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[0:00] As you get back to your seats, open up to the book of Philippians.!

[0:30] And the topic today is about what we should and should not put our confidence in. What we should do as far as rejoicing and our joy.

[0:48] Today, we're going to be talking about something vitally important, and something that I would even say is the central or primary duty of the Christian life.

[1:01] And that is rejoicing in the Lord. We're also going to see a warning, a very serious warning, about ideas or people who would try to steal away our reason for rejoicing.

[1:19] And in turn, ruin our Christian life. There's going to be a discussion of circumcision. That's kind of a weird topic, but one that actually comes up quite a bit in the Bible.

[1:30] The New Testament, actually, even more than the Old Testament. And then we're going to be looking at some specific temptations and things that Paul actually speaks to. Things that he could put his confidence in.

[1:43] And we'll look at also some things that we might put our confidence in. I'm going to read this passage again, Philippians chapter 3, and we're going to go from verse 1 to verse 6.

[1:55] It says this, Though I also might have confidence in the flesh, if anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so, circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, concerning the law, a Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

[2:50] And then let me finish up with, let me also read verse 7 to kind of round out what he's saying there. But what things were gained to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.

[3:02] We'll get more into some of these things next week. But today I want to focus primarily on these six verses. As he starts off here, he says, like many preachers do, finally, which sounds like he's wrapping up, right?

[3:22] You're in a church service, and your eyes are getting heavy. And you hear the preacher, and he says, now finally, and you're so excited, he's finally getting to his last point.

[3:34] But so many preachers, who are long-winded, that finally doesn't really mean finally, or the kind of finally that you'd like it to me.

[3:45] And we're here halfway through a letter, and Paul says, finally, what's going on here? See, one of these long-winded preachers, or letter writers, that is trying to wrap up, but can't really make the plane land, so to speak.

[4:00] Well, that's actually not what's going on here. Finally, you know, translation can be difficult. And so, this finally doesn't necessarily mean the same thing, that we would mean when we say finally, as we're having a discussion, or giving a sermon.

[4:15] Really, it could be translated, as for the rest, or so then, or we might say, furthermore, it's just a way to say, hey, I'm going to continue the discussion here.

[4:29] So, but he's saying, hey, there's an important thing that I want to get across. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord.

[4:41] And that phrase, in and of itself, seems fairly quaint, and not really a lot to it. You know, as Christians, we are taught that whether we're going through triumph, or tribulation, whether we're going through a trial, or whether things are going well, we should always be joyful.

[5:01] You know, really, that's something that's taught in the world as well, right? When you have a good attitude in life, things tend to go better. Even if things are not going well around you, you can at least have some, you know, peace in your life.

[5:13] So, even in secular psychology, they will say, you know, having an attitude of gratitude, or joy, can be helpful in you living life. And we might think that as we read this, oh, this is what the Bible is telling us, that we should just have a good attitude of gladness, of good cheer, regardless of what's going on around us.

[5:35] But I don't think that that's what really Paul is getting at, at all. In fact, he clarifies, don't just rejoice in general. He says this, rejoice in the Lord.

[5:46] And a point that I want to make this morning, and it's a big one, and I think a bold claim, is that this command, or duty, that we have as Christians, and I really do think it is a duty, if I can call it that, to rejoice in the Lord, is one of our primary duties, and obligations as Christians.

[6:10] To rejoice in the Lord. And that may sound strange. But he's not talking about singing a praise song at church.

[6:23] He's not talking about just proclaiming, hallelujah, victory, every once in a while, as a means of rejoicing. What he's getting at here, is us, taking joy, being joyful, about what God, has accomplished, in us, for us, through, Jesus Christ.

[6:52] Jesus Christ accomplished for us, a salvation, and many, benefits, that go along with that salvation. And, our primary duty, as Christians, is to enjoy, our, salvation.

[7:10] Rejoicing, in the Lord. You know, there's a, in the book of Proverbs, Solomon, this is in, Proverbs chapter 5, uses a similar phrase, when it comes to, marriage.

[7:28] And he says this, this is Proverbs 5, 18. He says, let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice, with the wife, of your youth. Rejoice, with the wife, of your youth.

[7:43] Does that mean, that you need to have a dance party, with your wife, on a regular basis? Does that mean, that you need to, sing to her? Now, I'm sure, she probably wouldn't mind, if you did that.

