Study the Word

Guest (Male): Quoting from the Father's love letter, here is Pastor Thom Keller.

Pastor Thom Keller: My child, you may not know me, but I know everything about you. I know when you sit down and when you rise up. I am familiar with all your ways. Even the very hairs on your head are numbered, for you were made in my image. In me, you live and move and have your being. I knew you even before you were conceived. I chose you when I planned creation. You were not a mistake.

Guest (Male): How you see yourself and how God sees you often differs. When that happens, there's no mistake which one is true and to be believed. Welcome to Study the Word with Pastor Thom Keller. Part of the way we see ourselves is affected by our surroundings, for things aren't the way they are supposed to be. As Pastor Thom continues in Philippians chapter one verse 20, he does so by illustrating why we're not to worry.

Pastor Thom Keller: Let's say you travel to Bulgaria, and in Bulgaria, gasoline, heating oil is $100 a gallon. Now, that means to fill your car, you need $1,000 for 10 gallons of gas. To put heating oil in your home for 1,000 gallons, you need $100,000. $100,000 to heat your house. You go, "Oh my word, this is terrible. I can't survive like this. How am I going to keep my house?" Well, you're asking the wrong question. This isn't where you live. You don't live in Bulgaria. You live in the United States. It's someone else's problem, not your problem. You're not home yet. You're going to go back to your home where this is not a problem.

The same thing here. We get all caught up in the stuff going on in this country, all the problems here. Hey, you're not home yet, right? The best is yet to come, folks. You know that. So that's what is meant by "to die is gain." What does Paul mean "to live is Christ"? First and foremost, this recognizes that when you came to Christ, your old life ceased and a new life began. Romans 6:4, "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so too we also should live in newness of life."

And because you no longer live any longer, your identity now is in Christ. Your identity is in Christ. Now you might say, what is my identity? Your identity is who you see yourself to be. It's that self-portrait that's composed of all the words that have ever been said about you, spoken over you, charged to you, and the way you see yourself based upon your experiences in life. They form the different views that shape you into who you see yourself being.

Words that you heard as a child, maybe you're worthless, you'll never be anything, you're just trash, or I wish you never would have been born. Or experiences. I've been a drunk my entire adult life, I guess that's just who I am. That's your identity before Christ. But those negative thoughts are all lies once in Christ. And how does God deal with those lies? He doesn't do a makeover. He doesn't make you into a better version of the old you. No, it calls for a death.

Remember someone saying, a very bright man said this: there isn't a problem in your life that a good funeral won't fix. Your funeral. Your funeral, dying to self. Dying to self. When you come to Christ, God promises to give you a new identity and a new life. Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ." There's the death. There's the burial. There's the old life gone. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life that I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me."

I shared this before, but before I surrendered my life to Christ, I was hopelessly controlled by what other people thought of me. So I would buy more stuff, try to have more influence, more power, more prestige, which I used to bolster my identity. But as you know folks, this leads to a trap. It leads you to that place where others control you because their opinion of you is what controls you. But when I surrendered my life to Christ, I realized that my true identity was who Christ saw me as, not what others thought about me or even what I thought about myself.

And you're set free. And folks, this is what ends your slavery to the opinions of others, because there is only one opinion about you that is correct, and that's what God has to say about you. If anyone in your life, anyone in your world, past or present, has said anything about you or that it rings in your ears what they said and it's different than what God says about you, they're wrong and God is right. It will always be the default. So when you hear those old voices come back, you hear that tape recorder play, you say to yourself, "That is not what God says about me. That's a lie." Don't swim in it, don't deal with it, don't listen to it. Call it what it is: a lie. And accept the truth that God speaks about you.

And this is one of my missions in life, to help others get out of that cage that I was caught in. But you know that cage can seem like an old familiar friend, and many resist giving up their old life and even the old words that were spoken about them. Since you already know how you see yourself, the starting point then is, how does Christ see me? Oh, I'm glad you asked. This next section is taken from the Father's love letter. It was to be in your bulletin, but when you pulled the bulletin out of the rack it probably slipped out, so if you don't have this in your bulletin, you can get one in the back at the end of the service. It's called the Father's love letter. We're going to read this together if that's okay. Don't read the scripture references, just the lines. We'll read this together.

This is your identity. My child, you may not know me, but I know everything about you. I know when you sit down and when you rise up. I am familiar with all your ways. Even the very hairs on your head are numbered, for you were made in my image. In me, you live and move and have your being, for you are my offspring. I knew you even before you were conceived. I chose you when I planned creation. You were not a mistake. Some of you, your identity is "I was a mistake." My mom told me I was a mistake. You were not a mistake. All your days are written in my book. I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. I knit you together in your mother's womb, and I brought you forth on the day you were born.

I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me. I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. And it is my desire to lavish my love on you, simply because you are my child and I am your father. I offer you more than your earthly father ever could, for I am the perfect father. Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand, for I am your provider and I meet all your needs. My plan for your future has always been filled with hope because I love you with an everlasting love. My thoughts towards you are as countless as the sand on the seashore, and I rejoice over you with singing. I will never stop doing good to you, for you are my treasured possession.

