R1373 The Safeguards of Our Faith

God has an encouraging word for you and me today to the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton and a message on the safeguards of faith in just a moment will be headed to Philippians chapter 3 with Dr. Don Wilton while the author evangelist Pastor Tillman. You can always connect on her website@gwonline.org but first let's open our hearts and God's word together with Dr. Don Wilton God want you at my side anyway in every way possible. I think you are a wonderful people, but that doesn't mean to say that you're going to heaven you listening don't come with all the stuff about you boot this building and you gave this money and you bought this bus and you supported your football team and you barbecued better than anybody else and you played the violin and you preach sermons better than anybody else.

Are you saying in church that doesn't get you to heaven you listening church. Are you listening your membership of First Baptist Church doesn't get you into heaven, your money doesn't get you into him. These things are very important we do these things because we all going to heaven I give my tithe and offerings and I tried to serve others, to the base of my ability am going to him as I've got a relationship with Jesus. So pull sick of this.

I want to read this to you. Philippians chapter 3 he said finally. My brothers and sisters.

I want you to rejoice in the Lord and I want to write the same things to you because this is no trouble to me and besides that these things that I'm about to write to you are a safe God for you. You can take this to the bank, the bullets might be flying people may be talking churches might be vying opinions may be flying.

This is safe.

This is where you can go. This is the safeguard lookout for the dogs. Watch me folks pull used an incredible Frazier. He said careful there are dogs out there again to yet at your ankles, I gonna tell you, give you every opinion you can imagine, they gonna go at you from every which way. Lookout for evil news for those who mutilate the flesh, for we are Jewish people not pull speaking about himself and I'm going to tell you something pull his just about to tell us listen when you preach my funeral. I have got some bragging rights. I bought a flag to fly. That's what you say we all Jewish people who worship by the spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh foot pole.

He was invoking his Jewish heritage, which was legalistic. It was ritualistic.

It was all kinds of regulations do this don't do that walk you don't walk their grace this way meet at this time. He had every kind of rule and regulation, and in fact he sees in verse four, even though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he is reasonable confidence in the flesh, I have more couples going to save himself up. He said I was circumcised on the eighth day just like all Jewish boys were on the eighth day you couldn't be a Jew and not go through this. This was very much part of who he was as a Jewish person as a Jewish man.

I was circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel of the tribe of Jane Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews as to the law. I was a Pharisee as to seal a persecutor of the church as to righteousness under the law. I was blameless. I didn't according to the book, but what ever again. I head. I counted as loss for Christ Jesus, and any goes on here and he says in verse in verse eight.

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for his sake.

I've suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him not to having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ Jesus, the righteousness from God that depends on faith that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, emaciated in his suffering, becoming like him. And if that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection of the dead, so just pull telling us this is the safe place to be. This is the safeguard about faith. What is the safeguard, safeguard affirms those who are in it wards off those who are out in person it preserves.

It protects it guarantees and why would poor have seen this what you supposed pole was so paint on telling these people that just the bottom line when it comes to going to heaven. Why was pole. Why did he say this to them number reasons. Number one because of the religions that surrounded them. United polls day there was every kind of religion sounds familiar, doesn't religion will tell you things that God does not say it doesn't matter if it's the Pope. It doesn't matter if it's the bishop. It doesn't matter if it's the posture of the local church. I want to know what God says about me going to heaven. Don't you want God to tell me my religion. Why did Paul say this. Why did he give them the safeguard number one because of the religions that surrounded them.

Number two because of the nation that little pole lived among these Roman people who did everything they could to belittle them at every turn in the road every turn in the road they needed to have a safeguard. He did it because of the persecutions that threatened them persecution was all around pole in the Christian church and persecution will cause you to grab hold of scrolls persecution unlike anything else will cause people to take hold of what ever it is that comes floating by with a God centered on not and I can understand that because persecution breeds fear persecution will threaten your business. It's amazing in America that no matter what it is, what ever said if God has something to say. It does not matter. The bottom line is, is it going to affect my business and it it's going to affect my business I'm going to hit back with my business. Why did he say these things because of the frailty of their sinfulness within them religions in the nation and the persecutions in the frailty of their own sinfulness.

