And then so Philippians chapter 1 I want to look there beginning of verse 8 where it says for God is my record
How greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ and this really isn't part of my message
But you know even when you know, I'll read these passages and I'll have something in mind
I'm gonna preach and then you get up and you hear the preaching or you hear the
Being read and so many other thoughts come to your mind and well
We could have preached a whole nother sermon about you know, how much Paul loved these people, you know
Not just the Philippians but all people and of course Paul, you know
He did a lot of face-ripping too. He was a very hard preacher
He talked very sternly but you can never deny the fact that you know
Paul at the end of the day loved the people that he was preaching to and the people that he cared about
But and he goes on to verse 9, of course, I'm not preaching about that this morning
I was just thinking about that as he was as brother guards was reading and it says in verse 9 and
This I prayed that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, you know
And then again, there's another sermon right there about how Paul is praying that we would abound in what in all judgment
Which would seem to go contrary to so many so much philosophy that's out there today in Christianity about you know
Judging not in the world who would say, you know, you shouldn't judge but here's Paul praying that we would judge now
In fact, we would abound in all judgment. So again, there's so many great
Sermons just in this few verses here
In fact Philippians chapter 1 is a very famous passage and a lot of great sermons been preached
But the part I want to focus on there is in verse 10 where it says
The name may prove the things that are excellent that you may be sincere and without offense
Till the day of Christ being filled with the fruits of righteousness
Which are by Christ Jesus unto the glory and praise of God
So he says there that he wants them to be sincere and of course, what does the word sincere mean?
It means to be free from pretense or deceit
Proceeding from genuine feelings
That's what Paul saying here
He wants them to prove the things that are excellent and that they would be
sincere that they would the things that they say and do and their service to Christ would be real that it would proceed from a
Genuine feelings right that it wouldn't be pretentious that it wouldn't be deceitful that they wouldn't be
putting themselves out there as something that they indeed are not and notice here how sincerity is associated with truth and if you'll
Pay attention throughout the sermon when we look at several different passages. You'll see that again how often sincerity and truth are
Mentioned in the same breath he says in verse 12
But I would have you understand brethren that the things which happen unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel
So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places and many of the brethren the Lord
Waxing confident by my bonds are much more bold to speak the word without fear
Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife and some also of goodwill
so now he's starting to
Contrast two groups of people those that would preach Christ of envy and strife and those that would preach him also of goodwill
He continues with that contrast in verse 16. He says the one preached Christ of contention not sincerely
Supposing to add affliction to my bonds, but the other of love knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel
What then notwithstanding every way
Whether in pretense, right?
That was the one group the pretense those that were preaching it not sincerely those that were preaching it
You know at and hoping to supposing to add affliction to his bonds
Those that would preach at whether in pretense or in what or in truth
Christ is preached
So you see here that to be sincere or to be not sincere is to be pretentious to be in
Pretense those that would preach Christ not sincerely are preaching in what in
Pretense and what is pretense? It is an attempt to make something that is not the case appear true, right?
Basically, it's being fake. It's not being genuine. It's a false display of feelings
It's a false display of attitudes or intentions
It's making yourself out to be something that you're not or presenting a situation as something that it's not it's being pretentious
An insincere person is a pretentious person
That's what we see here that they are not preaching Christ sincerely but in pretense and it says, you know
You know that they this would make them an insincere person as a as a pretentious person
Pretentious attempting to oppress or by affecting greater importance talent than is actually possessed
Okay, so that's what Paul is saying here this morning that he wants the Philippians to be
sincere and not to just you know
You know in the sense that they're not fake in the sense that they're not just putting on a show
But that what they're doing is coming from a place of genuine
care and emotion and feeling that they actually think care about the things of Christ that that's where
their service towards God is coming from from a place of sincerity and
Really that you know, Paul was the leader here in Philippians or he was you know, he wasn't the pastor there anything like that
But he was definitely, you know, he was the one that had bought begotten them again in Christ
he was the one that had preached the gospel to them when he went out on his missionary journeys and got people saved and
it brought that church together and
This was his desire for them, you know, and he wanted them to have a sincere honest and real walk with God, you know
And that's the desire of every you know
Preacher every spiritual leader every you know pastor deacon whatever it is
Anybody that's overseeing a flock their desire if they're sincere is that the people that they're preaching to and overseeing
Would they themselves have an honest and real walk with God not just show up
You know and look the part and play the part and and say the right things on Sunday
Say the right things at the midweek service do the soul winning
but the other times when people are not watching when the preacher isn't there when the other
Brother and brethren and sister are not around that those people would still have a very real walk with God day in day out
serving the Lord with
sincerity and that's the title of the sermon this morning serve God with
Sincerity, you know, that would be a desire in our life that we serve God
Sincerely, you know out of a place of genuine feeling that we desire that we love God that we're going to serve him
No matter what that we're gonna serve God because we want to not just because we feel like we should now if you would
Go keep something in Philippians, but go over to Joshua chapter 14, Joshua chapter 14
In a Joshua chapter 14 will find of course a very
Familiar passage where it begins reading in verse 15 and if it seemed evil unto you to serve the Lord
Choose ye this day whom he will serve whether the gods of your fathers
What your father served that were on the other side of the flood
Or the gods of the Amorites and whose land you didn't dwell
Then of course the last part there is the one that everybody paints on their wall at their house
You know
This is the one you can get the Hallmark card or you can get go to the get the decorative picture and that's fine
and good
It says but as for me in my house, we will serve the Lord very famous passage, right?