[7:59] What it means is, not just to, sing a hallelujah, but to, enjoy, your wife.

[8:10] Enjoy, the marriage, that you have, together. And I think, that idea, that Solomon is getting at, when it comes to, having a good marriage, is all about, enjoying your wife, enjoying your husband, enjoying your marriage, together.

[8:28] That is the foundation, of our, Christian life. Is enjoying, the Lord. Enjoying, our salvation. Enjoying all, of the benefits, that he has, provided to us.

[8:42] And here's why, I think it's so important. This is what he continues, to say. Rejoice in the Lord. For me to write, the same thing to you, is not tedious. But for you, it is safe.

[8:56] Now, tedious, is something that can be, you know, just something, he's talking about, I'm repeating this. I've already, talked about, rejoicing in the Lord, your need to rejoice. And we're going to, find out later on.

[9:08] He's going to, say it again, and again. Rejoice in the Lord. And again, I say, rejoice. And he's saying, hey, some people might find, my admonition, to rejoice.

[9:23] Some might find it, tedious. Some might find it, a little, annoying. But it's, a message, that is so important, that it bears, repeating.

[9:36] That word, tedious, is sometimes, translated, grievous, or irksome. You know, when I was going through, reading through Philippians, I found this passage here, to be really, the crux, of the entire letter, to the Philippians.

[9:55] And what Paul, is saying here, to the Philippians, I thought, this really, is the theme, of this book. And it's why, I decided to, to identify the theme, as rejoicing, in the Lord.

[10:11] And so, I've tried to repeat this, over and over, and over again, of rejoicing in the Lord, that our duty, our primary duty, really, in some sense, I think, even our only duty, as Christians, is to rejoice, in the Lord, to enjoy Him.

[10:31] And the reason I say that, our only duty, is because everything else, that comes out of our Christian life, really must flow, from that.

[10:43] And Paul is about to give, a contrast, to what it is, to rejoice in the Lord. He's going to give a contrast, in about things, that we might put, our confidence in.

[10:56] Instead of putting, our confidence in, all of the, wonderful things, that cause us, should cause us joy, that Jesus did for us. We can put our confidence, in things that, we try to, accomplish.

[11:12] And so, he says here, with that in mind, hey, you might find this tedious, tedious, but it's not tedious, for you, it is safe.

[11:27] You know, when it comes to, religion, there are many ideas, out there, on what it means, to find peace with God, to be part of God's family, to make it, to heaven.

[11:39] People have all kinds, of ideas, ideas on the things, that you, must do. And you know, I think about gambling, I've never, been to, I guess I've been to Vegas, but I've never been, to the casinos, at Vegas, or done any of the gambling, but I've seen the roulette, table, the roulette wheel, and you spin the thing, and you've got the little ball, on there, and right, and it lands on, I think it's numbers, and colors, if I remember, and you've got, little chips, right, that you put on the table, and you try to bet, on which number, that little ball, is going to land on, and if it lands on your number, you get a big reward, right, and so the strategy is, you need to, now, you need to, hedge your bets, so usually you got, a bunch of chips, and you're going to put them, on all different things, right, and hopefully, once that ball stops, it lands on, one of those numbers, that you picked, now you might have a favorite, and you're crossing your fingers, and you hope you get lucky, and you'll put more chips, on one, than you do on the other, but it's just not a wise idea, right, to just put all your chips, on one, number, and so, we do this in religion, right, now the Bible says, that we can put all of our faith, and all of our hope, and all of our trust, in Jesus Christ, but I did hear, some people say that, well you have to, get dunked in water, too, and if you, if you don't do that, you know, you might not,

