• Scripture Reading: Philippians 1:1-6
• INTRO: The Tennessee Vols football program is now 4-0 on the season after beating the Florida Gators 38-33 yesterday! Honk if you’re excited for the Vols! 

It all began with Philippians 1:3 and ends with Philippians 4:18 which say,

“Php 1:3  I thank my God in all my remembrance of you”

“Php 4:18  I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.”

Eph 5:20 always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Col 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

1Th 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Read Matthew 25:31-40. “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Eph 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no-one can boast.

Php 4:19  And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 

• Heb 6:10 “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”
• Luke 6:35“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High…”
• Pr 19:17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.
• Mt 25:40 “The King will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Php 4:14  Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. 

Php 4:16  Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. 

Central News: This Sunday 9/25 we will host our annual parking lot drive-in worship service at 10am. With this Sunday as his last sermon as minister of Central Church of Christ, Topher Wiles finishes his 5 year commitment of service. Join us for outdoor worship of Jesus & be a part of honoring God along with the Wiles family in their farewell service. A pot-luck lunch meal open to all will be held in the annex following the AM worship service.

 

“There is no humor in heaven.” And he said he preferred “Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.”(Captain Stormfield’s Visit to Heaven) 

 

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. – Revelation 21:1

 

Revelation 4:2-3 “The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were SINGING A NEW SONG before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders…”

 I Corinthians 15:51-53 says “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

The story’s told of a missionary work amongst the Chol Indians in Southern Mexico. The work lasted for years but it ultimately resulted in a thriving church of 12,000 believers. What’s interesting is that when the missionaries came, the Chol Indians didn’t know how to sing. But when they fell in love with Jesus, the believers in the tribe became known as “the singers”.       

One of the missionaries noted:

“They love to sing now, because they have something to sing about.”

(“Psalms of the Heart,” George Sweeting)
https://www.preaching.com/sermon-illustrations/singers/

 

Here’s a song in Daniel “… there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was LED INTO HIS PRESENCE. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an EVERLASTING DOMINION that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” – Daniel 7:13-14

 

“a NEW heaven and a NEW earth” Revelation 21:1

‘Behold, I am making ALL THINGS NEW…’” Revelation 21:5

“The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,… etc. etc.”   Rev 21:18-19                                

 

Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

2 Samuel 12:8 “if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more!.”

 

Revelation 21:3-4 

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

 

“No dust, nor rust, no rats, no rot,

No raucous rock, no potent pot.

All tell the truth, state only facts,

No wars, no debts, no income tax.

No growing old with weakened sight,

No dentures slipping when you bite,

No bombs, no guns, no courts, no jails,

Where all succeed and no one fails.

According to this dream of mine

In Heaven no one stands in line.

And there are only smiling faces

And lots and lots of parking places.”

(Humorist Richard Armour)

1 Thessalonians 4:16 “the Lord himself shall descend from heaven WITH A SHOUT…”

 

“Enough suffering.

Enough starvation.

Enough terror.

 Enough death.

Enough indignity.

Enough lives trapped in hopelessness.

Enough sickness and disease.

Enough time.

Enough!”

(A missionary named Gregory Fisher quoted in a sermon on sermoncentral.com)

 

I long for your salvation, O Lord,

    and your law is my delight. – Psalm 119:174

 

 

CLOSE: Revelation 22:1-2 tells of the Eternal River of Life.

 

“Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.”

 

This natural spring in Blackville, South Carolina has the unusual distinction of being legally owned by God. The spring was known for its healing powers by Native Americans, and news of its magical abilities spread when six badly wounded Revolutionary War soldiers made stunning recoveries after drinking and bathing in it.  The land was purchased by Lute Boyston who believed the spring should be free for all and in 1944 he deeded the spring and surrounding acres to “Almighty God, for the use of the sick and afflicted.”
https://www.guideposts.org/better-living/travel/7-of-the-worlds-amazing-healing-waters

 

INVITATION Song: Have you Been to Jesus – 904

Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing pow’r?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

We praise God that Jim Cantrell was baptized into Christ this morning at the Central church building! We are also grateful that Earlayne expressed a desire to recommit her life to Christ today. We thank God for those who share faith in Christ Jesus!

 

Make sure to give them a hug when you next see them!

Daniel 7:13-14 “… there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was LED INTO HIS PRESENCE. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an EVERLASTING DOMINION that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

Colossians 1:13  “(God) has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the KINGDOM of his beloved Son.” 

II Peter 3:9-12  “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

  But THE DAY OF THE LORD will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

  Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!”

 

Revelation 20:6 “Blessed and holy is the one who SHARES IN THE FIRST RESURRECTION! Over such THE SECOND DEATH HAS NO POWER, but they will be PRIESTS OF GOD and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.”

 

Revelation 20:11-12 “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.”

 

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened. AND ANOTHER BOOK WAS OPENED, which is the book of life.”

: “And whosoever was NOT FOUND written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15

Revelation 21:27 tells us “But nothing unclean will ever enter (heaven), nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

 

In Acts 16 a Philippian Jailer asked Paul and Silas “What must I do to be saved?”

And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” Acts 16:31

But this jailer didn’t know what to believe about Jesus… so for the next hour or so they taught he and his family what they should believe about Jesus. And “he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.” Acts 16:33

Once this jailer and his family knew what to believe they baptized the jailer and his family into Christ that very hour. It would have been a little after midnight.

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38

 

The Bible is very clear on how we should respond to God’s free gift of salvation.

• Believe in the Lord Jesus (Acts 16:31)
• Repent of our sins (Acts 3:19)
• Confess Jesus as our Lord and Owner (Romans 10:9-10)
• Be buried in the waters of baptism for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38)
• Life for Christ (Mark 13:13)