But back up verse 14 now, why was Joshua able to say that that he was going to you know
Serve God and that it didn't matter what anybody else did
He said for me in my house
We will serve the Lord and what was he imploring these people to do when he's saying look put away the gods of the Amorites
Serve the Lord like I'm going to do he says in verse 14 now
Therefore fear the Lord and serve him in what in sincerity and in truth and put away the gods
what your father served on the other side of the flood and in Egypt and
Serve ye the Lord so he's telling them to put away
These false gods
Now it's kind of strange that he has to tell them that because you would think I mean
These are the people that came over into the land helped conquer the land of Canaan
They've done all these great mighty works through the power of God
In fact, I believe if you even ask these people at that time. Hey, do you do you love the Lord? They'd say yeah
But at the same time they have these other false gods
they have these other, you know, they've just kind of added the Lord to all these other gods and
He's saying here look if you're gonna serve God in sincerity and in truth if you're gonna serve God sincerely in your life
You need to put away these other things you need to get away
You can need to put away the gods what your father served, you know, we as Christians
We have to keep that in mind too
Especially those of us, you know that maybe are come I've been saved later in life and are coming into life
Out of you know a life of worldliness a life of sin or whatever it is
You know, we need to learn to put away those things that we used to you know
Allow ourselves to enjoy or do or whatever it is the ungodly things the ungodly habits the sins
Whatever it is the old baggage that kind of hangs on that we don't want to quite get rid of
It's like there has to come a point in your life where you put that away once and for all and you're done with it
And you move on why because you're serving God sincerely and in truth, we're not just gonna add Jesus, you know to a wicked life
So serving God and if you would go to 1st Corinthians chapter 10 1st Corinthians chapter 10
Serving God with sincerity, you know means putting away that which is sinful
I mean, that's what Joshua was saying there. Look serve him in sincerity and truth and put away
the gods what your father served
If you're gonna be sincere if you're gonna be real you're gonna have to put away these other gods and you're gonna have to decide
That you're going to serve the Lord and him alone
And this is a principle that's taught throughout Scripture you look there in 1st Corinthians chapter 1
In verse 21, it says you cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils
You cannot be partaker of the Lord's table and the table of devils and that just makes sense, doesn't it?
Now we don't often only think about that in these terms, right? We would say well, yeah
I'm serving the Lord and I know he doesn't approve of of this or that my life or this sin or that sin or maybe
I need to quit doing this or quit associating with you know, whatever it is
that you know that the Lord disapproves of
We don't think about it in those terms. What's the devil's table?
And maybe if we did start to think about it more like that
maybe if the people in Joshua's day would start to think about the gods that they served as
You know wicked evil devils, they would be more prone to get rid of those things in their life
Maybe if we let sin become more exceedingly sinful unto us, we would start to say, you know what? I don't want this
I'd rather serve God
Sincerely than to try to
Live one foot in the world and one foot with the Lord. That's an unbalanced walk
You know people, you know try to live the Christian life that way, you know, they want to serve God Sunday
They want to serve God in the midweek
But the rest of the week, you know, they just they don't want to read the Bible
They don't want to listen to the preaching. They don't want to think about the things of God
They want to think about the things of the world or whatever
Get involved in sin and what they have is they have one foot walking with God and
one foot in the world and they wonder why they walk funny and
People look around go man. You're walking funny
Why is that?
Because you're trying to drink at the cup of devils and the couple of the Lord and the cup of the Lord
You're trying to eat at two different tables. You're trying to serve two masters and it doesn't work
You know people that have one foot in the world the one foot
You know with the Lord
They stumble and fall, you know, because they're unbalanced in life
So we see here that to serve God sincerely we're gonna have to put away that which is sinful put away that which is false
Put away that which the God which God would disapprove of in our life
And some things you know are not all things now not all things are inherently sinful are they and
Some things that we get involved with that. Maybe they're just taking too much of our time
Maybe that's just you know, too much of our affection. Those things are not inherently sinful
but they still need to be purged nonetheless and
Here's the thing and this is kind of what I want us to understand this morning
Is that and I know I've alluded this even recently is that God's not just gonna stand
passively by if we fail to do this in our life
God's not just gonna you know, suck his thumb and boohoo about it and be disappointed
God is a God that actively works to bring his children around and I'm glad he does
I'm glad God doesn't just let us go on our merry way stumbling and falling through life
that he that he works in our lives and he corrects us that he tries to bring us back why so that we can walk a
Nice straight line and not fall over all the time that now look here in
For where you are in 1st Corinthians chapter 21
He said you cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils
You cannot be partaker of the Lord's table and the table of devils
In verse 22, he says this do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?
Are we stronger than he look that's a warning that if you continue to have these two tables that you eat at in your life
If you're gonna continue keep harboring some sin or some whatever it is, maybe it's not even something sinful
Maybe it's just something that's robbing your time that God that they that God needs that God deserves
That God's not just gonna you know, say oh well guess that's just the way it is God's gonna get jealous
I mean we read, you know recently where he said I am a jealous God. My name is jealous
That's what he calls himself
You know God's gonna get jealous for his children
God's gonna get jealous over those things that you know are taking the place of him in your life
You know we get up in a Bible reading is probably one of the most basic just simple examples
And we get up in the morning and we're before we even start our day
You know where we should be getting in this book and seeing what God wants to tell us
God wants to speak to us day. Can we give God some time before we get so busy in our day?
Then the day is over and we're tired. We just want to go to bed. We haven't given a moment to the Lord
You know, but what do we do in the morning?
