quit attending church.
• Angry with the Lord and quit tithing.
As Christians while there are things we should be looking for to cause us to REJOICE there are some things that should cause us to be ANGRY.
Paul in the same book of the Bible tells us to REJOICE but he also tells us WE SHOULD BE ANGRY ABOUT SIN!
For example, every child of God should be ANGRY about SIN!
Why? Because sin is such a terrible thing that the Lord Jesus actually die because of sin!!!
We should have a HATE FOR SIN and not want to do anything with it or promote it!
Let me illustrate…
In the Old Testament God told Saul to kill all the Amalekites for slaughtering God’s people when they left Egypt?
In other words, they have SOWN BAD SEEDS AND NOW THEY ARE REAPING BAD SEEDS.
But Paul did not kill all the Amalekites! He saved King Agag.
This makes me think of many of God’s people they know that God wants all sin to be destroyed in their life but they have their PET SINS THEY WANT TO KEEP AND PRESEVE IN THEIR LIFE!!!
Illus: I have heard some people talk about snakes. There are some they will kill and others they will spare.
In other words, there are some kinds of snakes they like and some they dis-like!!!
Listen, the only kind of snake that we should like is a DEAD SNAKE!
Paul loved everyone but he did not love the way some folks live their life promoting evil.
Look what Paul says about some people in Philippians 3:2-3, we read, “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”
WHO IS PAUL TALKING ABOUT CALLING THEM DOGS?
He is talking about FALSE TEACHERS AND PREACHERS!!!
We should all LOVE THE SINNER but not LOVE THE SIN THEY PROMOTE.
Sin is so AWFUL THE LORD HAD TO DIE ON A CROSS BECAUE OF IT.
Today we take sin to lightly!!!
Illus: I hear some parents when their child does something wrong say in a joking way, THE BOOGIE MAN IS GOING TO GET YOU!
Sin is not anything to joke about. IT IS DEADLY!!!
Paul did not take sin lightly!!!
Paul called these false teachers and preacher DOGS!
He is not talking about our pet dog; he is talking about vicious wild dogs that roam our neighborhoods bring harm to everyone they come into contact.
When something is life threatening, we can not sit back and do nothing when we know what is at stake.
Illus: We know that when cars or car tires are produced with some kind of defect that will affect the lives of men, women and children, they announce a recall.
Corporations do not like recalls because it tarnishes their name and causes the American people to stay away from their products in the future.
But I am glad that we have a government that does what is BEST FOR THE PEOPLE!
The church that once spoke out against sin now is afraid to speak out because WE HAVE TOO MANY COWARDS IN THE PUPIT PREACHING TOLERANCE WHEN IT COMES TO SIN.
As Christians we need to take a stand against sin, not go along to get along!
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger talks about years ago not to far from his church they built a large Mormon temple for the state of South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia.
When they first built this temple one of their leaders stop by his church and told him they were going to build a church down the street from his church.
But as he talked to him, he said somethings that got him curious. He asked him what kind of church it was going to be. In the conversation he never would tell him, but he told him it was going to cost millions and millions of dollars.
Later on, he found out it was a Mormon temple which is a false religion that is about as Anti-Bible as you can get!!!
When the building was completed, they stopped by to see him if they could use their parking lot for their dedication service because they were expecting around twenty to thirty thousand Mormons from the three states it was built.
Without hesitation Dr. Belger told him no they could not use their parking lot to dedicate this Mormon temple.
He said why?
He said because Mormonism is a cult that sends souls to hell, and we do not want to be a part of anything they are doing!!!
Needless to say, he did not leave with a smile.
WHY IS IT A SIN TO BE A PARTAKER OF EVIL?
Let me illustrate…
Illus: From time to time someone may come along in the trunk of their car and they have all kinds of power tools. And they are willing to sell them to you at almost at a given away price. Immediately you know they are stolen and because these power tools did not cost them anything they are willing to sell them for 10 or 15 dollars apiece.
Legally according to the law if you be a partaker of these stolen tools you are you are as much guilty of stealing as they are. YOU HAVE BECOME A PARTAKER OF SOMETHING THAT IS EVIL!!!
We should HATE EVIL and not be PARTAKER OF THEIR EVIL.
Illus: Years ago, Dr. Odell Belger led a man to the Lord that sold liquor by the name of Stu.
Stu was a tall handsome man with a great personality.