[13:18] God might not be pleased with you, when you stand before him, on judgment day, or there are these sacraments, that you're supposed to take, or you have to go, to a confessional booth, or maybe you have to keep, short accounts with God, and make sure, that the end of every day, when you're, you know, kneeling down, at your bed, that you make sure, you confess all of your sins, that you committed that day, and so, you know what we're doing, we're hedging our bets, now I'm going to put, most of my chips, because I'm a grace believer, and I'm, I believe really strongly, in salvation by grace alone, but what if I'm wrong, what if there's something else, that God requires, I mean there's lots of good things, that I could, do to try to, earn that reward, so I'm going to take my chips, and I'm going to, put them, you know, I'm not going to put, as many as I do, here on the blood, of Jesus Christ, I'll put maybe, 80, 90 percent, right there, because I'm feeling, really good about that, but I'm going to put, a few chips, here and there, in these different areas, of my life, just in case, and that's not, what God wants from us, he doesn't want us, to hedge our bets, he wants us, to put our full, faith, and confidence, in that one, little square, the blood of Jesus Christ, that was shed for us, something that we didn't do, but something, instead, that he did, for us, now,

[14:56] I'm going to ask the question, why is it, that so many people, are persuaded, that there are, rituals, or good deeds, that must be done, in order to, have confidence, in our salvation, well, I think the primary reason, is because, that was, the way, that things worked, in times past, there was a law, of Moses, and the law, of Moses, said what, Paul talks about this, several times, in his letters, he says, the law of Moses, teaches this, you do these things, and then what, and you shall live, if you do, these things, you shall live, but something, something changed, and we need, to realize that, and Paul, is about, to get into, the chain, now he's not going, to talk about it, explicitly, but he's going, to give a warning, and here's his warning, in, in the second verse, sorry, let me find it, beware, of dogs, beware, of evil workers, beware, of the mutilation,

[16:20] Paul, is giving, a warning, he's saying, I need you, to be aware, of something, to be on guard, to be vigilant, this isn't something, that may happen, this is something, that will almost, certainly happen, in your Christian life, that someone, will come along, and try to, deceive you, into a different way, of living, the Christian life, there are, especially religious people, sometimes, even true, actual Christians, will try to, dissuade you, from putting, the full, of your confidence, in Jesus Christ, they want to take away, your joy, in Christ, and really, from my perspective, the way I see it, undermine, the very foundation, of how we ought to live, the Christian life, now, we'll look at, these three things, that he says, to be aware of, but I want you to notice, that when he, says beware, he uses some, pretty ugly, terminology, some might even, call it name calling, now,

[17:39] Christians, are not supposed, to call people names, are they, right, Christians, are only ever, supposed to be kind, and, gentle, and, nice, should I say it, that way, is that true, now, it's true enough, right, in general, the Bible, calls us, God calls us, to be gentle, and kind, and loving, but listen, we have so many examples, and even instruction, in the Bible, when it comes to certain things, things that are, so very important, that there is a time, and a place, for us being, harsh, and severe, and even calling names, remember, what did, what did Jesus have to say, about the Pharisees, he called them names, right, serpents, snakes, brood of vipers, unwashed, tombs, Paul here, does not mince any words, he's not being very gentle, but this is a serious matter, that requires, the full attention, of the Philippians, now, as you read through Philippians, you'll notice, that Paul is actually being, quite gentle, with the Philippians, you know, as he writes to other people, you see the Galatians, and the Corinthians, in particular, his tone is, more severe, but with the Philippians, he's mostly very gentle, but here, he's actually warning them, he's not talking to them, per se, or being harsh with them, but he is speaking, to a danger, and he wants to make, his point clear, and we ought to, take notice, just that the Philippians, hopefully, took notice, as well, because these people, these ideas, will undermine, our Christian life, the first name, that he uses, he says, hey, beware of dogs, beware of dogs, what is he talking about, by the way, with all three of these,

[19:32] I think he's talking, about the same kind, of people, just using different, terms, but, if you were to call, somebody a dog today, is that a positive thing, or a negative thing, it's very negative, right, we have different ways, that we could call, somebody a dog, but, it was the same way, back then, you know, sometimes, we have, I think, a more cute idea, of dogs today, than they probably, did back then, little puppies, or your, you know, man's best friend, we will sometimes, refer to dogs as, but you know what, dogs are, filthy animals, that's just, the bottom line, the Bible speaks, to dogs are known, for licking up, their own vomit, and, dogs like to, dig through garbage, right, and they like to, sniff other dogs, and they're gross, dogs are, not, noble animals, not like a horse, even though, horses can do, gross things as well, but dogs are, just gross animals, they dig through garbage, and, lick up their own vomit, and so, that I think, is the idea, that Paul is trying, to get across here, is he's calling people, dogs who would do, the things that he's, describing, then he says, evil workers, and he's making, the point here, these are not just, you know, ignorant zealots, people who are just being, you know, ignorant, and misguided, and in their approach, no, he calls them, evil workers, the work that they're doing, trying to teach, a works-based, salvation, or a works-based, you know, living for the Lord, and trying to impress God, is, not just a misguided thing, but is an evil work, and the last word, that he uses, he says, beware of the mutilation, mutilation, what in the world,