Are we getting up and reading it or is the first thing we're doing, you know, checking social media
Gotta see what happened on Facebook overnight. Nothing happened. Everybody else was asleep
You know, I know we're in a far that we're farther west and there's been more time in the day in the morning for people
To get on Facebook and put new posts up there
You know, but it's only a few hours, right?
And God's just gonna get jealous, you know, and that's just that's a very mild example
And we could talk about a lot of other things but and some of these things that are not inherently sinful
But they become they begin to compete for our time and attention and God says I want that time
I want that attention. I
Mean in Joshua's day, it was literal idols, right?
They had these false gods and little statues and stuff like that
And he's saying look you got to put that away
If you're gonna be if you're gonna serve God sincerely and in truth and not just with lip service
Then you're gonna have to put that away and get real with God
And in Joshua's day, it was little idols
But today in the US anyway and in many places the world it would still be literal idols, by the way
And even in some, you know in some
Circumstances it would be that here too
You know when we start talking about the different religions that use idols and things like that
But I think primarily today most people, you know
Idolatry in the sense of you know, bowing down to a statue isn't a big isn't a problem for them
Although it is out there
But today maybe that's more comes up falls. It comes in the shape in the form of
Covetousness and maybe it's covetousness in our life that you know is robbing
Our time with God is taking the place of the Lord and with maybe that's the cup of devils that we're drinking from
Maybe that's the table of devils that we're eating at is covetousness in our life
Go over to 1st Corinthians chapter 5 you're there in verse and chapter 10 just go back a few pages to 1st Corinthians chapter 5
He said in Colossians 3 mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth fornication and cleanness and nord and affection
evil concupiscence and covetousness, which is idolatry
For which things the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience you say look mortify your members
Which are upon the earth? What does it mean to mortify it kill it?
Kill your members on the earth. Don't be you know, don't let your your body just and every impulse and every you know
Just don't gratify every impulse of the flesh is what he's saying
Fornication uncleanness all these things evil concupiscence and he says covetousness
Which is idolatry, you know, we should not let money take place of God in our life
You cannot serve the couple you cannot drink of the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils
You cannot be partakers of the Lord table and of and the tub of table of devils, what did Jesus say?
You cannot serve God and what?
mammon, which is money
And if we're gonna get sincere if we're gonna serve God sincerely and this is just one example
You know, it would take all morning to sit here and go through every possible thing that could creep into your life and keep you from
serving God
sincerely
This is just one example with with covetousness
he says in first Corinthians chapter 5 look at verse 7 purge out therefore the old leaven that you may be a new lump as
You are unleavened for Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us
Therefore let us keep the feast not with old leaven
Neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth
Look, we got to purge the sin in our life and get it out of our life
And it's a process and I'm not saying we're gonna reach some kind of state of sinless perfection
But we have to constantly working in our life to get those things which God
Disapproves of or which displeases him those things that are robbing our time and attention those things that are preventing us from serving God
Sincerely we need to get those out of our life so that we can serve God with sincerity and truth
And if we fail to do this like I talked about earlier God is going to get jealous
He's not just and we need it. We need to get this through our heads that God isn't just passive about this
the God like any loving father is going to correct his children and
Bring them around look at first Corinthians chapter 11
you know to bring this into just real basic terms is
That failing to put away sin is gonna lead to a spanking
Right now, of course, you know a man's hand is not going to appear like in Daniel's day and give you you know
Instead of writing in the wall. He's got a paddle in his hand
right
We know that but I'm saying in life God has other ways of you know, chasing his children
You know things won't work out, you know jobs will get difficult
relationships will suffer finances suffer
Maybe that thing that we're so obsessed with about, you know, it's gonna it's taking away us away from the Lord
That's what God's probably gonna mess with
You know, we're spending so much time on the internet. We can't read our Bible when God just pulls a plug on the internet
I don't know
Whatever it might be but God's gonna do something in our life
To you know, give us a spiritual spanking. He's going to chase in his children
So why don't we just you know beat God to the punch this morning?
Why don't we just go ahead and say you know what God you I see what what it is in my life and look
No one in this room is perfect self included. We all have to step back and examine ourselves and say
What is it in my life? That's preventing me from serving the Lord the way I should with sincerity and truth
Is there something there? Is there something in the way and if there is we need to get rid of it?
He says in 1st Corinthians chapter 11 verse 31 for if we would judge ourselves we should not be judged
Look if we would just take the time in our Christian life to just take stock take inventory of where we are
Spiritually and just be brutally honest with ourselves and say I'm coming up short here. I'm failing here
I've got to get this sin out of my life
Whatever it is, and we just went ahead and do that then God could just say oh no
I don't have to take care of that for you
You know and maybe spare ourselves some some heartache and some suffering
So we see that if we're gonna serve God sincerely this morning we're going to put away that which is sinful
You know we're gonna have to purge out the leaven that's in our life
And if we're gonna serve the Lord with sincerity this morning you need to learn to do that simply
Do it simply do it. You know genuinely do it the way God wants things done
Go over to 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 2nd Corinthians chapter 1
You
Know God has a way that he wants to be served God has a way that he wants us to serve him
And it's not just this open-ended book where he just says serve me
However you see fit and this is important to understand because people have a lot of ideas in their mind about what it means to
Serve God and in fact there's a lot of people out there that are doing things thinking
This is me serving God that isn't them serving God at all because they're not doing it the way God wants to do it
We need to learn to serve God the way he wants to be served serve him simply look at 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 verse 12
Verse 12 it reads for our rejoicing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity
Not with fleshly wisdom
But by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world and more abundantly to you were he's saying his
Conversation in the world was done in simplicity and godly sincerity
So we need to and it was not with fleshly wisdom
Was that's he's saying look our testimony of our conscience that they you know they weren't you know serving
God the way the world would have them to serve God they were serving God the way he wanted them to serve them
And the fleshly wisdom you know that's often. You know the world has a lot of ideas about there's a better way to serve God
You know and even churches we start to people can start to think of ways of saying well
I know that God told to do things this way if you would go over to Acts chapter 20
but wouldn't it be better if we did it this way and
Maybe humanly speaking you might even sound well that that sounds better if we did things differently
Why do we have to do things the way we do things?