I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul and to show you great and marvelous things. If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. Delight in me, and I will give you the desires of your heart, for it is I who gave you those desires. I am able to do far more than you could possibly imagine, for I am your greatest encourager. I am also the father who comforts you in all your troubles. When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. One day I will wipe every tear from your eyes and I'll take away all the pain that you have suffered on earth.

I'm your father, and I love you even as I love my son Jesus. For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. He is the exact representation of my being. He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you, and to tell you that I am not counting your sins. Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me, and nothing will ever separate you from my love again. Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen.

I said this in the first service, when I read that, "come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen," I think of Ted going to heaven. Can you imagine the party he's going to get? I have always been father and will always be father. My question is, will you be my child? I'm waiting for you. Your Father, God. Folks, that is your identity. That's who you are in Christ. That's how He sees you. That's how He loves you. If anything in your mind plays counter to that, you call it what it is: a lie, and you accept that as truth. That's your default.

So when the tape recorder runs in your head and those words and thoughts that constantly try to tie you back to your old life, to your old identity, remember: my identity is in Christ. And what He says about me is true. And anyone who says anything other than that, including myself, is wrong and is lying. And Paul closes this section by saying this, verse 25, "Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith."

So Paul tells us that it's to our advantage that he stays. He says it's better for us that he stays than departs. And why? Why is it better? He gives two reasons. Number one, to help all of you grow spiritually. And secondly, to help all of you experience the joy of your faith. So how does this apply to me? Listen, if you're a parent and God has preserved your life to this point in time, which He has, or if you're a husband or a Sunday school teacher or an employee or employer or a grandparent or a student, do you know why God has left you here rather than bringing you home? It is to help you help your children, your wife, your fellow students, your co-employees grow spiritually and experience the joy of their faith. That's why He's left us here. To help others grow spiritually and to learn to enjoy, experience the joy of their faith.

This is a little article written by a friend of mine, Neil Fisher, who I took some ministerial classes with many, many years ago, 30 years ago. He says this: our sons Matthew, age three, and Andrew, age one, were growing up quickly. And each day they became more aware of the world around them. Kathy and I thought it would be good for Matt and Andy to begin going to Sunday school. But where? Young people, if you're in school, listen to this especially. My wife and I were still members of the churches we'd attended as children, but our attendance had not been very regular.

The Mooresville Church of the Brethren, which is down near Reading, was near our home, but we knew nothing about it. One day Kathy called one of her sister's friends who was a member of that church, and she answered all our questions. She also mentioned the names of some young people from the church who attended the local high school where I taught math. These teachers she mentioned didn't look different, but they were. They had a more loving attitude. They were not caught up in the trends of the day, whether it was speech or dress. The events of the day, no matter how trying, seldom left them frazzled. They seemed more mature than their peers. Something had stabilized their lives. Yes, they were different, but in a good way.

We decided to see if we would like the Mooresville church. We took our boys to Sunday school and after a couple of Sundays, we stayed for the church service. We found there a godly pastor, strong Bible teaching, and a warm and loving fellowship of Christian believers. Our family had found what it needed. Not only a Sunday school for our children, but a church where Kathy and I were led to commit our lives to the Lord. We were baptized about a year later and two years ago I was called into ministry by the church. Look at the difference those teenagers made, those students made in the life of their teacher. Just by the way they lived life, by the way they dealt with life, the way they dealt with problems. You say I'm too young to have an influence in this way. They weren't. They didn't even witness to him. He just saw that their lives were changed by the faith, by the Christ that they followed.

You can do the same. So if you're a parent and God has preserved your life, that's why God has you here rather than taking you home. It's to help your children grow spiritually. It's to help your spouse grow spiritually. It's to help your co-workers grow spiritually. It's to help even your teachers, your fellow students grow spiritually and to enjoy, experience the joy of their faith. 1st Corinthians 3:7 says this, "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." Those students, they didn't know they were even planting, but it was God who gave that growth.

So how do we do that? Parents, husbands, teachers, wives, employers, employees, co-workers, students, model your faith. It's been said faith is better caught than taught. Model your faith. Love the word of God. Talk about the word of God in those settings. Use the word of God as your practical guide for decision makings. And let those around you recognize the blessing that comes to those who obey. Let them see the cause and effect of that life. And make prayer an integral part of your relationship with them. Parents, pray with children. My parents both prayed, but they did not pray with me. I have wonderful parents, I don't have regrets. But I encourage you parents, I've heard many, many people say, "I remember my father praying, my mother praying as I went off to school every day." That's wonderful. But ramp it up a notch and pray with them. With them.

