Storms Creek Church 4-23-2023

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Episode Transcript

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Good morning, and welcome to StormsCreek Missionary Baptist Church this Sunday morning radio
program. This morning, we'll bejoining Pastor Kenny Hurst as we once again
open the scripts to study God's Way. Okay, we're going to be in
the Book of Philippians today. Weare in chapter one, and I want

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to begin by reading the one versewe're going to be focusing on this morning,
and that is verse six. Theapostle Paul writes, being confident of
this very thing that he which hathbegun a good work in you will perform
it until the day of Jesus Christ. You know, the word security is

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a word that we often use todayand use it in a lot of different
ways. We talk about security whenit comes to our homes and our life.
We want to have our homes andour lives secure. So that's why
we have locks on our doors,dead bolt locks. We have security alarm
systems. We have cameras outside topick up anybody who's coming to our house

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that might possibly do us some harm. We have police officers who patrol our
streets in our neighborhoods. We havea military force to keep us safe,
to protect us from another country,that might attack us. But in spite
of all these measures that we take, you know, our homes are still

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broken into tragedies still happen, Ournation can still be attacked by an outside
force. When it comes to security, we always want security when it comes
to our jobs, you know,but no job is one hundred percent secure.
People lose their jobs sometimes after workingfor years at a certain job and

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they just do away with that job. We talk about financial security. We
want to be secure financially, butsometimes people lose their money. We know,
banks sometimes close, the stock markethas been known to crash, so
there is really no certain financial security. The point I'm making is is that

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in all these areas of life,when we try to be secure, we
realize that there's nothing in this lifethat's one hundred percent secure. Even with
our best efforts, nothing is onehundred percent secure, nothing except for well,
nothing except for our souls are eternalsouls, which is what we're going

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to look at tonight. If wehave put our faith and trust in Jesus
Christ and friends, you are eternallysecure, one hundred percent secure, and
nothing is going to change that fact. Well, here in Philippians, chapter
one and verse six, Paul talksabout security. Now, how does this

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verse verse six fit in with versesthree through eight, which we looked at
last time. Well, I thinkthe key words here, I say words
are the words in verse six goodwork. So what does Paul mean by
good work. Well, it's possiblethat he could be talking about that financial

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support that the Philippians gave him andthe church at Jerusalem. That's certainly a
good work. But that's not whathe's talking about here. I believe when
he talks about a good work,he's talking about our relationship to Christ.
He's talking about the Gospel. He'stalking about salvation. So the good work

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is the good work of salvation.Now, you notice that in verse six
he begins by saying, being confidentor being persuaded persuaded of what well that
the Philippians have persevered. They giveevidence of being truly saved. They prove

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this by their love and by theiractions. Paul is confident, he's persuaded
that these saints have truly put theirfaith in trust in Christ. Now,
when we talk about this assurance ofsalvation is confidence that we have. We're
talking about the doctrine of eternal security. Sometimes it's called the perseverance of the

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saints. Sometimes it's referred to asthe preservation of the saints. They're all
talking about basically the same thing.You know, when you talk about perseverance
and preservations, I like to talkabout two coins. Think of it as
a coin, single coin, andon this single coin there are two sides,

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and there's words or images that areengraved on each side. On one
side you have perseverance. That meansthe person who save is going to persevere,
they're going to continue into faith.They have to do it, but
of course they do it through thespirit of God who works in them.

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On the other side of the coinis preservation, and that is God holding,
God keeping those whom He saves.Now, both of these perseverance and
the preservation, they're both true,and they're both taught in the Bible.
But in this message, as welook at verse six, we're going to
focus more on the preservation side ofthe coin, where God preserves those who

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are His. You see, Paul'sconfidence wasn't in the saints there at Philippi.
Their ability to hold on. No, it wasn't a case where I
know you're I know you're strong,and I know you're tough, and I'll
know that you'll be able to hangon. No, he's not talking that
way, he's not thinking that way. No, he's confident not because they

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have the ability to hold on,but because God is the one who has
the ability to hold on to them. God's going to continue the work that
He has started in them. Now, this letter is addressed to those who
have been justified, those who aresaints in Christ Jesus, those who are
partakers of God's grace, those whoare walking in fellowship with Him. All

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of those are kept. They're preservedby God. Also, to keep in
mind that the maiden the theme ofthis letter is the theme of joy,
And I'd ask you what gives greaterjoy than the doctrine of eternal security.
That we are say that we arebeing preserved, We're being kept by God.