Because that's the way God wants them done
That's what the the fleshly wisdom suggests that there's a better way to serve God other than the way which he has prescribed
And if you're gonna serve God simplest and simply if you're gonna serve God with sincerity this morning
You're gonna serve God the way he wants to be served and not make up some new way and call it me serving God
You're going to Acts chapter 20 look at Mark chapter 6
you know that the example of soul winning is one that's going to come up often in this church and
It's gonna. It's gonna stay that way
You know I sometimes I think you know as a preacher
I don't always I don't want to sound like a broken record, but when it comes to soul winning
I want to sound like a broken record
You know there's a reason why that van fills up with you know
Ten plus people every Sunday afternoon and goes out so winning
It's because there's a preacher that gets up and preaches about soul winning
the reason why that map is getting turned red the reason why souls are getting saved is because
Soul winning is a theme here
And it's something I'm gonna preach about and preach about and preach about even at the risk of sounding like a broken record
Because I want to create a culture of soul winning in this church and praise God. It's there. We have it. Let's not lose it, okay
And here's the thing soul winning is the pride I believe the primary way that we serve God
It is 100%. I mean that's what Jesus preached that was his example. That's what he did
That's what that was his last commandment when he ascended into heaven
You know when he's literally just floating away from them and go ye into all the world
He's just you know slowly starting to rise
If I did that this morning everybody would wake right up
you know if I was like up against the ceiling just
Preaching my sermon going through the tile. You know run out in the parking lot. What's he gonna say next I?
Mean I and I could say anything. You know I could read a you know recipe for you know
whatever
You know ragu or something. I don't know I'm not a cook, but I could say it
But I'd have your attention wouldn't I and when Jesus is ascending into heaven. What does he say?
Serve me however you see fit honor me in whatever way is most convenient for you is that what he said
he said go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature and
Behold I am with you even at the end of the world
That's what he said as he would that made that dramatic
exit
that was his last command to his disciples and
That was you know that wasn't he didn't just come up with that then oh, I forgot one last thing
You know a preach gospel. No he was preaching that and doing that and commanding that his entire ministry
So that's why it's a big theme here because it was a big theme with the Lord
And if we're gonna serve God sincerely today, we're going to be soul winners
And we have to start somewhere. You know even it says a silent partner whatever
And it says in verse 7 and he called unto him the 12 or you're in acts 20, I'm reading from mark 6
He called unto him the 12 and began to send them forth
2 by 2 and
Gave them power over unclean spirits
So when he's sending out the disciples
He sends them out 2 by 2 you ever wonder why we do that
Because that's how God wanted wanted it done. I mean couldn't we get more done if everybody went out by themselves
Yeah
In fact it would be twice as much right we would double our efforts
hey, I'm gonna give everybody that shows up for soul in this afternoon everyone every person is gonna get their own individual map and
They're gonna and they're gonna do all of it. They're themselves. We're not gonna do partners anymore
No, I'm we're not gonna do that because this is the model that God wants it done
You know he wants us to go out 2 by 2 even even the Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses figured this out
They don't even have the Holy Spirit
They're not even saying but they could figure out all you go 2 by 2 and there's a whole list of reasons
Why you know and why that makes good sense?
I don't think God just pulled out a number out of a hat how many should I send them out by man?
It sounds good
You know because you have the fellowship you have the encouragement you have the accountability you have the safety all these things, right?
But that's the way God wanted it done to be sent out 2 by 2
Now look there in Acts chapter 20 verse 17 and
For my Linus, of course, this is Paul as he's beginning to give his parting words
He called the elders of the church and he went and then when they came to me said to them, you know
From the first day that I came into Asia after what manner I've been with you at all seasons
Serving the Lord with all humidity humility of mind and with many tears and temptations
Which befell me by the lying and weight of the Jews and now I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you
But I've showed you and taught you publicly now. Are we doing that teaching publicly? Yeah, that's going on right now
That's why we do what we do. That's why we have preaching because we doing things like Paul did like God had him do
Like Jesus did did Jesus teach publicly all the time. This isn't you know an exclusive club, you know
You know, that was just the tide this morning. That wasn't membership dues that people were putting in there
You know, you don't have to put anything the plate to come here, right?