[21:31] King James, it says, the concision, which is not a word, we would use a lot, but this is a reference, to circumcision, now here's the big picture, here's what's going on, Paul's writing to the Philippians, he's actually in jail, he has been traveling around, Asia, sharing the gospel, and bringing the Gentiles, to trust in Christ, not many, but a few, established churches, and what he found, is, is that as he's, preached Christ, to these people, that they can trust, in Jesus Christ, his death, burial, and resurrection, resurrection, the blood that he shed, for them, they can have, eternal life, in him, and they can have, a confidence, that they are righteous, before God, because of what Jesus, accomplished, for them, but there were, certain people, that came in, after Paul, and, after Paul would leave, they would come in, and they would find, and many of them, were Jewish, Christians actually, people who were, followers of Jesus, in some way, but they came from, the Jewish tradition, not Gentiles, and they would teach, these new Gentile Christians, and saying, hey, so glad, that you guys, are believing in Jesus, but, that's not enough, you know, we Jews, we've been at this, for a long time, we know how this works, and so, there are certain, other things, that you, ought to do, to really, please God, to really, impress him, to really, solidify, your confidence, in your salvation, and one of the, primary things, the big thing, that Paul talks about, is, you need to become, circumcised, and that was, circumcision, was something, that was, something that identified, the Jewish people, it was something, that God commanded, of the Jewish people, that on the eighth day, after a child was born, males only, of course, that they would be, circumcised, and that would, identify them, as part, of God's family, and so, and so, circumcision, was a big deal, for the Jews, and as Paul, would bring,

[23:50] Gentiles to Christ, these, Judaizers, as they are called, would come in, and convince, many, of the Christians, that they needed, to keep these, Jewish rituals, keep the law, of Moses, in order to, maintain, in some kind of way, their salvation, their position, before God, and, there's a whole, there's a whole thing, that happened, where, Paul found out, about this, and he said, I need to deal, with this directly, and he actually, went to Jerusalem, to meet with, some of these, Jewish, Christians, these, kingdom believers, and he had a, he had some, some words with them, and shared with them, he said, listen, God sent me, to the Gentiles, and this, thing that I'm, preaching to the Gentiles, doesn't involve, the law of Moses, at all, and he actually, got some, buy-in,

[24:53] I guess, from these, Jewish, believers, that when it came, to the Gentiles, they did not have to, keep the law, and so, they actually, gave him a letter, and he took that, with him, says, hey, listen, I've got confirmation, from these guys, all these other guys, these Judaizers, that are going around, telling you, you have to keep the law, and become circumcised, they're wrong, and I've got, even a letter here, from the leaders, in Jerusalem, to confirm, that that's the case, these Judaizers, made Paul, really upset, because there is, something new, that God is doing, among the Gentiles, and it ultimately, was something for Jew, and Gentile, by the way, through grace, through a finished work, through something, that God did, but not anything, that we do, and so, fighting, against this, this temptation, this seduction, of adding in, rituals, of adding in, good deeds, meant to merit, something, was something, that was really important, for him, to fight against, so here's how he continues, in verse 3, of Philippians here, he says this, and you might not, really understand, where he's coming from, if you don't have that history, which is why I provide it, but here, is where he talks, about circumcision, for we are the circumcision, who worship God, in the spirit, rejoice, in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence, in the flesh, he's making a point, you know, you have the circumcision, that is Israel, and they had their covenant, with God, which included, circumcision, which was vitally important, to their covenant, with God, but listen,