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Now this is in spite of whathappens in our life, because we
know that sometimes in our lives ourcircumstances are not good. But we are
secure even when we face opposition,even when we have sickness and illness and
even death, when we just haveto struggle with the cares of living in

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this world. Even if we're castinto prison like the apostle. Paul is
at this time, all of theseadverse circumstances still don't rob us of our
joy because of the fact that weare eternally secure. We're being preserved by
God, and we know that oneday that we're going to fully enjoy all

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the blessings that God has in storefor his people. So what I want
to do this morning is I wantto give you based on this one verse,
I want to give you four thereare reasons why the child of God
can be confident, assured, orwe could say eternally secure. So how

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are we eternally secure? Well,the first reason is because of the author
of our salvation, in other words, because of the one who has begun
this work. You noticed that inverse six he says, being confident of
this very thing, that he whichhas begun a good work. So the
question is who is the he whohas begun this good work. What's pretty

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obvious, isn't it. This isreferring to God. This is the truth
that we must grasp, that salvationis God's work. Now I know that
Paul is the one who came toPhilippi. He's the one who worked there.
He preached the gospel there. Heplanted the church there. Yes,

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Paul worked, but Paul ya alldidn't claim this work has his work.
No, he realized it was God'swork and anything that was accomplished was accomplished
because God was working through Paul.So Paul gives all the credit, all
the honor to who it rightfully belongsto, and that is the Lord.

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I want you to listen to whatLuke writes in Acts, chapter sixteen and
verse four. Paul first came tothe Philippi says that a certain woman named
Lydia, a seller of purple ofthe city of Thiatara, which worshiped God,
hurt us, whose heart the Lordopened, and she attended into the

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things which were spoken of Paul.Now, Notice it says that she heard
Paul, she heard us. Nownotice whose heart the Lord opened, that
she attended into things that he spokeof. See Lydia believed because the Bible
tells us because God opened her heart, He did this work in her that

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enabled her to put her faith intrust in Christ. Back in chapter fourteen
and verse twenty seven, as Pauland Silas was revisiting some of the churches
they'd been in before established churches,says, And when they were come,
they had gathered the church together.They werehearsed. Now noticed these words all

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that God had done with them,And now he had opened the door of
faith of the gentiles. See lucaIs in saying, they rehearsed all that
Paul and Silas had done. Nowthey opened the door of the gentiles.
No, this was God's work inGod's alone. So, folks, the
word of God is very clear,and that is salvation is God's work.

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It is a work that he begins, and it is a work that he
will complete. The bottom line isis we do not seek God. God
seeks us. We don't work forhim to gain his approval, though He
does the work for us today.If we stand justified, if you stand

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justified, if you're saved, ifyou're a child of God, then it's
because back before the foundation of theworld an eternity passed, God chose you
unto salvation, and then at hisappointed time he effectually called you by the
preaching of the Word, regenerating youso that when you hear the Gospel,

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you'll be able to put your faithand trust in Christ. And then when
you put your faith in trust inChrist. Then you are saved. You're
kept for eternity. Now, whatshould be our response to what I just
said? It should be praise praiseto God. All honor and glory and

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praise goes to God. We haveno part in our salvation. Friends,
this is all God's work. It'swhat God has begun in us. Now,
Paul knows this from personal experience.We know the life of Paul.
You know, one time Paul wasnot a safe man. Paul was not

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one who was justified. In fact, on the road to Damascus, when
he was going to hunt down Christians, something happened, Something drastically changed Paul.
And it wasn't that Paul, ashe was traveling Damascus, just as
he was thinking about what he wasdoing, didn't suddenly have a change of

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mind. He didn't begin to maybedoubt what he was doing, think maybe
what he was doing was wrong.You know, these people hadn't really hurt
anybody. You know, maybe thereis something to what they're teaching. Maybe
i'd investigate a little bit more.No, Paul didn't do that. Yeah,
he had a change, he hada change of heart. In fact,

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he was given a new heart.But he didn't give himself a new
heart. This wasn't him, hewasn't pursuing God. No, it was
God's work. God is the onewho did the work in Paul. Now
we all know this from personal experience. If we're saved. Rome's chapter three

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and verse ten says, as itis written, there is none righteous,
no, not one. There isnone that understandeth, There is none that
seeketh after God. They are allgone out of the way, they are
all together becoming profitable. There isnone that doeth good, No, not

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one. Now your response to this, maybe, yes, I hear you,
preacher, Yes I agree, Ibelieve. I agree with what you
said. But that faith that weexercise, it's our faith, right,
that's what makes the difference. Soyes, it's my faith that makes it