Shortly after he was led to the Lord, he had an incurable disease that led to his death a few months later.
But before he died Dr. Belger would go by and see him in the hospital and sometime the CEO of this big liquor company would be there.
After several times of Dr. Belger being there at the same time with this CEO one day Stu said to Dr. Belger my boss man has taken a liken to you and he would like to donate $10,000 dollars to the church.
He was hoping by not saying anything the matter might be push aside.
The next visit it came up again and Dr. Belger said I am glad your boss man likes me but we as a Christian church we cannot accept the $10,000 gift.
Stu said why not?
Dr. Belger said as you know as I told you before the liquor business have destroyed millions of homes and sent millions to hell.
To accept the gift…
1) Would make your boss feel that what he is doing is a good thing from the sale of liquor by giving $10,000 to the church.
2) And it would be making us a partaker of this evil deed of destroying lives and sending souls to hell.
Christians today need to learn to take a stand like the New Testament church did in the New Testament church.
Paul was viciously attacked by false teachers and preachers in the New Testament.
Again, look how he dealt with them.
Look at verse 2, we read, “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.”
Paul lists three groups of people he would classify as vicious dogs that need to be avoided.
We need to...
(1) BEWARE OF FALSE PREACHERS WHO ACT LIKE DOGS (kunas)
Dogs were scavengers who could be very vicious and dangerous.
• However, we must be careful not to do anything that would give the appearance that we approve of their message.
• We should never invite them into our home or donate money to their cause or allow them to conduct a “Bible study” with us.
That does not mean we are rude or unkind, but we do not want to do anything to encourage them to continue to spread their damnable teachings.
God’s Word says, in Matthew 7:6, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you."
God’s Word says, in Matthew 7:15, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."
God's Word tells us to AVOID THE APPEARENCE OF EVIL...WE DO NOT WANT TO BE A PARTKAER OF THEIR EVI..
They are scavengers who seek for people they can consume with their false teaching.
Let me illustrate…
Illus: It is bad when a person will go out on the street and peddle dope and destroy the lives of millions.
But it is far worse when people will go out and peddle a false religion that will send people to a Devil’s hell.
Recently I heard a politician who wanted to make it a law these dope peddlers should be given the death sentence for spreading this deadly stuff. WHY NOT? THEY ARE KILLERS OF MANY!
Philippians 3:2, we read, "Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision."
Paul is saying, “Let’s get our head out of the sand and face REALITY here in this evil world in which we live.”
But there is another group we need to beware of.
(2) BEWARE OF FALSE TEACHERS WHO ARE EVIL WORKERS
This refers to those who teach salvation through good works.
• The Bible teaches we are saved by grace and kept by Grace.
• The Bible teaches the only kind of salvation is eternal life.
And if anyone teaches anything contrary to that they are spreading false teachings that will send souls to hell.
They might be attending a name brand denominational church but it they teaching we are saved by works they are teaching a false religion.
No wonder God’s Word in Matthew 7 teaches many who attend a name brand church thinks they are saved when they stand before Him on the judgment day will find out they put their faith in a false teaching we are saved by works.
Such false teachers are evil workers - workers who stand opposed to the truth of God’s Word. You might not say they are false teachers, but the WORD OF GOD DOES!!!
Paul called them DOGS!!!
(3) BEWARE OF FALSE TEACHERS WHO ARE OF THE CONCISION
The concision refers to the Judaizers. The Jews were sticklers for setting standards they felt were required for a person to do to be saved that the Bible does not teach. They stood opposed to the gospel of salvation by His grace alone.
One of the Jewish requirements was circumcision. Paul dealt with this in the Book of Galatians.
In Galatians 2:3-5, we read, “But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised: And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.”
WHY DO PEOPLE REQUIRE SUCH THINGS?
Because it places the focus on them, not on the Lord Jesus.
• They want to add to the salvation of grace
•They want their man-made rules and regulations
• They want their rituals; it makes them feel spiritual when they do these things. The more they feel they can do, the more spiritual they are.
Conclusion:
Paul was a great man of God because he did not mind taking a stand for what was right.
He was not about to stick his head in the sand and pretend everything was alright in this evil world, when false teachers were spreading their damnable teachings.
Paul in the book of Ephesians is teaching us two things as Christians, we need to learn to…
I. REJOICE IN THE LORD
II. HATE SIN
