A Life Worthy of the Gospel

Introduction: Continuity and Discontinuity in a New Building

0:03 The following sermon was preached on Sunday morning, January the 11th, 1981, when the Trinity Church met for the first time in its new building in Montville, New Jersey. Now may I urge you to follow in your own Bibles as I read this morning from Philippians chapter 1, beginning with verse 20 and concluding with the end of the chapter, verse 30. Philippians chapter 1, verses 27 through 30.

1:07 Which is for them an evident token of perdition, but of your salvation, and that from God. Because to you it hath been granted in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me, and now here to be in me. In making this sermon, in the transition from rented school auditoriums in the Caldwell area to this building in Montville, I have been concerned to express from a pastoral perspective

1:51 two basic concerns. Number one is the basic continuity of our life and ministry as a church. And so in our last service in rented facilities last Lord's Day, we did. We did not turn to some passage chosen for that occasion in our morning worship service, but we carried right on in our regular studies in Philippians, and obviously we will do the same this morning.

2:23 And in this way I am hoping to demonstrate that that which constitutes the very backbone of our life together is completely unchanged, though we've had a radical change of physical locality. We have a new foundation of a new foundation of our life together. The other strand that I have sought to express is something of the discontinuity and some of the focus of concern that ought to be ours as we close out one phase of our life together and as we enter upon a new phase of life together. And so last Lord's Day evening, we expressed that dimension of pastoral concern by considering the particular lessons,

3:08 taught by God in the period of our pilgrimage in various auditoriums in the Caldwell area, and something of the blessings received from the hand of God in those fourteen years of pilgrimage. And now tonight I bring the first half of a message dealing with the particular dangers and challenges of our new set of circumstances. And so by carrying on, our regular stated verse by verse expositions in Philippians, I am trusting that we as a congregation, in spite of all of the newness attached to moving to this building,

3:50 will have a sense of being settled and locked in from the very outset to that which forms the backbone of our life together, while at the same time taking the occasion of the novelty of the change to direct our minds to vital biblical knowledge. And so, in the midst of all of this, I would like to present to you some of the most important principles. However, in the kind providence of God, our regular course of studies in the book of Philippians finds us confronting a text this morning which is unusually appropriate to this occasion. In fact, I am not quite so sure if I had been left to choose a text for this, our first worship service in this building, but that I might not have chosen this text.

The Strategic Place of Philippians 1:27 in the Letter

4:35 The first part of verse twenty-seven in Philippians, verse twenty-seven in Philippians one, Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ. And in this text we have what I am calling a clarion call to a life worthy of the gospel. A clarion call to a life worthy of the gospel. And as we seek to understand the mind of the Spirit in this text, consider with me first of all the strategic place of this text in the structure of the Philippian letter.

5:15 Those of you who have been with us in the previous studies will remember that after the general apostolic greetings in verses one and two, Paul went on in verses three to eleven to record both his praise and his petitions on behalf of the Philippians. Then starting with verse twelve, all the way through to verse twenty-six, he gives an extended report of his own circumstances and the effect of those circumstances upon the progress of the gospel and upon his own internal psychological makeup as a man of God, longing on the one hand to depart and to be with Christ,

5:59 and yet desirous of continued fruit in the ministry of the word of God, particularly to the Philippians. And so in a real sense, the section bounded by verses twelve through twenty-six is a section which focuses upon the apostle Paul. Now we saw in our studies that there was much instruction for the Philippians and for us, but instruction which comes by inference or by the power of Paul's godly example, or by references made to truths in the unfolding of this biographical material. But there is a radical shift in verse twenty-seven.