This is there's no one here has a card that says faithful word
We don't we're not checking you at the door to see oh, I don't see you on the list
You know
This is open to the public
People can walk in and sit down and listen and be taught publicly like Paul did like Jesus did
That's the pattern of service that we see there
That's the way God wanted things done and he goes on and says and from house to house
that's what we're gonna do this afternoon and
That's the way God wants to be served
The point I'm trying to make is that if we're gonna serve God this morning
We're going to do it simply meaning we're gonna do it the way God wants done. Isn't that sound pretty simple? I
Mean, this is a pretty simple way to serve God. Let's just get some chairs. We'll get a pulpit. We'll open up the book
We'll put some guy behind the pulpit that you know meets the qualifications
And he can rant and rave and yell and scream and froth and spit and do everything
He needs to do to get us to go do what we need to do
That sounds pretty simple
Now I've been thinking about this a lot this phrase, you know that God has you know
chosen the foolishness of preaching to save them which believe
You think about how foolish this the world looks at us that that's foolish. He said, yeah
That's what God wanted
He wanted the foolishness of preaching
For me to just get up and read the read this book and just say something about it
And we would say how does that do how is that serving God? I don't know but he that's how he wants it done
And he gets all the glory for it
It doesn't sound simple to just gather here and and have the preaching of the word teach public
It sounds pretty simple that we're just gonna go out two by two this morning and just go knock doors house to house and ask
People if we can show them how to be saved, that's simple
But the world the fleshly wisdom they don't want to serve God sincerely
They don't want to serve God in simplicity and some and sincerely they don't want to serve them like that
They want to come up with some new way some better way of serving God
You know and even you know
Well-intentioned churches they come up all kinds of different ways besides what God has prescribed and I'm telling you it's insincere
It's insincere that it's not what got the way because it's not what God wants
Because they're not serving. They're not looking to serve God the way he wants to be served. They're looking to serve God as
As they see fit as suits them as is convenient for them
And we could talk about all the different ways, you know, and probably one would be you know
People that just want to hand out invites to church
Not even knock the door. We're just gonna put a door hanger and then run away. Look we hand out invites
You know while we're there you might as well leave an invite
You know people come out because of invites
But that's not how God wants us to serve he wants us to go door to door knocking the door and
And teaching publicly and from house to house
Look it would have done me no good yesterday to be out there for all those hours that we were
Driving up and down that mountain over the river and through the woods as it were
you know knocking those doors and inviting people to a church that was
six hours away
You know, well that would have made no sense. Hey, we're just handing out invites
You know, let me just leave this in their gate and get out of here
Know that we need to preach to them. We need to open up the Bible
we need to tell them look God wants you to be saved and preach them the gospel and
That's how God wants to be served this morning and it's simple, isn't it? And if we're sincere, that's how we're gonna do it
We're not gonna come up with some newfangled way
Of trying to serve God we're gonna do it the way he prescribed
He said go over his back to 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 he said
in Luke chapter 14 the Lord said of the servant go into the highways and hedges and
Compel them to come in that my house may be filled now his house is heaven
right, he wants us to go out into the highways and hedges go find people wherever they are and
Compel them to come into God's house to be saved. That's what God wants this morning
Go over to 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 look at verse 12
He said for our rejoicing is this
The testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity
Not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world and more abundantly to you word now
I love that. He says there, you know, our rejoicing is this the testimony of our conscience?
That what was the testimony of their conscience that in simplicity and
Godly since and godly sincerity they had had their conversation in the world
That they had lived their life
Simply doing things the way God wants them dud in godly sincerity. They were serving God in truth
And then because of that, you know, that was the testimony of their conscience, you know if you serve God
Simply and sincerely it's gonna help you sleep at night
It's not gonna keep you up going. Oh boy
I know I'm doing all these things all day that God doesn't want me to do
I know I'm completely
Backslidden and then you wonder why you're tossing and turning and you wonder why you're always under conviction or why we're always depressed or why?
You know things don't seem to be going right or why we're always in a bad mood
It's because your conscience is bothering you because you're grieving the Holy Spirit
You're quenching the Holy Spirit in your life. That's what sin does in our life. It quenches the Holy Spirit. It grieves him and
God starts to work and and maybe you know, maybe we have a long restless night
But he's saying here look the testimony of our conscience, you know, we did things right we served him simply
We did it in godly sincerity. That was our conversation
You know
We're not gonna have to worry about whether or not God is pleased with this church if we're doing things the way God wants them done
Because got you know people would look in here and walk in and say this church is this church is a failure
This is all the bigger your building is you only have this many people you guys aren't you're not succeeding
We're you got to get into the stadium
You know, you got to get the mega church. That's that's success brother right there
Joel Holstein, that's success
You know when you're when you're you know, running out entire stadiums
You just have a mega church thousands of people that is success. Is that how God measures success just by numbers?
Is that hard to do just get a big crowd?
People do it all the time
False prophets do it all the time
There's churches all across this city, they're just filled to the brim hundreds and hundreds of people
But here's the question I have for them. Are they serving God in sincerity this morning?
Are they doing things God the way God wants them done? Is that preacher getting up and
Preaching the whole counsel of God is he sincerely?