[26:45] God is doing, a new thing, he's doing a new thing, especially, among the Gentiles, circumcision, and that thing, does not involve, circumcision, but there is a kind, of circumcision, I think that's what he's saying here, there is a kind, of circumcision, circumcision, as a physical act, actually typified, or symbolized, something, that God would later do, and is actually doing, right now, in a cutting off, of the flesh, Paul talks about this, in his letter, to the Colossians, he says this, to the Colossians, this is Colossians 2, 11, in him, you are also circumcised, with the circumcision, made without hands, by putting off, the body, of the sins, of the flesh, by the circumcision, of Christ, he's saying, there's a circumcision, that's not one, that's physical, it's not done with physical hands, but it's something, done to those, all those who put their faith, in Christ, it's a symbolic thing, in which the sins, of their flesh, the things, that make them guilty, have been cut off, and removed, so that those sins, no longer hold, any kind of, sway, any kind of, condemnation, over our lives, those sins, have been addressed, they've been, done away with, and that, is the kind of circumcision, the only kind of circumcision, that matters, for us, today, in this age of grace, in which we live, but Paul here, describes, three things, he says, for we are the circumcision, who, one, worship God, in the spirit, two, rejoice, in Christ Jesus, and three, have no confidence, in the flesh,

[28:39] I want to address, these three things, the first one, is worshiping, God in the spirit, this is actually, a reference, to how things, Paul is making, a distinction, between how things, were done, under the old covenant, and how things, are done today, when it comes to, worship, and service, to God, back under the old covenant, there was one location, in which you worship God, what was that location, it was the temple, the temple of God, do you remember, when Jesus spoke, this is in John chapter four, he spoke to a woman, at the well, and in fact, I'm going to read, this passage, and he was, speaking to her, about, he was really, kind of reading her mail, she was, I can't remember, how many men, she was married to, she'd been married, multiple times, and then the man, she was with, he said, you're not even, married at all, and she was, quite impressed, with how he was able, to read her mail, and tell her things, about herself, that he couldn't, really know otherwise, and she said, sir,

[29:47] I perceive, that you are a prophet, and she said, tell me this, we Samaritans, we, we go, and worship, at this location, in Samaria, but you Jews, you go, and worship, in Jerusalem, who's right, are we right, or the Jews right, and you know, what his answer was, he said, the Jews are right, you're wrong, he was very clear, so the Jews, they know what they're doing, they're looking, into the scriptures, and the scriptures, themselves teach, that when you worship, you are going, to that physical location, in Israel, the capital city, of Jerusalem, that's the only, proper place, to worship, but, Jesus said something else, he continued on, this is John chapter 4, verse 21, when Jesus said to her, woman, believe me, the hour is coming, when you will neither, on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the father, you worship, what you do not know, we know, what we worship, for salvation, is of the Jews, but the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers, will worship the father, in spirit, and in truth, for the father, is seeking such, to worship him,

[30:57] God is spirit, and those who worship him, must worship, in spirit, and truth, he was talking about, a day that was coming, and that was, when he says now is, it's right here, it's at the door, a day's coming, when through, what Jesus accomplished, for us, that that place of worship, where God's presence rested, where we would go to, worship, because that's where, God designated, that he would live, that would change, that God would instead, take up his, abode, in believers, in us, because there was no more, there was no more, impediment, to him living in us, that law, that condemnation, that guilt, that prevented him, from doing that, was taken out of the way, and so God could come, and live with us, and that is what, is meant by, worshiping in the spirit, we worship with God, in us, we don't have to go, to a location, we, as believers, in the body of Christ, in this age of grace, we worship God, in the spirit, we don't even have, to go to church, we don't have to, go to a church building, to worship God, we can worship him, and ought to worship him, anywhere we are, the second thing, that he says is, we, rejoice, in Christ, now, he just talked about, rejoicing in the Lord, but this word, rejoice, is actually different, from the other, if you look at the Greek, it's actually a different word, this word, and sometimes, it's translated, in some translations, we glory, in Christ,

[32:27] Christ, there's another passage, where that word, is translated, as boast, in fact, it's the word, used in Ephesians, 2, 8, and 9, Pam just shared that, with us, and I'll read that, just now, Ephesians, 2, 8, and 9, says this, for by grace, you have been saved, through faith, and that not of works, excuse me, that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should, what?

[32:53] should boast, it's that same word, so that none of us, can boast, none of us, can glory, none of us, can rejoice, in ourselves, right?

