Baptist Mens Day

all right, let's get the

I saw a bunch of you use with a lot of women sitting in them and I saw just a couple minutes sprinkled in there and it made me think back about a time of darkness in our in our nation's history on several periods of Darkness. One of them was during the time of the Civil War when when families were often left back. It was just the women that were home dealing with the farm and dealing with the home and dealing with all the issues with all the men were out fighting for whatever calls they felt they had to fight for but it was only the women that were left then I thought to ask our communities with plant Freedom Gardens in Victory Gardens in

Those are Mighty Men work on ships landing on foreign soil fighting Wars and often in church congregations around them. the women there's a period of Darkness that our nation is known in history where the men were off fighting the battles and I'd argue today cuz I sure would you normally what we do during this this time of our Seasons. We share testimonies about men in about the relationship with God, but I want those men are no longer found here, but man how needed they are. I want to share with your time of darkness in a man's life.

I didn't plan this a little later on my heart's on my shirt with you. What's all this song?

There was a time where God put Saul of Tarsus on his knees on the road to Damascus. You can read about it and Acts chapter 9 what a great story and how he was blinded for three days and he went to this this place in Damascus on Straight Street, and he was in this holding area this home home and for 3 days.

I got you the man by the name of ananias to go and see the solar horses as he's going to. Of Darkness like he's never known before.

I don't know that's for you to determine.

People of God, there's no reason to get on a plane and go there.

John acreages we welcome Corey Sebring the message, no pressure, brother.

God bless you.

You guys know he does this on purpose. How do you how do you follow that? Well, I'm excited. I'm encouraged I'm invigorated because I have the opportunity to share with you again from God's word and sew-in in honor of Baptist men's they are title this message. Let us be gentle men and in this is just a play on words the ladies you are not exempt from this message. This is going to apply to all of us. So this title is going to become more clear as we look at our anchor text for the day. So if you will, please open your Bibles to Philippians 4 verse 5. And as always if you don't have a Bible look in the back of the Pew in front of you there's a Bible there if you don't own a Bible take that one home, but that would be yours. That can be our gift to you today. So the book of Philippians is an incredible book and it is full of what passed a virgin like to call coffee mug vs. Eddie's coffee mug vs. They're just simply verses that are familiar their popular and you see them off at printed on coffee mugs t-shirts. You may even see them tattooed on people's arms or torsos in the book of Philippians has quite a few. I'm just going to give you a couple very quickly. So, you know, what I'm talking about will be as one six says for I am confident of this very thing that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus you guys heard of that one. You'll hear him preach that one a lot. Philippians 1:21 for me to live is Christ to die is gain they should make a song about that. think they have and it finally everyone's favorite coffee mug verse out of Philippians is Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

It is on coffee mug. Do a Google search. You will be shocked how many coffee mugs you will find this verse all these three examples that I've given you each one of them has something in common. They all have Jesus Christ front-and-center it like these coffee mug vs. Philippians 4:5 is going to have Christ at the very heart the very center, but you're probably not going to see Philippians 4:5. You're probably not going to see it on any merchandise or t-shirts. You're probably not going to see it tattooed on somebody's body. But that doesn't mean that it's not a very beneficial verse for us to know and understand and properly interpret and apply. So if you found your way to Philippians 4:5, can I hear an amen my custom I'm going to be reading out of The New American Standard Bible. That's what's going to be up on the screen your Bible May read a little bit differently. And that's okay. We're actually going to address that in just a few minutes. So let me read Philippians 4:5 let your Gentle Spirit be known to all the Lord is near.

13 words 13 words now compared to the scripture that we've been looking at in the book of Acts is Passover. So takes us through the book of Acts. This may seem like a walk in the park. It's it's 13 words, but I can tell you this word from God can be more powerful and more transformative than any novel or any volume of literature could ever be as a training Pastor. I get to test my mettle number 1 by following him but number to buy studying 13 words of scripture and delivering a spiritual Feast that can grow and nourish the body of Christ. And so to properly address this verse These 13 word and allow it to mature us. I'm going to take us through the interpretive process. I'm going to ask for specific questions of this text. The first question is going to be what did it mean to the Philippians?