6:42 In the structure of the letter, Paul now turns from the things pertaining to himself, which is the theme of verse twelve and following, and he directly addresses for the first time the Philippian church in a way of explicit exhortation. Only let YOUR manner of life be worthy of the gospel, that whether I come or am absent, I may hear of the things pertaining to you. And it is that new focal point of concentration that follows all the way through to the end of chapter one, on into chapter two,

7:26 until verse sixteen of chapter two. Then with verses seventeen and eighteen, he makes a transition back to himself and his own relationship to the Philippians, and then his ministerial concerns for them, and how he proposes to implement those concerns. So that in the structure of the letter, verse twenty-seven marks what we might call both a threshold and a launching pad. The threshold is that over which you pass into a building or a room.

8:03 Paul is now passing out of the room of a report concerning himself, and into the room of explicit admonitions and exhortations to the Philippians. And verses twenty-seven through thirty also form a launching pad in which the concerns of chapter two are mentioned in principle and then flowered out, fleshed out in the further directives of that chapter. So then I trust you feel something of the flow of the letter and the strategic place of verse twenty-one. Verse twenty-seven, I am sorry.

The Crucial Importance and Weighty Form of the Exhortation

8:44 Now then, in verse twenty-seven we have a general exhortation. The exhortation being only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel. It is a clarion call to a life worthy of the gospel. The general exhortation is then followed by some specific expressions of that exhortation as Paul expects them to come to light in the life of the congregation at Philippi.

9:16 Well, this morning our exclusive focal point of concentration is upon the general exhortation. The words only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ. And the first thing I ask you to note with me concerning this clarion call is its crucial importance. Now you children who are very limited in your ability to read, most of you can read the first word of verse twenty-seven.

9:50 It is the two syllable word only. Only. Now sometimes that word is used in the New Testament with little more than the force of a transition to introduce a new thought. But there are other times and this is one of those instances where it bears the weight of underscoring that which is of supreme importance.

10:16 It is in this way that Paul uses it in Galatians two and Galatians five thirteen and in other parts of his epistles. Now remember the flow of thought. Back up for a moment Paul has told the Philippians that everything that they hear about his circumstances even though they seem to be less than ideal should not cause them any disruption of peace or joy because they have resulted in the furtherance of the gospel. He goes on to tell them that even though some people are activated by bad motives Christ is preached and he is going to rejoice.

10:56 Furthermore he says even though my trial may result in the sentence of my execution whether I live or die I will continue to rejoice because I am confident that Christ will be magnified in my body whether by life or by death. Then he launches into that sanctified tension or a description of that tension. He longs on the one hand to depart and be with Christ which is far better. Yet he sees the necessity of remaining on to minister to the Philippians.

11:28 And he says that though I have no direct word from God I am relatively confident that even though I long to depart and be with Christ because my presence with you is necessary for your progress and joy in the faith I have a high degree of confidence by inference and deduction that I will remain with you and that I shall be able to come amongst you again and labor in the gospel. But now he says whatever happens to me this is the matter of supreme importance you Philippians. Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.

12:11 One has translated this word I should say paraphrased it but whatever happens this should be your concern. Whether I live, whether I die don't let that be your concern let this thing be the point of your concentration. For instance, who of us who remembers growing up at all cannot remember the time when mom and dad first of all began to trust us with being home alone in the evening and they were going to be out late and they gave us all kinds of instructions but then at the end they said but whatever else you do don't go to bed with the dog and the cat out don't go to bed without being sure that you lock the doors

12:56 and turning down the heat. Now some of us didn't hear turning down the heat we didn't have fancy things like thermostats we had cold stoves that just got you hot and drove you out the walls sometimes and left you freezing but those are the kinds of instructions we give and after all the instructions when we say but whatever you do then the child is to understand that now what mom and dad says is of supreme importance. Well that's the sense of the word with which Paul introduces this part of the letter. It is of crucial importance that the Philippians grasp this clarion call.

13:38 But then notice not only its crucial importance but its weighty form. Its weighty form. It comes in the form of a divine imperative. When Paul turns his attention to the Philippians he does not do so by entreating them he does not do so by appealing to them but in the full consciousness of his unique authority as an apostle of Christ he commands them to walk worthy of the gospel.