People crave to call sharks on God. Human sinfulness wants to take a piece of God for himself human sinfulness and the Monzon craves this. I know this is what's going to happen. Off parole. How could God ever not stop anybody from coming to heaven I've heard it all tell you I hear it more when it comes to funerals than at any other time in that most difficult funerals I have preach and I've done many of them when their loved one has died and didn't know Jesus is an emptiness I've been in funerals folks are just tiny. I have been in funerals where all we've done is we've stood there and read off the accolades he was chairman of the son he built Bethany's name was on this and he was always there and he bought all the bubblegum for the team and he was out front of us and he always he never missed a game.

I'll tell you he never let me tell you one thing about him. He never missed a game. None of those things in and of themselves mean that you going to heaven do not get this and we didn't decide that Paul here warns them. What does he warn them about. He's got seven warnings in each one of these things. Paul himself do. It was part of what he warn them, he said. First of all, rituals cannot save you. Verse five rituals cannot save you pole was circumcised the eighth day. That is the ultimate ritual folks, they are more rituals associated with religion then you can quote pray as you can go to church.

You could wash your hands, you can go to clean things you can stand upside down.

You can be baptized. 100 times. You can sing out of a prayer book you can quote the doxology. You can pray the Lord's prayer one way or the other. You can stand up and sit down, you can attend this and go to that and toe the line on that these are rituals and not one of them will ever live mean that you going to heaven you or in church and we are singing hymns and we are praying the Lord's prayer because we have a relationship with Jesus.

That's why we want to do these things rituals could not save them nationality couldn't save it.

The second part of this verse five that he sees he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, your nationality cannot save you. Paul was saying, listen, if anybody was a Hebrew I was, he said status could not save them look at the third part. He says I was a Hebrew of the Hebrews and I had status like you cannot imagine because I was all the way. Even a Pharisee.

By the way the Pharisees by weather stuff that could we just admit something in this room right now I've got status on the pasta and I can even say pasta you call me pastor. Someone came to me one time and sit we eat pasta sauce it don't you try that one with me. You know, we could talk about our status. Listen folks, we we always have an we all have an inclination you know how can my status on the pasta refers Baptist Church. I'm so deeply grateful for just saying listen I was a Pharisee wasn't going to have me at Deacon chairman, and deacons, chairman of the County chamber. This do that do that, president of the doesn't matter number four tradition could not save them. Tradition one of the someone here that you really believe because your mother was a member of the church or your daddy did this so you did that, we've always done that. This is been in our family for years.

It doesn't matter whether it's been in your family for three decades.

It wouldn't matter what pole the signs your traditions knock on the Savior staying folks.

I celebrate tradition.

I love tradition.

I'm a very traditional type of person and how much we thank God for people who've gone before Sue being found faithful. Where would we be without the traditions about nation of our people. People stood up and run the test of time. But what pole saying is let's get things confused. Your just because your daddy was a preacher. You know, to borrow the old phrase just because you born in the garage doesn't make your motorcar so you try to work that one out onto number five religion could not save them.

Susie was a very religious man somehow you are very religious. I tell you I my unit and I respect you, man. You are listen. We've got some in. In America, folks.

We've got some incredibly religious people live I have I have a very deep respect for religious people follow the line and who adhere through a religious dispensation doesn't save anybody you listening. Please forgive the eruption of all my goodness how Dr. Don stepped on my toes. Maybe yours as well. Are we not just hearing but are we listening to the truth of what God stirring us with the difference between religion and religious disposition and faith is on fire for Jesus Christ and one of the tools of fueling our faith is the spending time in God's word on a daily basis.

We have a wonderful free resources called the daily Encouraging Word. It's in an email devotion to Dr. Johnson's out every single day. You can sign up for our website right now ITW online.org that's our website, T. E. W online.org is also the place to find many resources like a wonderful book, the spirit of God within you that leather bound devotional again details online@twonline.org or give us a call number down.