We need to know what it meant to them second question. Why did Paul write this to the Philippians? The third question. Why does this first why does it apply to us also and then the last question is how we do it. How do we go about doing this it so if we answer these four questions properly then the Holy Spirit has much at his disposal with which to grow us and that that's my responsibility. My responsibility is to help us grow toward maturity. We're going to start with question 1. What did this mean? What was it that Paul was trying to say with these words that he chose to use here. Now The New American Standard Bible the one I read out of here at the Greek word. Epi a case is translated Gentle Spirit. Now you're translation may use a different term. It may use the word consideration or graciousness reasonableness gentleness. Why is there such a variety? Why is there so much variation between the different translations of scripture if he uses so many words that something that we should be concerned about. Is that something that we should pause and and take note of what dr. John MacArthur he helpfully explains it this way. He does Epi a case, which is the word translated as Gentle Spirit has a meaning richer than any single English word can convey version. They vary widely and how they render in MacArthur goes on to say perhaps the best corresponding English. Word is graciousness. No, graciousness is the word that I had to look up in the dictionary cuz I want to know what it what it means. What is it? What is graciousness mean? So if you look up the word in it in the English dictionary, it says characterized by kindness and warm courtesy by tap and propriety by Mercy and compassion. What is dr. MacArthur's going to tell us here? That definition doesn't fully describe what Paul was talking about here in Philippians? 4:5 doctor. MacArthur says that that graciousness is the graciousness of humility The Humble graciousness that produces patience to endure Injustice disgrace and mistreatment without retaliation bitterness or Vengeance. Let me read that one more time the humble graciousness that produces patience to endure Injustice disgrace and mistreatment without retaliation bitterness or vengeance. That kind of wrap things up in that doesn't it? Doesn't that kind of take things up to the next level? But how does Doctor MacArthur know that's why does he give us this definition was we're going to see in our next question when you take into account what was happening in Phillipi to the Christians there in Phillipi the idea of Paul simply telling them to be warm and courteous and nice to each other. Just not going to fully computer.

So what we can assume from the definition here that we see from Doctor MacArthur which is in this is a key point is that a gentle spirit is most clearly and sharply demonstrated when you are suffering and just when you are being disgraced when someone mistreat you it's like Patience by show of hands. Has anyone been bold enough to ask the Lord for patience. How did that work out for you?

God doesn't just magically give us patients does he? What does he do? He gives you more opportunities in which you have to exercise patience. It's so like patience or generosity or compassion A Gentle Spirit is developed in situations where being gentle is not the normal or expected reaction.

In fact gentleness is the very opposite of how man's sinful nature wants to react. The world was assaulting the Philippians with harshness, but the flip is were not to react with harshness in return. They were in fact being instructed by Paul to react with graciousness a Gentle Spirit.

But if we look at the first this isn't all of what Paul is saying, he also directly reminds of Philippians that the Lord is near. Hey, that's a short sentence at the end of the verse but we can't miss it. The Lord is near in the office that word is translator that sentences translated to mean that the return of Christ is imminent. The return of Christ is coming the Lord is coming which is absolutely true. And if you assume that the word near here is referring to time then that's the interpretation you're going to get that the Lord return is near what is possible? That this turn near in this context is actually for referring to location or proximity which would mean that Paul was telling the Philippians that Christ dwells within them and then he was strengthening them and helping them to do what they were called to do as followers of Christ, which was to have a Gentle Spirit, which is clearly visible to all men. Know why we go to question number to why did Paul say this now? I want to pause for just a second and I want to tell you that and proper Bible study. You need to be very careful and taking one verse of scripture and ripping it out of context. You need to know what it said before that verse you need to know what it said after that verse you need to know the contact just understand that I've done that led work for us. Okay, so that's why we're just focusing on one one verse but I've read was before I read. What's after please don't don't forget to do that in your Bible study. Okay, make sure that your understanding the full context unpause here Wego. Why did Paul say this in as I have alluded to it already? Contextually speaking. We need to understand that the Philippian were experiencing some great religious persecution and abuse at the hands of the other citizens of Phillipi and these citizens Bayview the Roman Emperor as their Savior and Lord. That's what they called him. They called the Roman Emperor Savior and Lord and then you've got the group of flipping Christians over here and they identified Jesus Christ as their what their Savior and Lord so you got these two opposite ideologies and it's some point those two ideologies are going to bump up against each other. So these Philippian Christians, they found themselves in situations were being gracious and having a Gentle Spirit was not their natural instant. And that's the external reason why Paul wrote this he said this to them because of the persecution in the situation that they were in that the external reason but there's a deeper internal reason why Paul implored them to let their Gentle Spirit be known to all men and that reason was to remind the Philippians. Who they are supposed to be like to remind them who they are supposed to resemble in their conduct. They are to be they were to be like Christ. And so if we take all of this cultural and historical information into account, we can conclude that these 13 words in verse 5. We're not a random suggestion Paulding just flippantly throw this end at the end of the letter just for nothing. There was a purpose there was a purpose as to why he gave this command and not only that remember he tells them that the Lord is near but that was kind of an understatement. Because the Lord is it just me or he's at the very heart of this command.