14:17 When he wrote to them they would understand the first Lord's Day morning one of the leaders in the congregation would stand up perhaps Epaphroditus who returned with the letter the moment they would hear these words they would know that they were coming in the form of a divine imperative. So that as their attention was arrested with the word only whatever happens above all else then the moment they hear that word only their ears receive a word of divine imperative. In other words Paul was binding their consciences with these words

15:01 even with the authority of the living God. But its weighty form is to be seen not only in that it comes in the form of a divine imperative but it comes in the form of a continuous imperative. In other words Paul writes to them concerning a duty which is not temporary or one that is to be taken up spasmodically or sporadically but he writes with a present imperative only let your manner of life continually be worthy of the gospel of Christ. So he is not only binding their consciences

Instinctive Reactions to a Divine Imperative

15:45 he is binding their consciences with a divine imperative that is perpetual and unchanging. So that's the weighty form in which this text comes to the Philippians and comes to us. Now let me pause for a moment to underscore a vital principle. Few things are more calculated more quickly and accurately to discover the true state of the human heart than our instinctive reactions in the presence of a divine imperative.

16:27 What is your instinctive and reflexive reaction of heart and mind and spirit in the presence of a word from God that comes as a command? What is your reaction? Well I say few things are a more accurate indicator of the state of your heart. If you sit here this morning as an impenitent degenerate man or woman boy or girl then nothing more quickly brings to the surface the basic disposition of your spiritual state than a divine imperative.

17:04 Almighty God says this you must do. And you know what the attitude of your heart is? In the language of Pharaoh who is Jehovah that I should obey him? God that goes monkeying around with my business.

17:23 God that dares to intrude into my lifestyle and tell me how to live. Well you see that reaction is natural because of the state of the unregenerate heart as described in Romans 8-7. The carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can it be. I wonder this morning what was your native reaction?

17:52 What was your inner spiritual instinct when I said this is not only of crucial importance but this exhortation comes in a weighty form it is a divine imperative. God is saying I have a right to regulate your lifestyle. What was your reaction to that? Did you say oh no here we go more of this business do this don't do that.

18:23 Was that the reaction of your heart? My friend if so face what you are a rebel against the living God and in that condition an enemy of God and in that condition under the wrath of almighty God unless you repent and believe the gospel. Not only does the presence of a divine imperative reveal the rebellion of the impenitent heart but it exposes the delusions of the self-righteous heart. You see the self-righteous person is like the Pharisee recorded in Luke 18 who thinks that he is accepted before God

19:07 in terms of what he does of the revealed will of God and the person who has that heart when he hears a divine imperative he looks upon it as another rung in his self-made ladder to heaven. He looks upon every precept as a rung by which he can climb his own way into heaven. And because he has an imperfect understanding of the breadth of the demand and of the place of the divine imperatives he is utterly deceived into thinking that his own performance is the basis of his acceptance with God. So when such a person hears

19:50 a divine imperative many times he has a reaction that seems to be very positive. Oh wonderful now I know another dimension I must do so that in doing I may attain to the favor of God. Was that in any way your reaction when I announced to you that this comes in the form of a divine imperative? Was your reaction not so much that of the openly impenitent but that of the delusion of a self-righteous man or woman?

20:22 Well thank God the presence of a divine imperative is almost invariably the most sure index of the results of grace in the hearts of the true people of God. For while they fully acknowledge their total dependence on the doing and the dying of another to open up the way into heaven, they love to obey God out of love to the God who has freely and graciously redeemed them in Jesus Christ. A truly evangelical spirit is one in which there is with equal conviction this confession nothing I

21:06 do or ever can do can add one sliver in any rung to heaven that has been constructed solely of the doings and the dying of another and yet acknowledging that nothing I do can earn the favor of God having received that favor in Jesus Christ by faith I delight to do thy will O my God, yea thy law is within my heart. Teach me thy statutes and I shall run in the way of thy commandments when thou shalt enlarge my heart. It is only a heart transformed by the grace

