SPEAKER_01
0:20 All right, welcome to day three in our march through Philippians. 0:23 Uh, we're just doing four verses today. 0:25 We're just doing one verse, Philippians 1, 28. 0:27 I'm gonna read the context in which it in which we find 28. 0:31 Beginning in 27 says, only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you, that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. 0:50 This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 0:57 You see, the Bible says not to be frightened. 1:00 Paul does not want his folks in Philippi to be frightened by their opponents. 1:05 This is the most commanded thing in all of the Bible. 1:08 In the King James Version of the Bible, there are 366 versions of don't be frightened, don't be afraid, fear not, don't be anxious, don't worry. 1:20 In fact, God tells Joshua three times to be strong and courageous, strong and courageous, strong and courageous. 1:25 Why? 1:25 Because he was weak and afraid, weak and afraid, weak and afraid. 1:28 And the reason that God tells Joshua not to be afraid, but to be strong and courageous is because he was with him. 1:35 You see, the opposite of faith is not doubt, the opposite of faith is fear. 1:41 You see, the difference between faith and fear is simply this. 1:45 When you look into the future, who do you think is in control? 1:49 Because if you think you are in control, if you think you have to cowboy up, you have to man up, if you think you have to be in control of your circumstances, then fear, anxiety, and worry will grip you and it will take over, and fear paralyzes. 2:03 But if and when you look into the future and you realize that by faith that God is in control of all things, he still has the entire world in his hands, and he is a good dad, and he loves you, and he has called you according to his purpose, then he is at work in all the things, all the things, for the good of you. 2:23 And Paul says this is a clear sign to them of their destruction. 2:28 He says, Don't be afraid of your opponents, because when your opponents see you in the circumstances that you're in, whatever you're facing, and you walk by faith and not fear, this is a clear sign to them of their destruction. 2:41 Jesus says, Do not fear the one that can only harm the body. 2:45 No, no, no, no, no. 2:46 That can only harm your reputation or harm your finances or take from you what is temporary. 2:52 But instead, Jesus says, fear or revere the one that can crush you for eternity. 2:58 He says, Do not be frightened in anything by your opponents. 3:02 Why? 3:03 Because when you do this, when you stand in faith, it's a clear sign to them of their destruction, but it's a clear sign of your salvation and that from God. 3:12 That the reason that you are saved is not because you're in control, but because you have relinquished control of your life to the one who is in charge of all things. 3:22 And you also don't have to fear what will happen to your opponents. 3:26 You see, sometimes you were trying to be in such control that you were trying to be the judge over your opponent to make sure that they get what they deserve. 3:34 When you have faith in the good news of the gospel of Jesus, and when you have faith to understand that one day He will return and He will judge every single person on this earth, and you understand that all sin will be paid for, that justice will happen, that righteousness will rule and reign. 3:53 And so the people that do you wrong, the people that are trying to create the fear in your life, then their sin will be paid for. 4:00 It will either be paid for at the cross because your opponents been there needed Jesus and they put their faith in Christ and they believe that when Jesus died on the cross, somehow it counted for him. 4:11 And if they do that, then when Jesus died on the cross, he endured and incurred the full wrath of a holy God against the sin that you're worried about. 4:22 And if they don't, then their sin will be paid for. 4:26 That they will endure the full wrath of a holy God by being judged on the great day of judgment, and they will be separated from God for all eternity. 4:36 And because of that, because God is in control, and because if we don't quit, we win. 4:41 And because we fight from victory and not for victory, we do not need to be frightened in anything by any of our opponents. 4:50 And when we walk by faith, again, Paul says this is a clear sign to them of their destruction. 4:57 And it's also a clear sign of your salvation. 5:00 And that salvation does not come from you. 5:03 That salvation comes from God. 5:06 So with that declaration of faith, may you walk without fear and may you walk in faith.