You know, is he is he doing like Paul did and and preaching them everything and holding nothing back
Because if you start to hold nothing back as a preacher people aren't gonna stick around
They're gonna say whoa
This church actually expects me to serve God I
Don't know about that. I just came here to you know, get my ears rubbed. I
just had a scratch that I needed itched and
If you're not willing to do that, then I'm gonna go find somebody this and they're out there
I mean you could just put a blindfold on and start walking and you'll run into one. They're everywhere
But here's the thing I look at this and I say and I say I know God
Looks down at this church and says that church is a success
Not because of the number of people that are in the room because of what these people are doing
Because people are going out and knocking doors because the Word of God is being preached because souls are being saved
I'm not tossing and turning tonight wondering if if FWB Tucson is pleasing to God or not. I know it is
Because it's serving God in simplicity and truth
You know and it doesn't matter if the world acknowledges us
It doesn't matter if we reach some level of fame
You know if we're doing what God wants us to do we're success and that leads to our rejoicing
That's what he said there for our rejoicing is this
You know Paul wasn't just going well, I'm serving God some sincerely
Well, Lisa, I'm serving God sincerely
Going soul winning. Well, at least I'm preaching all the word
Like it was some drudgery to him. I
Mean, I don't know about you you read Paul's life and you think wow
That's an exciting life
That's really something. I think Paul was dragging his feet through life. Just trying to get through another day
no way, I mean, I'm sure he had his ups and downs, but
That was some life he lived and what was he doing he was serving God a simplicity and sincerely
You know if we serve God simply you're gonna have a song in your heart
You know, you're gonna you're gonna go out and serve God and
You don't have to worry whether or not God is pleased with the results
And this is something I want to talk about because here a lot of people say this, you know
We'll go out. So when I'm a you know, it's not just here
I have other soul winning times in Phoenix and I take people soul winning and
You know, it's part of the job to run these soul winning times and out make that available to different people
So I go out a lot with a lot of different people
But I've noticed I tend to hear this more often than that and I'm not faulting people that say it
Understand where they're coming from but they need to understand something and I also often say something to them, you know when they say this
but they'll
They'll get in and we'll be in a hard neighborhood and no one gets saved
You know, we're out there for an hour two hours. Nobody gets saved
everyone gets back in the van and sometimes someone will just be like
man, nobody and they'll just have some kind of an expression of just like
Man, what we didn't even get anybody saved or you know, what a tough neighborhood and you can tell they're just kind of down now
Look, I love seeing people get saved. I
really do and
Of course that lifts our spirits and we're rejoice over that but I can rejoice is just as much as if we go out
So winning for hours and nobody gets saved
Why because I'm serving God and simplicity and sincerity because I'm doing what God wants me to do
And this is what I often tell people that express that
that sentiment
their disappointment that
That people haven't got saved. Of course, that's disappointing
But I'm saying don't let it drag you down and rob you of your joy
It's like then then because then soul-winning will become a drudgery
Then it will become like oh, I gotta drag myself for this neighborhood and just get through this
You know God God is pleased with us going and this is what I'll say I say well
You know, the command is to go into all the world not save the whole world
And the God that the command is going preach and if we've done that then we're success
Look if we go out this afternoon and knock doors for you know, a few hours a couple hours you guys like phew. Oh, wait a minute
Did she have you looked at the temperature lately?
Right when we go out there and we do our duty
We knock these doors and nobody gets safe
We can still come back here with with a smile on our face a song in our heart
Because the fact that we know we obeyed God and that we went out and serve God with simplicity and sincerity this morning
Consider this here's the thing, you know serving God let's just review real quick
Of course, you know means putting away that which is sinful in your life
If you're gonna be real with God get real with God get the sin out do those things what you're pleasing to him
You know and serving God lean means serving him simply do things the way God wants them done
Don't try to come up with some newfangled way and don't get discouraged with with the results or lack thereof
If you're doing things the way God wants them done
You're a success
Whether this church runs runs a hundred or not. We're a success because we're doing things the way God wants them done
But here's the other thing serving the Lord with sincerity means not caring who sees us
It doesn't matter if we're recognized or not. It doesn't matter who sees us whether or not somebody. Oh good job down there
Tucson, it doesn't matter go to 2nd Corinthians chapter 2
Somebody who's serving God sincerely with the right reasons doesn't care whether anybody else notices
Doesn't care whether or not somebody else is gonna, you know, lob their praise
Look at 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 verse 17 for we are not as many which corrupt the Word of God
But as of sincerity, but as of God in the sight of God
Speak we Christ
You know when you go out and you speak, you know when you're when you're speaking Christ to somebody
When you're preaching the gospel, you know, you're doing that in the sight of God
And you don't need anybody else to see besides God if you're serving God sincerely
If you're really serving God with sincerity, you'll go out there and understand that when you're serving him you're serving him
If you're really serving God with sincerity you'll go out there and understand that when you're serving him you're serving him in his sight
And the only person you're worried about impressing is him
Because here's the thing insincere people
They serve to be seen of men go over to Matthew chapter 23
People who don't they they'll say oh, I love God. I love the Lord
I love serving God. It's I just love it. Love it. Love it. Love it
But they'll all they only they only do it to be seen of people that's in insincerity
Because will those same people be serving God if nobody was looking no
And there's a specific group that Jesus addressed called the Pharisees and that was their problem. They were not sincere people
They love to be seen
Look at Matthew 23 verse 1 then spake Jesus to the multitudes into his disciples saying
The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses's seat all therefore whatsoever. They bid you observe that observe and do
But do not after their works. He said don't be like them
For they say and do not they were hypocrites. They were insincere
For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be born and lay them on men's shoulders
but they themselves
Will not move one of them one one will not move them with one of their fingers
But all their works all their works saying everything they do
All their works they do for to be seen of men
Look, they're they're sitting in moses's seat and they're telling people to do the right things. They're saying hey do this do that
But the word their motivation
Anything that they did they would not do except to be seen of men
You know and we could talk about you know
The way this could manifest in our life, you know, the the the
The soul winning, you know, and this is something as as a preacher that I have to be on guard about too
You know
Here's the thing my preaching would be insincere
If all I cared about was being acknowledged
By beside by you know, besides by those that weren't present
If all I cared about was people who weren't even in this room acknowledging me
If I was just up here preaching so that I can press somebody on the internet
My preaching would be insincere
Because that's then those would be the people that I care about those would be the people that I'm concerned with
That wouldn't be genuine that would be insincere
But because I am concerned about the people in this room more than anybody else
You know my preaching is sincere. At least I feel like it is
I mean you think what makes more what do you think matters more to me as a preacher?