21:50 of God that can have that reaction to divine precept. Was that the reaction of your heart? Did your heart leap within you saying, O Lord Jesus, I welcome from you my gracious Redeemer a new dimension of the unfolding of your will for me that loving you I may obey you and thereby glorify you. Well as we examine the text we need to see not only its crucial importance only its weighty form. It comes

The Vivid Imagery and Basic Meaning of 'Worthy of the Gospel'

22:25 in the form of a divine imperative and a continuous imperative but we need to note thirdly its vivid imagery. When Paul exhorts the people of God to a Christian lifestyle, the word he normally uses is the word he uses in chapter 3 and verse 17 the imitators together of me and mark them that so walk the word for walk is Paul's ordinary word. He uses it in Ephesians 4, 1, 5, 2, 5, 8, many places in his epistles. And when he's describing what we would say in present jargon a Christian's

23:09 lifestyle he has this ordinary word at his disposal that is the one he generally uses. But he chose not to use that word to the Philippians. He used a word which in its noun form is found in chapter 3 and verse 20. Look at it in your Bibles. Translated

23:30 our citizenship is in heaven. Now he used the verbal form of that same word so that some have translated this verse live out your life as citizens in a manner worthy of the gospel. Now I'm aware that amongst Bible scholars there's a debate as to whether or not the word in Paul's usage has any of that political connotation. But I'm convinced on the basis of his use of it later on in the letter in which he addresses the Philippians remember living in a Roman colony.

24:10 Roman citizens with all of the privileges and the dignity attached thereto. He is in this text using vivid imagery not telling them simply in the ordinary sense live out your general lifestyle but live out your life as citizens. Citizens of that kingdom which is above. Citizens of the city true Zion, heavenly Zion. Whatever you may know

24:40 and have and whatever things in which you may find genuine delight and pride as Roman citizens you have a citizenship that is far more glorious. You have a citizenship that is eternal and abiding but with it come tremendous responsibilities and in a sense the gospel is the charter of that citizenship. And so he uses this vivid imagery. Live out your life as citizens and now we come to the basic thrust of the passage. It's basic

25:18 meaning in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Now what in the world does that mean? What does it mean to live out our lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ? Certainly it cannot mean so live as to earn the blessings of the gospel. That absolutely

25:46 negates the message of the gospel. What is the message of the gospel? It's good news to guilty helpless sinners who can do nothing for their own salvation that God in Christ has done everything necessary for their salvation. Isn't that the message of the gospel? So if you

26:04 say live your life worthy of the gospel means live in such a way as to earn the benefits of the gospel it's mixing up terms that simply won't mix. Gospel is good news for unworthy sinners, helpless sinners, condemned sinners, dead sinners. Know what Paul is saying is this. Live out your life as citizens of the kingdom of God in such a way as will reflect that you have been mastered by the gospel.

26:40 Remember he told them in Philippians 1 in verse 5 that he gave thanks to God for their fellowship in the furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now. They were evidently full of zeal for the propagation of the gospel. They were the only church that stood with Paul at that time in the advanced advancement of the missionary cause and he says in chapter 4 you only shared with me in the furtherance of the gospel and so the apostle at this point is not so much concerned that they have in any way manifested a lack of zeal for the spread of the gospel but his great passion is

27:25 that their own lifestyle as a congregation for remember this comes to a church only let your manner of life reflect that the gospel is not only a message which you propagate to others. A message which you see is propagated by me and with which you stand in the fellowship of giving and sharing and praying but oh that your lifestyle will reflect that you are mastered by the gospel. Now let me seek to open this up a bit in your hearing in the time that remains in the gospel of Christ that wonderful message of good news concerning God's mercy

28:09 to sinners. God has made the fullest display of his glory now the scriptures tell us that the heavens declare the glory of God and they do but God's greatest display of glory is reserved for the display that he makes in the gospel and it's in the message of God's redeeming mercy to sinners that all of God's glorious attributes like the rays that go forth from the sun shine in their purest and brightest form God's love God's justice, God's wisdom, God's mercy