[33:07] We don't rejoice, in ourselves, we don't rejoice, in the things, that we've accomplished, we rejoice, in him, and what he, has accomplished, we glory, in him, and then finally, he gets to, that last part, we have no, confidence in the flesh, the first two, are positive things, that we do, the third one, which is important, are the things, that we don't do, it's important, in the Christian life, that we provide, a contrast, right?

[33:38] And he says this, he says, we have no confidence, in the flesh, verse four, though I also, may have confidence, in the flesh, if anyone else, thinks he may have, confidence, in the flesh, I more so, circumcised, the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, concerning the law, a Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, concerning the righteousness, which is in the law, blameless, and then I'll finish up, with this, and we'll, continue on, more, next week, but what things, were gained to me, these, I have counted loss, for Christ, so he's making the point, hey, I have lots of reasons, in fact, I've got more reasons, than you do, to be confident, in my flesh, he gives, four things, that are related, to his birth, the prestige, of his birth, he says, I was circumcised, on the eighth day, you know, I'm sure there were many Jews, who maybe they did, the circumcision, but maybe they had, a business meeting, on that eighth day, or maybe there was, a birthday party, to celebrate, or maybe there was, a storm, but you know what, not his family, he says,

[34:48] I was circumcised, on the eighth day, that's what the law says, and that's what happened, not the seventh day, not the ninth, on the eighth day, his family, was a stickler, for the law, I was of the stock, of Israel, he's not some proselyte, that came over from Egypt, and decided, that he was going to join, the Jewish faith, he was born a Jew, he was of the stock, of Israel, not only that, but he was of the tribe, of Benjamin, this is the tribe, of the very first king, of Israel, Saul, not only that, but this was the tribe, that didn't go off, with the ten northern tribes, when they went off, and forsook the Lord, he was part of those two, southern tribes, that stayed faithful, at least, for a little while, Benjamin, and Judah, and not only that, Benjamin, the tribe of Benjamin, was a prestigious, tribe, because that, in its borders, was the capital city, of Israel, Jerusalem, or, at least in that, general vicinity, Benjamin, and Judah, and then he says, a Hebrew, of the Hebrews, his family, was probably, prominent, among the Hebrews, and then he talks about, things that were his practice, regarding the law, he says, or touching the law,

[36:04] I was a Pharisee, I was, kind of the top echelon, of teachers, of the law, and keepers, of the law, fastidious, and keeping the law, and making sure, that other people, kept that law too, which was good, and right, for him to do, concerning zeal, he said, persecuting the church, I didn't just, let people, like these Christians, come in, and give their, false doctrine, I went after them, I didn't just persecute them, when they came to my city, I actually traveled, to other cities, to make sure, that they were dealt with, and then regarding, the righteousness, of the law, he says this, I was blameless, and I don't think, he's saying that, you know, he never sinned, but when it came, to keeping the law, there wasn't really, anybody around him, that could, accuse him, of not being, a faithful Jew, and when he did sin, he would take, the proper sacrifice, to cover, for his sins, he would keep, all of those things, you know, today, we can have, similar types, of things, that we might, put our confidence in, hey,

[37:07] I go to church, every Sunday, right, even when I'm sick, even when I'm, I'm not feeling well, I'm going to church, because, I think that will probably, impress the Lord, you know what, my father is a pastor, or my grandfather, is a pastor, or my uncle, is a pastor, and so, that'll probably, you know, get me some, street cred, with the Lord, or maybe, I'm a pastor, hey, if I'm a pastor, or I'm a leader, in the church, I'm an elder, in my church, I'm sure God, is really impressed, with that, I read my Bible, every single day, I make sure, that I say, my prayers, at night, every, every single night, and we might put, some confidence, in these things, you know what Paul says, don't put any, of your confidence there, now, many of these things, are good things, that we ought, to do, and should do,

[38:13] I'd like to wrap up, with this, an illustration, to provide a, you know, a picture here, when it comes to marriage, you know, we, we were talking about, Proverbs 518, I believe it was, about how, when it comes to marriage, one of the best ways, to have a good marriage, is to enjoy your marriage, enjoy your wife, enjoy your husband, that's a great way, to have a, a good marriage, but, imagine if you will, a young man, he's a poor kid, from the wrong side, of the tracks, didn't grow up with much, had a rough life, got into all kinds of, trouble, but he decided, he was going to, bend his ways, and he meets this, pretty girl, and she is way, out of his league, she's so beautiful, and so, gentle, and sweet, but he gets to know her, and for whatever reason, she, pays him attention, and they, strike up a relationship, and then over time, one day, he meets her family, and he finds out, that she comes from, a very prestigious, and wealthy family, dignitaries even, her father is an ambassador, and it puts him, a little bit at unease, who is he, to be dating this, this wonderful young lady, but finally, he gets up the courage, he asks her to marry him, and she says, yes, so they have their wedding day, and they both say,