If we were to foolishly try to take Christ out of the equation in this verse of scripture is just simply a moral directed from Paul to a group of people, but you can't you can't remove Jesus from scripture. You can't remove him from Philippians. 4:5 Paul is challenging this church. He calling them to respond the harshness and Injustice the same way that Christ did They were to respond without retaliation without bitterness and without vengeance. And we can also be confident that Paul himself was very aware of just how difficult it would be to follow this command. You see Paul was a man very well acquainted with being mistreated is Pastor Virgil kind of gave us a little intro into Paul's life. But if you open two acts 16 just write down Acts chapter 16 on your on your bulletin. Okay, you go back and look at it another time but Acts chapter 16 in and then put an arrow to Philippians in Acts chapter 16th. What you're going to see is Paul and his companions Silas being stripped and beaten with rods and thrown into prison in Philippine. So it was it was these very citizens who had it stripped him and beating him and throwing him in prison. It is he's very citizens the same ones who did that damn that the church was supposed to show their Gentle Spirit.

Those events of Paul's life would not have escaped the memory of those Philippians Christians. They would have remembered what it happened to Paul. So Paul from the bottom of his heart you made sure to emphasize the flipping Christians that the only way that such graciousness could be shown is through the power of Christ indwelling presence within them. So now that we understand that we come to the next question, which is going to be a little bit more delicate. This is one that we need to really pay some detailed attention to We ask ourselves. Why does this verse apply to us? Why would we think that a letter written by Paul 2000 years ago to a group of people on the other side of the earth? Why would we think that that verse some is some way directly applies to us power clean the Philippians. He was telling the Philippians to have a Gentle Spirit. He wasn't it wasn't come in and out of the Pine Bluff Ian.

True week. We don't have a lot of the same issues. We are not living in the first century. We are not in philippot. We are not under Roman rule and we are probably not suffering religious persecution from the other citizens of Pine Bluff. So it's true that there are many ways in which we differ from Pauls intended audience, but that doesn't mean that we have no similarities to the Philippians. We are also New Covenant Christian like they were we call on the same name of Jesus Christ for salvation that they called on. And sometimes we too are mistreated. Sometimes we too are disgraced. Sometimes we to suffer Injustice. So we have all of that in common with the Philippian but most importantly like the Philippian July call Christian past present future Christians. We too are to be just like Christ. Because we know we are to be like Jesus. We have a great perspective with which to look at God's word. We get to look back and God's word with this with this perspective. Let me share with you a great question to ask yourself when you examine passages of scripture. This is not the only question that but this is a good question. Will this passage of scripture will obeying it? Will it make me more like Jesus and I want to give you a very quick demonstration of how this works in Paso Road. It was in 2nd Timothy Anna and I'm going to pull a couple of verses from 2nd Timothy 2nd Timothy a letter written by an individual Paul to another individual Tennessee at the end of the letter for the end of the letter Paul tells Timothy. He says bring the cloak which I left at troas with carpus and the books especially the parts. Now is this a command to all Christians are we supposed to book our tickets to troas if you know where that isn't find a man named carpets and look for Paul's jacket and look for his books and look for apartments. Are we supposed to take them to Rome where Paul was dead? No, that's that's that's a specific request for a specific purpose. But in the same letter the same letter of 2nd Timothy rights, and he says now flee from your youthful lusts and pursue righteousness Faith love and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. So now we've encountered something a little bit different, haven't we? This is something that we need to look at to see if the ultimate purpose of this command goes beyond or transcending a specific time and location and audience. We need to ask would this scripture would it make us more like Jesus? And I think that is a bang this specific command would undoubtedly, make each and every one of us more like Christ. So this one this one we know has some application to us. So keep in mind that this question Is Not the Only Rule for interpretation or application but it is very helpful at the very helpful guideline that you can use when studying scripture a command almost assuredly applies to us in some way if I following that command we become more like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now, I don't know about you guys, but I find that exercise to be extremely helpful. Is that helpful for you guys? Does that clear up some things?

Is that guideline that I gave you? Let me tell you what is supported by supported by this fact. Jesus Christ did not come to earth live a perfectly righteous life give up that life on the cross and rise again on the third day simply to prevent us from going to hell. That's not the sole singular purpose of why Christ came Christ came so that we may be reconciled to God and being reconciled to God. We escape the punishment that we deserve because Christ paid that for us, but we are also to be conformed to the image of God son, Jesus Christ. That's what Romans 8 2829 tells us so beautifully. So it is making us more like Jesus Christ is God's intention and that should be Our intention and that means obeying command that make us more like Christ is a must and so now we get to question for this is the this is a good part. How do you do it? How do you do it? How do you let your Gentle Spirit be known to all men. We know why Paul wrote it we know what Paul was saying this applies to us in some way because it's going to make us more like Jesus, but how do you do it? The first thing that that that I want to say is if Paul reminded the Philippians, I remind you the same thing know that the Lord is near to strengthen and help you you see being truly gentle and gracious in the face of Injustice is impossible for us apart from Christ. It is through his power manifested in Us by the holy spirit that this command is something we can actually obey. The second thing which is little more difficult is this we have to accept the fact that becoming more like Christ to become more like Christ. We must encounter situations similar to the ones that he encountered.