28:52 God's power all that God is finds its most brilliant display in the gospel but now follow me from that brilliant illuminating display of his glory in the gospel a direct line can be drawn from every beam of God's glory in the gospel to every single facet of your life and my life whether as children, moms and dads, workmen students no matter what we are the gospel which displays the glory of God in his

29:37 mercy to sinners becomes the rule by which our lives are constantly to be measured and so the basic meaning of the exhortation is whatever else you Philippians do don't be overly concerned about my state whether I live or die I rejoice and though I have reason to hope that I will be with you again above all else you Philippians whether I come and see or whether I'm absent and I hear oh you will only live out your life as citizens in a manner that is worthy of the gospel of Christ in a manner fitting

Living Worthy of the Gospel: Primacy of Spiritual Concerns

30:21 to your professed belief in and submission to the gospel now what does that mean in the concrete well may I just trace out a few lines with you and I hope it will provoke further yes even lifelong meditation on this truth in the first place the gospel assumes the and the primacy of what we would call the most fundamental spiritual concerns. The gospel assumes both the reality and the primacy, that is, first order, of fundamental spiritual concerns. Take John 3.16.

30:59 For God assumes the reality of God. So loved the world assumes the reality of the world in its state of sin, that He gave His only begotten Son, the reality of man's condition demanding the incarnation, the perfect life of obedience of Christ, His death upon the cross to satisfy the demands of justice, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish. It assumes the reality of hell, but have everlasting life, the reality of everlasting life now and in the world to come. Look at all the things, the things that are assumed in that simple little verse we all learned at our mother's, and many of us learned at our mother's knee.

31:44 Well, you see, the gospel assumes the reality and the primacy of these spiritual concerns. Now then, you say you've embraced the gospel. I say I've embraced the gospel. Well, Paul says, it is incumbent upon you to let your lifestyle manifest that those concerns dominate you in every facet of life, so that in your home the primary concern is not whether or not your furniture is the most modern furniture, whether you've got the sharpest, most definitive, best color TV that's come off the production lines in Japan.

32:30 The issue is not to be whether you're keeping up with the Joneses or the Smiths. Oh, you Philippians, let your lifestyle be worthy, of the gospel. The gospel comes assuming the primacy of God, His law, heaven, hell, spiritual values.

32:53 Let your life be worthy of that gospel. Let the entirety of your lifestyle reflect that if the Joneses want to be preoccupied with furniture and clothes and vacation homes or whatever else, you're going to get primacy to the state of your soul, the souls of your family, the spiritual and moral and intellectual progress of your children as image bearers of God. That's what it means. Let your life be worthy of the gospel.

Living Worthy of the Gospel: Salvation from Sin and Unmerited Favor

33:29 Let it answer to what the gospel proclaims. Furthermore, the gospel expresses the divine intention and provision to save men from sin. Isn't that the heart of the gospel? The gospel declares the divine intention and provision to save men from sin.

33:52 Matthew 1.21, great Christmas text. The angel comes to Joseph and says, Don't be afraid to take Mary to be your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost, and she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. That's what the gospel declares.

34:13 Or in the language of Titus 2.11 and following, the grace of God that brings salvation to all men has appeared, teaching us that denying ungodliness, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age, looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works, Ephesians 5, Christ loved the church, gave himself up for the church, that he might sanctify it and cleanse it, having washed it with the water by the word and presented to himself a glorious church.

34:55 That's the meat and taters of the gospel, isn't it? It's an announcement of the divine intention and provision to save people from their sins. The penalty of sin, yes, the power of sin, the pollution of sin, the defilement of sin, now Paul says, Philippians, you've received that gospel, let your life answer to that great reality that it announces. Let your life be worthy of such a gospel.