Two years ago, three years ago maybe, we started praying with Ted every night before he goes to bed. And he won't go to bed without it, I mean, he just won't. And we say, "God, thank you for giving us Ted, we are so grateful that Ted lives in this house. And please keep all of his friends safe, his friends here at church." He wants us to pray for that, don't let them get sick, you know, keep their parents safe. He goes "Yeah, yeah." And then we'll say, "and God, we love Ted and this is his home now, we're never letting go of him, he is never going to get away from this home, never." And when I say that, he goes "Yeah, that's right." Because I think there's some level of insecurity deep down inside him that causes him to fear that maybe we'd put him out. I don't put him out someday. Where would he get that from? It wasn't from us. I'm just telling you, of everything we say in that prayer, he affirms that more than anything else. And he holds me tight when I say it.

Now here's my point. You can pray for your children, but you're not going to pray with your children in those areas of insecurities like that. They're not going to come out until you pray with them. Pray with your children. Husbands, pray with your wives. We say this in the marriage seminar, if there's one thing, one single thing that could do more to benefit a Christian couple's marriage, it's for the husband to pray with his wife before they go to bed at night, or sometime. We pray together before we go to bed. And the reason is because when you pray with your wife guys, you're connecting with her on a level that's in the spirit realm. And that's a deeper level than you will ever connect with your wife in any other way. It is. And once wives hear their husbands praying for them, they know they're going deeper with their husband than they've ever been before. And it feels safe and secure because they know they're talking to the real you.

My wife and I did a marriage series many years ago, and there was a woman there who worked for a Fortune 500 company, a high position in the company. The reason I know it's 19 years, they had a 19-year-old son. And she said to me, she said to the group, in a group setting, a weekend retreat, she said this, her husband sitting next to her. She said, "In our 19 years of marriage, we have never had a conversation went below a surface-level conversation," like "Nice day outside," "How was your day?", "What's the weather like?", never deeper than that. Men, that should not be. And you know, I've known men that were afraid to pray. I'm going off a little bit, but I know men that were afraid to pray with their wife and here's the reason why: they felt too vulnerable. They felt they were letting their wife in to too close a place. Don't do that guys. Draw her in. Pray with her.

Again, as soon as I do marriage retreats, the question we get at breaks, the number one question is always this: the women will come up and say, "What can I do to get my husband to be the spiritual leader?" because they want that. They want you to pray with them, they want you to pray for them. Be that spiritual leader. Parents, pray with your children, husbands pray with your wives, co-workers, pray with co-workers. Look, you may have people that you work with that are absolutely hardened to the gospel. They want nothing to do with it. They laugh or challenge you or get that smirk whenever you bring it up.

But listen, this is what witnessing is. Witnessing is taking your finger around the soul of the person, working your finger around the soul of the person and looking for a way in. A way into their soul. And when you have a co-worker who's having a, maybe their wife is really ill or they have a son that's in the hospital and it's dangerous, that's your point in. And you say to them, "Listen, would it be okay if I prayed for your wife?" "Yeah." And then say "Let's do it right now." Because man, listen, when you pray and the spirit gets connected with their spirit, whoa, it does something. I have never had a person in all my years at Keller Brothers that I prayed with in that setting who said "No, I don't want you to pray." Never. And I've, we've had some guys in there that really were hardened to the gospel. They will let you pray.

Parents, pray with your children, husbands pray with your wives, co-workers pray with co-workers in those settings. And then watch with them as God answers those prayers so that you can brag on God as they see God answering those prayers. And lastly, help them enjoy their salvation. Nehemiah 8:10 says this, "Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." The joy of the Lord is your strength. So let them see this joy. Let them see the fruit of the spirit, the love, the joy, the peace, the faithfulness, contentment. Let them see all of that as you trust God in real-life situations. Let them see it.

So here's the takeaway for today. I'm going to give you some homework for next week. Remember why God has left you here on earth rather than bringing you home to be with Him. Because He can't wait to see you. Listen, He is the groom, you are the bride. What groom isn't looking forward to being with his bride? He wants, listen, He wants to be with you more than you want to be with Him. A lot more. So don't think He's letting me here because, you know, He's too busy to really spend time with me. Oh, He wants you home, but He's not. Why? Because He has things for you to do. Because He's leaving you here so that you can help others discover the path to real life.

So here's your homework, same as Paul. Number one, to help those around you grow spiritually. And number two, to help them experience the joy of their faith. You can't help them experience the joy of their faith if you don't have joy in your faith. Help those around you grow spiritually and help them experience the joy of their faith. So here's maybe an example prayer. God, you want me to help my son, my wife, my husband, my fellow student grow spiritually and experience joy in their faith. Just as Paul, that is in fact why you're leaving me here. So please help me to do that. Please use me to help them grow spiritually and experience the joy in their faith.

Guest (Male): We're going through Philippians one verse at a time on Study the Word with Pastor Thom Keller. You can hear this message again anytime of the day or night online at ccleb.com or subscribe to our YouTube channel at Calvary Chapel Lebanon. If you'd rather have a CD copy, call us at 717-273-5633. Hey, have you been helped by the ministry? Let us know that. It would be so encouraging to Pastor Thom and all of us at Study the Word. Give us a call at 717-273-5633 or write to Study the Word, 740 Willow Street, Lebanon, Pennsylvania 17046. You can email us through the website as well at ccleb.com.

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