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possible for me to be justified.Well, just remember what Paul taught in
Ephesians chapter two, in verses eightnine. For by grace are you saved
through faith? And that not ofyourselves. It is the gift of God,
not of worse, lest any manshould boast. So even that faith

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that you exercise, that you putin Christ, the Bible says, that's
a gift of God. So weare eternally secure because our salvation is God's
work. He's the author of oursalvation. Number two. Second reason why

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we can be eternally secure, thatis because of the nature of the work.
He says, being confident of thisvery thing that he which hath begun
a good work. Now, noticein you doesn't say among you, He
says in you. Paul's not speakingof a reformation. He's not talking about

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you needing to clean up your act, you know, drop your bad habits.
No, he's talking about a regeneration. He's talking about a rebirth.
He's talking about a new birth.You see, here's the order. Here's
what happens when God works in us. First of all, the Holy Spirit
quickens us, comes upon us,shows us our condition, convicts us of

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sin, shows us we're guilty,that we've broken God's law, that there's
nothing that we can do to atonefor our sins. But at the same
time he opens our eyes, hecreates a thirst in us for Christ.
We're able to see Christ in anew way. We're able to see him
for who he truly is, ofour only hope of salvation. And so

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we look at our sins that we'vecommitted against him. We grieve and we
mourn. We repent of those sins, and by faith we look to Christ
and we're forgiven of our sins.We see that on the cross God showed
his great love for sinners that werealize he's gracious and merciful. And also

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He's given us a new nature,a new heart, new desires. We
begin to hate what we once loved, and we begin to love what we
once hated. Simply put, weare a new creation in Christ. So
all of this which I just said, that's all part of God working in
you. And it's all what Godis doing contributing your part. God is

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doing the work in you. Backin June of nineteen seventy nine. God
began this work in me. Iwas saved. It wasn't me that did
it. It was God who gaveme life. It was God who calls
me to be born again. Godis working and he's still working in me.

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Does that describe you? Then?Rest assured, my friends, God
is working in you. Third reason, because of the purpose of God's work.
He says that he will perform ituntil the day of Jesus Christ.
We who are saved, we arebeing prepared, We're being fashioned for the

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day of Jesus Christ. He saysthat he will perform it. That word
before him means to perfect, tofully complete. Paul is confident that God
is going to fully complete that workin us, that purpose he has for

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us. See, God has apurpose in saving us. And what is
that purpose? Well, listen towhat Paul wrote in that very familiar passage
that I know we all know fromRomans chapter eight and verse twenty eight,
and we know that all things worktogether for good to them that love God,

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to them who are called according toHis purpose, for whom he did
for Oh, he also did predestinateto be conformed to the image of his
son, that he might be thefirstborn among many brethren. Now, in
these two verses is an explanation asto what God's purpose was in saving us.

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He doesn't say his purpose was sothat we would escape hell, although
we do, and that is certainlyone of the blessings we enjoy because God
has saved us. To say thatGod saves us so that He can bless
us with a glorious inheritance one daythroughout all eternity, although that is certainly
true, God is at work.He is preparing a place for us a

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glorious inheritance. So both of thesethings are true, they're is not the
main purpose in God's saving us.So what is his purpose? Well,
he tells us there in verse twentynine, that is so that we would
be conformed to the image of hisson. That's it there, it is.

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That's the main reason why God savesyou, so that you would be
conformed to the image of Hi,his son. You see, friends,
in eternity past, God chose tosave a people, a people out of
Adam's fallen race, and he didit for this sole purpose of forming them

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into the image of his own son. James Boyce says, God is so
delighted in his son that he calledmillions of sinful human beings to himself in
order for Jesus to be reproduced inthem, and so the universe then would
be populated with millions of Christ.He goes on and says, we are

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not divine, but we are likehim. And that's a good distinction to
make. When we're talking about beingmade into the image of Christ. That
doesn't mean we've become just like Christ, because Christ will always be divine and
we won't. We will never bedivine. That was Adam and Eve's.

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That was the problem with them therein the garden. Satan enticed them thinking
that they could be just as Godwas. No, we will never be
like the Lord Jesus Christ. Youknow, the Bible says that God made
man in his image, but thatdoesn't mean that man can become God.
No, it just means that there'scharacteristics of God that are true of us.