35:26 Let your entire lifestyle manifest that no matter what low views of sin may exist in the world or in the church, that for you, Philippians, there will be no toleration of low views of sin. Though society, may adjust its standards downward and downward and downward until the most vicious vices are called virtues, you Philippians, live as the citizens of a kingdom whose laws do not change, whose king is declared, thou shalt not, and whose law is inviolable and unchangeable. Oh, you Philippians,

36:10 as citizens of a kingdom whose laws are not governed, by the current mores and consensus of society, but by the changeless character of the living God, let your life be worthy of that gospel.

36:26 Furthermore, the gospel displays the unmerited favor of God. Isn't that the heart of the gospel? God commended His love to us, Romans 5.8, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

36:41 Ephesians 2.8, By grace are you saved through. Faith. Titus 3.5,

36:47 After the kindness of God our Savior appeared. Or let's go back to the announcement of the angels. They said, We bring you great tidings, or yes, great tidings, or good tidings of great joy. Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

37:09 The gospel displays the unmerited favor of God. And we, we profess to have embraced it. Well, when needy sinners, who deserve nothing but wrath and judgment, have come to the conviction of faith, that on the basis of God's unmerited favor, they are fully pardoned, accepted as righteous in His sight, for the doing and the dying of another, that they are given the status of sons and daughters of the Almighty, and that the triune God is committed to keep them and take them all the way, saved to glory. Surely they should be a people of abounding joy, moroseness,

37:54 heaviness, downcast eyes. How out of place for a people who believe the gospel. We're not talking about a giddy joy. We're not talking about the froth and the frivolous joy of the world.

38:08 But my friend, you can't truly believe the gospel sitting there this morning, and have found the grace of God, of God answering to all your needs, and be a stranger to joy. The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and what? Joy in the Holy Ghost. Hey, you Philippians, you getting some opposition?

38:35 He knew they were. The end of the passage, he says, look, you're experiencing the same conflict you saw in me, and by the way, because of my letter, you know what's still going on in me? That's all right. Let your life be worthy of the gospel.

Living Worthy of the Gospel: Right Relationships and Congregational Responsibility

38:50 Manifest in the midst of all kinds of opposition that you are recipients of grace. And then, just one other suggested line of thought, and I say this is only what I hope will be a catalyst for meditation. The gospel secures man's right relationship to God and to men. Isn't that what the gospel secures?

39:13 Read Ephesians 2. The gospel breaks down, down middle walls of partition between Jew and Gentile. It opens up a way of access between the sinner and his God. The illustration I came across years ago has been a great help to me.

39:29 Sin has boxed us in like this building boxes us in. Walls on the side and a roof overhead. And that's what sin has done. It's put a roof over us so that we are alienated from fellowship and communion with God.

39:45 And it's put a roof over us so that we are alienated from fellowship and communion with God. And it's put walls up so that we are alienated from proper relationships to our fellow men. And the gospel comes and it not only blows the roof off, but it knocks the walls flat. So Paul can write to the Colossians and said, I do not cease to pray for you from the day I heard two things.

40:05 Your faith in the Lord Jesus. The roof's gone off. And sinners come to access to God through Christ. And then he says, and your love to all the brethren.

40:14 The walls went flat. And God never knocks the roof off without blowing the walls down. The roof and the walls go down in the embrace of the gospel. Now Paul says, you Philippians.

40:27 And they had a little problem here. Remember? Later on he said, hey, Yodia, Syntyche, come on, get over your little tensions. Be of the same mind in the Lord.

40:37 Right in this passage he's going to say, one heart, one soul, one spirit literally, one soul, striving for the faith of the gospel. Then the great exorcist, the exhortation of chapter two. If there's any exhortation, any consolation, any fellowship, make my joy full. Be of the same mind, same love, one accord, nothing done through.