That I get 100 views on youtube or that one person in this room
Here's one thing in one sermon that maybe just changes their life a little bit and makes them a better christian
What's going to last longer for me as a reward for a preacher?
The fact that you know, somebody you know acknowledges, you know leaves a comment or shares my whatever that I get some online acknowledgement
You know, that's a fleeting
Reward that's that's it's nothing
Or maybe one person here's something that I preach out of the word of god and the holy spirit comes
And it makes a change in their life and that person I don't know becomes a soul winner
And because of something that was said in some service down here that I preached
Somebody's life has changed and many more souls are saved
I mean, that's what matters
What's more, you know, what would be uh, what would make your soul winning and sincere
You know, are you out there soul-winning just so you can get the pose for instagram
Like oh give me wait. Wait, let me get in the right light here
Okay. Oh wait
Okay, give me like candy like i'm knocking on the door
I've already got my bible open
because i'm such a good soul winner, I already know they're gonna want to hear everything and say just
You know get your get your instagram pose
Out soul-winning look people people do this and I sometimes I think people don't realize
Really that it's kind of going on
You know, maybe it's not to the degree. Obviously i'm making fun
but I see and sometimes when people are taking pictures of themselves just constantly posting pictures themselves soul-winning i'm just like
Why are you why are you doing that?
All right. I mean now look i've posted pictures of people soul-winning but they never know I took that picture
And i'm posting it, you know to try to show that hey, we're a soul-winning church or you know, it's for a yearbook
It's a memory it's a trip that we went on or something like that and people appreciate that but i'm not i'm not like hey
Hold still. All right. Could you move a little to the left, you know, uh, you know
You know the lighting isn't right. Let me get a filter and get the right filter here. I want to make you look extra good
And sometimes you see people it's like
Are you soul-winning just to just show people you go soul-winning?
Are we soul-winning just to be seen of men? Am I preaching these sermons just to be heard on the internet?
Or are we sincere we actually keep with the people that
Excuse me. We actually care about the people that we're going to make real authentic eye contact with
or do we actually care about people that we're going to see in the flesh and blood that we're going to open our mouth and
speak the word of god to
If that's the case, then we can step back and say well we're sincere in what we're doing
Now we're serving god sincerely
in simplicity
You know insincere people they go out of their way
To be seen of men, that's what it says there in matthew chapter 23 verse 5
They says all their works they do for to be seen of men. They make broad their phylacteries
And enlarge their borders of their garments
I mean they're taking the time to you know, sit down with needle and thread like well this border is not big enough
No one's going to notice that
Let me make that a little bigger so everybody can see me coming
And acknowledge me and see what i'm doing they sound a trumpet, you know, if they give alms they have to sound a trumpet
And I don't think jesus was exaggerating. I think they literally did that
They would have somebody sound a trumpet
Before they gave alms to the poor
Can you imagine watching somebody honestly do that?
I mean, how could any any honest person just see that and not go what a pretentious jerk
But that goes on all the time in society, doesn't it?
You hear it all the time in the news some actor some musician
They give millions to something and they make sure everybody knows about it
You know if they were sincere they would just do it anonymously and there are people that do do that
It says in verse six and they love the up of the utmost rooms at feasts
And the chief seats in the synagogues and greetings in the market to be called of men rabbi rabbi
But be not called rabbi for one is your master
You know, so we see the insincere people, you know, they
They serve god
Because they just want to be seen of men
They're not doing it genuinely
They have the wrong motives. Whereas by contrast people who do want to serve god sincerely
They don't mind going unnoticed. They don't mind
Look at verse 11. He said but he that is greatest among you shall be your servant
And whosoever shall be exalt shall exalt himself shall be abased
And he that shall humble at himself
Humble himself shall be exalted
You know sincere people if you would go over to first corinthians chapter four, they don't mind going unnoticed
They don't mind if if they're not, you know, if they're if they're uh, no one's going to see their instagram posts
They might not even have an instagram account
Look if you have an instagram account i'm not against you
Have one go ahead post on it. It's fun
right
But make sure you're serving god
to be seen of god because you love the lord and not to just
Be seen of men
So everybody knows what a great soul winner I am
Or whatever, you know, whatever area that's just one. That's one example. We use quite often around here soul winning
But sincere people, you know, they don't mind going unnoticed and here's here's here's the thing sincere people
They're going to have their moment in the sun
It's just not the sun you're thinking of
You know, we've probably all heard that expression, you know
You got to have your moment in the sun your moment in the spotlight your 15 minutes of fame
Where somebody's going to acknowledge you and praise you?
Look at first corinthians chapter 4 verse 5 therefore
Judge nothing before the time until the lord come who will bring uh to light the hidden things of darkness and will make
manifest the counsels of the heart
I think there's gonna be a lot of people that we we maybe we lift up and think wow
This person is just on fire for the lord
They do so many great works and we all know it because they're all over the internet or they're constantly reminding us of all
The great works that they do and we just think wow, what a great christian
But there's going to come a day when god is going to make manifest the counsels of the heart
He's going to show with a motive behind that work
And then it says this and then shall every man have praise of god
I mean whose praise would you rather have?
The praise of the world the praise of
You know the the thumbs up
I'd rather have I would how many likes is this video going to get that's my concern?
Right?
What is it on instagram? Is it a heart?
Yeah, how many hearts can my instagram post how many loves?
Can my soul winning picture get on instagram?
Right, how many how many times can people share my video or whatever? How many times is my name going to be mentioned?