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We have that we have the sameimage in a lot of ways,
but we know that image was marredby sin, wasn't it. Well,
now he is recreating the people intothe image of his own son, and
you know he will do that.He won't be marred by sin. He
will fulfill this. Back in Romanseight twenty eight, he says we know

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that all things work together for good, and he doesn't say all things are
good, because not all things aregood. You know, when a loved
one gets cancer and dies, that'snot good. When you know some tragedy
happens, that's not good. Butall these things can be worked out for
good because there's a reason behind it. You know, God's purpose is something

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like a sculptor who has a chiseland has a block of wood, and
he's chiseling away at that wood untilwell, until he has the image that
he wants to produce. Well,God is like that, He's like a
sculptor, and we are the peaceof wood. And God is chipping away
and chiseling away at us, removingeverything that keeps us from looking like Christ,

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with the purpose that when he's finished, we're going to be in the
image of Christ. Now we understandthis is an ongoing process. This isn't
complete, and it won't be inthis world, not in this life.
The one day, at the dayof Jesus Christ, it will be.
And then the second reason why hesaves us, also found in verse twenty
nine of Romans eight, is sothat he might be the firstborn among many

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brethren, that he would be well, he would be preeminent, that he
would be supreme. See, Godworks all things for his glory. So
he saves us for the purpose ofmaking us in the image of his Son,
which is then in turn, thatwhich brings honor and glory to his
name. We're going to spend alleternity praising God for this work that he

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is doing in us. And thennumber four, the fourth and final reason
why we can be eternally secure andhave eternal security is because of the certainty
of God fulfilling his purpose, becausehe says there he will perform it until
the day of Jesus Christ. Hewill perform it, not that he hopes

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to perform it, not that hemight perform it, not that he probably
will perform it. No, hewill. It's one hundred percent certain.
You see. For ends is ifwe could lose our salvation. Now hear
me out, listen carefully here.If we could lose our salvation, as

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some people teach, that means thatGod has purpose to do something that he
wasn't able to carry out, Hewasn't able to fulfill. And my response
to that is perish the thought thatcannot be God doesn't start something that he's

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not able to carry out. Thatmeans he would condemn to hell those he
chose even before the foundation of theworld to save, but he wasn't able
to save. This cannot be God'scharacter, God's reputation. God's very name

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is at stake. See, hegives the believer, He gives the one
who puts their faith and trust inhim. He gives them eternal life.
For God to love the world thathe gave his only begotten son. Whoever
believes in him should not perish,but have what eternal life? How long

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is eternal life? It's for eternity. See if we can lose it,
it's not eternal life. But wecan't lose it. And that's why it's
eternal life. God's mercy, theBible says, endures forever. Doesn't say
it endures for a while. No, it endures forever. As long as

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God is merciful, we're eternally secure. If God ceases to be merciful and
gracious, then we're in a lotof trouble. His justice, in his
justice, he accepted Christ's death onthe cross his payment for our sin.
Jesus had on the cross. Itis finished. He did everything that was
needed to be done in order tosave his people. Well, if God

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accepted his sacrifice on the cross aspayment for our sin, God then cannot
punish us for our sin. That'sa double jeopardy. God can't do that.
If Christ suffered the punishment of oursins, then God cannot punish us
for our sins. If God beganat work in saving you, but then
you lost that, then you havea big problem there. So just keep

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in mind, and this is thetitle for the message this morning. Just
remember that God always finishes what hestarts, and especially in regard to our
salvation, that good work that Hehas begun in us. Friends, this

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is our hope. That's our hope. One day we who are justifying.
So we're going to stand before theLord and we will stand faultless and without
blemish. And why is that?Because God always finishes what he starts.

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Have you put your faith in trustin Christ? Do you realize that you've
sinned and there's nothing you can doto atone for your sin. You've broken
God's law. The God, whois rich in mercy, who is gracious,
has provided a way for us tobe saved, to be justified,
to be forgiven of all of oursins, and is simply us put in

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our faith and trust in Christ,a faith that even God gives us as
a gift. And once we dothat, he will keep us. We
will persevere and he will preserve us. He will keep us unto the day
of Jesus Christ. We'd like tothank you for listening to our program this

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morning. We pray that God hasused this message to draw you closer to
Him. Storms Creek Missionary Baptist Churchwould like to take this opportunity to invite
you to any of its services.We have a Sunday School which starts at
nine thirty am, Sunday Morning Worshipten fifteen, and our Sunday Evening service

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starts at six pm. We alsohave a Wednesday Night Bible Study which starts
at seven thirty pm. Storms CreekMissionary Baptist Church is also on the Internet
under Sermonaudio dot com. You cango to www. Dot sermon Audio,
look for Storms Creek Missionary Baptist Churchand listen to any of our sermons in

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full length audio at the side.Again, we'd like to thank you for
listening this morning, and may Godbless you throughout the week.