Is he in this life? We will be mistreated. We will be disgraced. We will be treated. Unjustly, we need to accept the fact that that's going to happen and we need to expect that those things will occur because when we expecting to occur, we can better focus on responding and reacting to them the same way that Christ did because that's what we're called to do. The third thing that you can do in this application is make some personal examples because right now you may not be in the middle of it. You may not be in the middle of someone disgracing you or or treating you unjustly or or mistreating you in in some way and I hope that you're not maybe some of you are maybe some of you are going through that and you can make a direct correlation. But if that's not your situation right now, the best thing that we can do is make some personal examples set that help cuz when you make a personal example, it takes scripture for being something obscure and Abstract to something very specific in life. So I'm going to give you just a couple of examples that I came up with imagine that you're falsely accused of doing something that you didn't do by your spouse or or by a close friend. How should you respond in that situation? You are to let your Gentle Spirit be known to them by showing forgiveness and not retaliating with spite or bitterness and not holding a grudge. That's a hard one when spouse is, right. Don't hold a grudge even if that accusation that false accusation was very hurtful. We must respond with a Gentle Spirit. What if you're being ridiculed or insulted by co-workers for reading your Bible or praying in public? How should we respond to them? Should we return with them because we are embarrassed or we are hurt by their actions. No. We must let her Gentle Spirit be known to them also specifically in our patient and gracious reactions to them and are further interaction with them. Blast your personal example here is what if you're on foot unfairly passed over for a promotion or a role that you believe that you have earned her that you deserve should you emotionally shut down not working hard or quit altogether because you've been treated unjustly.

We should respond with endurance and Grace not bitterness and pettiness so that are Gentle Spirit may be made known to them as well. You see Paul knew something very important. And he didn't just know it because someone told him he knew it because he experienced this firsthand. He knew that nothing shines brighter against the backdrop of a dark and lost world than the Light of Christ. When Christ followers demonstrate the same Gentle Spirit that Christ displayed the light is unmistakable and the world will take notice. And that's what Paul wanted the Philippines to understand and we can back this up when we come up with an interpretation and application scripture. We should back it up with other scripture. And so there's one translation of 1st Peter 2:12. It reads like this. It says let your conduct among the unbelievers be so good. That although they now Moline You Is Wrong doors are being mistreated reflection on your deeds will leave them to give glory to God on the day when he comes in judgment you guys catch that the Lord is near that day when he comes in judgment. So we should respond in a gentle spirit because that's what Christ did and that's what Christ wants us to do and we should pray that God would use our gentle response in our reactions in the face of mistreatment to draw others to Jesus Christ before it's too late. So make sure that you don't underestimate the power of 13 words 13 words of scripture a very powerful. It's a finely as I as I closed today if there's anyone here that does not follow Christ as Lord. There are some things that you can take away from this verse as well and let me share those things with you. First thing that you can take away from this as Christ is the center and he is the source he is the source of our salvation and he's at the very center of our transformation.

Call to have a gentle spirit. So that Christ will eventually find us worthy and save us we desire to respond with a gentle spirit because Christ has already saved them. It is a free gift my for my forgiveness of sin. Is it something I can earn? It's a free gift from Christ and his change not only my life in the here and now it is changed my eternity. So the second thing that you can take away from this first if you're currently not following Christ as Lord is this Christ is willing to give you that free gift as well. He proved his love for us by going to the cross and suffering the punishment that we deserve for our transgression against guy Philippians 4:5 tells us that the Lord is near and if you're feeling some conviction in your heart right now. And the Lord might be nearer to you than you ever expected him to be and I hope I hope that he is because there's one last thing that you need to take away from this verse and it is this the Lord is near his return could come at any moment. So becoming a Christ follower isn't something that you can put off for another day just like we is Christ followers We cannot put on letting our gentle Spirits be known to all men. That's not something we can hesitate. We need to implement that today just like that. You cannot put off following Christ for another day today can be your day Baptist men's day of all days probably a day. You didn't expect could be your day whether you're a man whether you're a woman. Doesn't matter today can be your day customer. Would you come closes?