That's the wrong motive
Is that what we want or i'd rather have praise of god go over to titus chapter two
Look, there's we're all going to have our moment
Here's the play on words in the sun s-o-n
You know what? I want my moment in the sun to be when before the son of god
You know if we're serving god sincerely that's our moment the moment and the sun that we desire
That's the spotlight. We want where god's showing us that's the spotlight we want
That's the spotlight we want where god's shining on it and showing, you know, the motives behind our works
I mean, are you really gonna regret going unnoticed by the world when you hear god the lord?
Jesus say well done now good and faithful servant
I mean if I if if me serving god my whole life and I never
And nobody ever acknowledged me. Nobody ever said good job. Nobody ever
You know
Promoted our ministry or whatever whatever if we just go completely unnoticed down here
by
others
Is that really going to matter if when we get to heaven god says well done faithful word?
tucson
Is that really going to matter in your life? If nobody ever acknowledges you just
Go through life serving god and simplicity and sincerity
You know, you're never going to be in the spotlight
But you're going to hear god
Tell you well done
Look, I don't know what else can compare to that. I mean what what worldly praise can even come close to the praise of god
Nothing, there's nothing out there
There's no walk of fame that i'm going to stick my hands in in place of the praise of god
You know, you can have your stupid hollywood boulevard
Or whatever, you know
That's that's the praise I want that's the well done. I want to hear is the praise of god
And if we're going to do that if you want that if that's what you want in your life
Then you're going to have to just learn to serve god simplicity with simplicity and sincerity
Just do things the way god wants them done. Don't worry about the results as long as you're doing it god's way
He's pleased he'll say well done
And don't get caught up in trying to impress man or impress others
If we're going to serve the lord sincerely we're going to have to take it seriously and this is my last point this morning
You know, there's no aspect of this ministry that's a game
This is serious business that we're involved in
Now are we launching people, you know to the I mean spacex just put people in space yesterday
Men have you know, maybe this maybe this will cost a riff men have walked on the moon
All right, we can debate that later
Right. I mean mankind has achieved these lofty, you know achievements. They've done these great works
And in the world, at least, you know, if we were to compare in the in terms of the world
We compare what we're doing the world would laugh
You guys are going out and bugging people
Knocking doors. You're spending corona. Are you even wearing a mask?
You know people they would they would make a mockery of this. Let me tell you something god's eyes
This is serious business. This is the most important work that anyone can be involved in
Now, is it the most important people in the world doing it in the terms as the world is concerned
No, I mean who are any of us who is sufficient for these things none of us
But our sufficiency is of christ
And god, we know god uses the weak things of this world to confound the things which are strong
He uses the foolish things to confound the things which are wise. It's our honor to be used that way
But here's the thing if you want to serve god's and sit with sincerity you have to take this seriously
And understand that this isn't a game that this is life and death. This is heaven and hell literally for people
You know, it's not a hobby soul winning isn't just a hobby here
It's serious business. That's why we do it. Look at titus chapter two verse six. Did I have you go there?
It says in verse six young men likewise to be sober minded
Of course that's referring to the fact that you should be sober minded
You know taking anything that would impair
Your cognitive processes, right? You shouldn't be
Smoking pot taking drugs or drinking alcohol. You shouldn't be doing these things. That's
That's one sense of being sober minded, but it also sober also another meaning of that word is to be serious
To be a sober person to be sober minded
And all things showing myself a pattern of good works
In doctrine showing uncorruptness gravity that's another sincerity he says gravity sincerity being sober
taking the work of god seriously
Sound speech that cannot be condemned
Look, if we're going to serve god sincerely this morning, we're going to have to be sober minded about it
We're going to have to be grave about it
Because it's serious work
And lastly this serving the lord sincerely is done out of love and not of duty if you would go to ephesians chapter six
You say well, I don't I don't feel like I mean i'm here. I I I serve
But it doesn't feel sincere to me
Well, are you doing what are you doing? Are you doing it out of just duty? Are you doing it because you love the lord?
If you're going to serve god sincerely, I mean, I don't care how serious you are
I don't care. Maybe you don't even have any social media
And no one's ever going to you know, mention you
You understand you're fine with all that
But if you're not doing it out of a place of love you're not doing it sincerely i'm doing exactly the way god wants it done
I'm out two by two. I'm knocking the doors. I'm not you know, trying to be get my name out
There is some big shot. I'm not doing any of that. But if you're not doing it out of love you're falling short
Look at ephesians chapter six. He says this in verse 23
Peace be to the brethren and love with faith from god the father and the lord. Jesus christ
Grace be with you be with all them that love our lord. Jesus christ in sincerity
You know, we want to love god and serve god in sincerity
And if we'll do that, you know grace will be with us. God will help us. God will help, you know, give us grace
You know if we love god if we're going to serve him sincerely this morning
You know the god that saved us
The lord that came here and bled and died to save our souls if we're going to serve him
We're going to sincerely this morning. We're going to do it out of love and for no other reason
Why do you serve god this morning? Is it because you love him?
If it's because you love him then you can say that I say you're serving god sincerely
That's the one reason we should serve god
And if we would just learn to love the lord and just serve him with as that as our own only driving
Force behind us. I serve god because I love him
You know all these other things will just fall into place
I love the lord. I want to serve him. How does he want it done? Just tell me all that
I don't care how he tells me to do it. That's how i'm going to do it. Why because I love him
That's how you'll know you'll be serving god sincerely this morning when you're doing it
For that reason alone because you love him who loved you. Let's go ahead and pray