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Now back to today's teaching with Dr. Don Wilton religion doesn't say a relationship with Christ. Sincerity could not save. That's what he's telling us in verse 60 he speaks about and see listen.

Paul was very sincere. I mean, he's zealousness.

He was so he was. He was so filled with sincerity and an determination concerning what he believed in his religiosity he went to what ever extremes and went out and persecuted the church again. I know some wonderful people who are very sinless over the religion and what they believe, and I am not pointing the finger at you or criticizing you, but I'm telling you something you will zealousness will not get you into heaven. Legalism could not save legalism highly one of the most abhorrent things to God is legalism. That's why I want you to know, folks. This church is not on any form of legalism. We are not going to go down that road and we never have talk about respect. This is not anything goes and just walk up and behave in an in and I way that's a different matter. Legalism in terms of the manner with which you take hold of your faith. It all comes down to this.

He says here's the safeguard and the bottom line is right.

It's I just put the artifact in my Bible I just put one I underlined the second part of verse nine but that which comes through faith in Christ that a great statement. It's so simple and so profound. Bottom line here signed. Listen to those who are going to spend old time and eternity with God in heaven. All those who have come to God through faith in Christ. You know, when he wrote to the church at Ephesus.

He said you are saved by grace through faith, not of yourself, not of your works not of you, legalism, or your status of your religion not of works, least you should boast to each other. We've got nothing to boast about.

We can only boast in Christ who's who's done anything yet. Who wants to fly a flag who's got a flag to fly honey flag we flies the principle by which we operate. And that is to whom much is given much is required.

That's the flag means you know the Lord has blessed me and it all comes from him and I love him. I'm just gonna do whatever I can for him.

I want to I want to serve.

I want to hand out but I want to give clothing to people less fortunate than I am. I want to provide scholarships for young people to go on mission trips this summer, but boy, I'm telling you something I I am so grateful that you and I can talk straight with the children we would we be in our grief and in the struggles. If it weren't for the fact that we know that we know that one day when we die with Jesus would come back, that would be picked up by God's angels carried into the presence of the Lord Jesus. I know that I've I've settled that in my heart absent today. I have I I want you to know that I want you to know you know some of you may still be here when I get taken to heaven body, you will probably be up. They waiting to welcome me which one of you will be there.

We don't know. So yeah, you know, by the way have I told you all things are done in my life I'm telling when I start talking about it you know every now and again I get quite impressed with myself and then I look over my wife's just smiling at me. The bottom line of all of it is, there came a point in my life that I knew that I was a center I knew it, and that without Jesus, I could never be saved. It wasn't my ritual. My nationality or my status of my traditional my religion or my sincerity or my legalism.

My daddy was a pretty fine imposter preacher is about me coming to the point at which I knew that I was a sinner and I confessed my sin to the Lord Jesus repented of that sentencing Lord Jesus by faith receive more times gone for today but sometimes the simple questions direct honest answers in the heart.

All that we need to see our lives changed from bad to good to take a moment and open your heart when our pastor Dr. Don Wilton has to share with us next. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Why did you pray this prayer with me right now. Dear God, I know that Arneson and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross today, I repent of my sin and by faith I receive you into my Jesus name. My friend welcome you today into the family of God. This is exciting news. Pray together with Dr. Don Wilton moments ago to give your life to Jesus Christ will return to come home to Jesus Christ. Either way, we have free resources to put in your hands that will help you take the next steps what you give us a call. Our phone number is 86689866899967 would love to speak with you. Pray with you these great resources in your hands is America is like this you on your like that your friends and family never Christ you this Christmas. Dr. Wilton wants to encourage everyday learn more about being able to live a life of trust $30 encouraging godly thing you know the last thing you read Scripture and prayers on Dr. today at 899 and will make a great encouragement is very encouraging that connected online at tewonline.org G between now and tomorrow's broadcast hope you join us again Dr. with this message with the greatest needs ever. That's tomorrow. The next edition of The Encouraging Word