[39:42] I do, and they start their life, together, but he continues, to have doubts, about, do I really deserve, to be married, to this kind of woman, how can she really love, somebody like me, I don't have a lot of, prestige, I've got a lot of, sins in my past, in fact, there's a lot of things, that I still do, to just screw things up, what if she finds somebody, that's more deserving, of her, and so, this young man, he goes to work, so he's got to make sure, that he preserves, this marriage, and so, he's constantly, buying her nice things, get her a nice flower, I got to work really hard, to build up a good career, so that I can buy her, the kinds of things, that maybe her parents, bought her, when she was at home, I'm going to impress her, with my good manners, and you know, in the beginning, she finds it, sweet, that he's doing, all these things, but, she finds that, there's actually, problems, in their relationship, that his relationship, with her, is based out of fear, and worry, and concern, and she finds that out, and she says, you know what,

[41:07] I don't want your flowers, I don't want your money, I don't want your, you know, nice career, I don't want that nice car, that you worked so hard, to buy me, I don't care about, those manners, what I want, I want you, and I want, in our marriage, for our marriage, to be based, on confidence, I want you, to know, that I love you, and that I chose, to marry you, and I want our love, to be based, on that, and you know, that's the way, that it was, with the Lord, the Lord does not want us, working for him, to try to impress him, to try to earn something, for, to, to, for his love, you know, Jesus, there's two things, that Jesus said, one, on the cross, he said, it is finished, and I think about that, as a wife saying, on that altar,

[42:12] I do, I do, he said, it's finished, it's accomplished, I've done it all, and then also, one of the things, that Jesus said, was, I will never leave you, and I will never, forsake you, and I think of that, like a marriage vow, he's promised, that he will never leave, or forsake us, and so based on that, based on the confidence, that we can have, that God will never leave us, that Christ will never leave us, or forsake us, we can, instead of trying, to make sure, that he never leaves, we can just start enjoying him, enjoying, our life with him, the salvation, that we have, the benefits, that we have with him, just like a husband, and wife, should enjoy their marriage, together, and live life, and a husband, can buy flowers, not because, oh, this will keep her, from leaving me, but because, I just want to, because I love her, and I'm so grateful, for her in my life, and that's the way, that we ought, to live our Christian life, rejoicing in the Lord, enjoying him, and you know what, when we get that part, all the rest, flows out of it, and that's how, it ought to be, and that's how God, designed for the Christian, life, to be lived, let's finish up, with a word of prayer, and then I'd like to, sing a song together,

[43:39] Father, thank you so much, for your word, and this important truth, that, might be easy, to get annoyed at, hearing over, and over again, but, like Paul said, it might be tedious, but for us, it is safe, that we would take, joy in you, each and every day, enjoying our salvation, enjoying you, in our lives, enjoying all the benefits, that you've given to us, that we might be transformed, ultimately, to be more like you, but we thank you, that, even though we didn't deserve, any of it, you gave it to us, as a free gift, and all we did, was put our faith, and trust in you, we ask you, to continue to work in us, to, experience, that, that joy, that we ought to, to endeavor, to rejoice always, in what you've accomplished, for us, we thank you for these things, in Jesus name, amen, there's a song, in your hymnal, but I think many of us know it, rejoice in the Lord always, you guys know that song, seven, it's number 745, if you don't know it, but it goes like this, rejoice in the Lord, always, and again,

[44:48]  I say rejoice, rejoice in the Lord, always, and again, I say rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, and again, I say rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, and again, I say rejoice, amen, all right, we've gone way over time, so I'll let you go, but keep this in mind, enjoy the Lord, enjoy him today, and then tomorrow, and every day, for the rest of our lives, and on into eternity, that's what he wants from us, amen, all right, you're dismissed,