41:00 You see, the apostle must have received some intimation that there were at least these little filmy walls, maybe only made of reeds, or maybe something even less substantial, not concrete walls of bitter alienation, but little filmy walls, maybe made of reeds or bamboo, but whatever they are, he says, oh, Philippians, let your life answer to the truth of the gospel. Make it evident that you not only live in communion with God, but with the walls flat in your communion with one another. Well, you see how then you could take every fundamental truth of the gospel and draw a direct line to the implications for life.

41:45 Now I conclude by asking you, this simple question, what more appropriate text could we confront on this, our first meeting in this building here in Montville? What is the responsibility laid upon this congregation by God? Could we not gather up all of our duties and privileges and responsibilities in this one word? Only let our lives be worthy of the gospel, of Christ, that which God will use to validate the word preached from this pulpit, that which God will use to attract, to convince and persuade,

42:29 will not be the attractiveness of the building when all of its appointments are in place, when some of you sitting there will no longer have the sun shining in your eyes, Sunday morning will have lovely drapes to pull and shade your eyes from the sun and you won't have to squint as you look up here and this will be covered and the carpet will be on the floor. Oh my friends, this is not the thing that will give credence to what is preached from this pulpit. The credibility lies in you as a congregation living lives in every facet of your lifestyle that answers to the gospel so that when people hear the gospel preached

43:13 there will be on every side of them people who are manifesting the power of that gospel when they come into your home though they sense at ease because it's clean and it's neat it's evident before long that life is something more to you than furniture and things and possessions your life is adorning those fundamental assumptions of the gospel and then when they listen to your conversation they sense no double entendre no jokes and no terms that have double meaning and sexual overtones they sense in your dealings with one another that there is an ethical uprightness and purity they sense that you're pursuing a life of holiness

43:58 and when you talk about business it's evident you don't cheat on your income tax you don't cut corners on honesty you put in eight hours work for eight hours pay and before long people say now I'm getting the message that gospel preached does something to change the entire life and my friends fellow members of this assembly that's our responsibility as a congregation it is our holiness of life by the grace of God it will be the outgoingness of our love and the other worldliness of our perspective that will make this place beautiful

Conclusion: A Call to Repentance and Prayer

44:41 and God have mercy upon us if we could have the most beautiful appointments that would make the building itself the most attractive church building in Montville it will be but a monument to someone's aesthetic tastes but it will be no monument to the power of grace unless our lives answer to the gospel oh may God help us to lay this word to heart only let your manner of life be such as becomes the gospel and if you're not a Christian

45:23 if you're one of those who had to acknowledge Pastor Martin when you started talking about a command I'm one of those that found myself inwardly irritated oh my friend there is only one thing that can change that disposition and it's the gospel of the grace of God go to the Lord Jesus who has power to subdue and transform that rebel heart of yours to give you a new heart to put his spirit within you and to give you delight in his ways only above all else whatever else you do let your manner of life be such as becomes the gospel

46:08 continually live out your citizenship in a manner becoming the gospel of Christ and as we pray for one another and at times we wonder Lord I don't have a half an hour to pray I've only got three minutes to pray what should we pray for each other as a church isn't this a petition that encompasses all else oh God help us to live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ oh if God will give us that then dear men and women some of us will feel that like Simeon we can say let us now thy servant to depart in peace

46:52 for mine eyes have seen thy salvation oh may God make this place beautiful not for the things that can be purchased in drapery shops and in carpet shops but in that which alone can be found purchased in coming to direct dealings with the Lord Jesus and laying hold of the provisions of his grace let us pray our Father we are so grateful for the livingness of the scriptures

47:35 we never cease to marvel that words written by a fellow human being nearly two thousand years ago can become living words to us searching us exposing us encouraging us lifting us up into your very presence oh may the word preached and meditated upon this morning bear fruit unto everlasting life and unto the sanctification of this congregation of your people Holy Father help us this day

48:18 to deal mercilessly with any facet of our lives that does not answer to the truth of the gospel may we find our delight to meditate upon the gospel never to be far away from the gospel oh God help us and to your name and to your name alone be praise and honor and glory through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen