The Reformed Arsenal

Read the Word Philippians 1:27–2:11 (ESV) 27 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, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. 1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of man, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Listen to the Word Stand Firm Together (1:27-30) — Paul commands believers to live worthy of the gospel by standing united in one spirit and one mind, striving side by side for the faith without fear of opposition. Unity Through Humility (2:1-4) — Christians are called to complete joy by thinking the same thing, having the same love, doing nothing from selfish ambition, and looking to the interests of others above their own. The Mind of Christ (2:5-8) — The ultimate example of humility is Jesus, who did not grasp His equality with God but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant and becoming obedient to death on a cross. Christ’s Exaltation (2:9-11) — Because of His humiliation, God highly exalted Jesus and gave Him the name above every name, so that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Practical Application — The sermon confronts church conflict directly, calling believers to address relational disunity, esteem others highly, and be willing to suffer for the sake of the gospel. Reflect on the Word The Power of United Witness Paul uses military imagery to describe the Christian life—soldiers in a phalanx, shields interlocking, moving as one. This isn’t mere cooperation; it’s a call to think the same things, to be united in doctrine and love. When the church stands together in one spirit, persecution and opposition actually strengthen rather than weaken the body. Our unity isn’t just beneficial—it’s a sign to the world of both their destruction and our salvation. The world doesn’t need to see Christians who roughly agree; they need to see believers so united in Christ that no weapon formed against them can prosper. Humility Means Thinking More of Others, Not Less of Yourself We often misunderstand humility as self-degradation, as if calling ourselves trash somehow honors God. But Paul doesn’t command us to think poorly of ourselves—he commands us to think highly of others. True humility requires an honest assessment of the gifts God has given you, coupled with a disposition that esteems the gifts He’s given others even more highly. This isn’t about denying your strengths or calling yourself incompetent. It’s about looking at your brother or sister and saying, “I’m so grateful God blessed them with that ability,” even when—or especially when—it surpasses your own. Christ’s Humiliation Was His Entire Human Life The incarnation wasn’t just about the cross. From the moment of conception, the eternal Son of God began His humiliation. He experienced the compression of birth, the skinned knees of childhood, the sleepless nights, the loss of friends, the rejection by His own family. He learned obedience through what He suffered. Every moment of His earthly life was part of His humble service to the Father and to us. This means our suffering for Christ isn’t limited to dramatic persecution—it includes the daily grind, the chronic pain, the financial stress, the relational friction. All of it, when borne for Christ’s sake, is granted to us as a gift and counts us worthy of the gospel. You Are Christ’s Reward We often think about what we receive from salvation—forgiveness, eternal life, adoption as sons and daughters. But have you considered that you are Jesus’ reward for His suffering? God works all things together so that we might be conformed to the image of Christ, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. Our salvation is for Jesus. And here’s the stunning truth: the reward He receives—us—He shares with each of us. The saints across time and space, from Zimbabwe to Singapore to this very room, are both His inheritance and ours. We labor together, suffer together, and will rejoice together as co-heirs with Christ. Do the Word Make it right with your “Syntyche” this week. If someone came to mind when you read this sermon—someone with whom you have unresolved conflict or broken fellowship—do not wait. Leave your offering at the altar and go to them. This isn’t optional for followers of Christ. The disunity between believers gives victory to the enemy and obscures the gospel from the watching world. Whether the conflict is with someone in your church, your family, or your workplace, take the initiative this week to pursue reconciliation. Confess where you’ve been wrong, extend forgiveness where you’ve been wronged, and commit to thinking the same thing and having the same love. If you truly believe there is encouragement in Christ, comfort from love, and participation in the Spirit, then you must act on that belief by restoring broken fellowship. Full Transcript [00:00:00] Wes Hebert: The apostle Paul writes this, 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. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation and that from God, for it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ, you should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake. Engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation, but in the spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility, count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you not only to look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And every tongue confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. This is the word of the Lord. [00:02:01] Welcome and Prayer [00:02:01] Tony Arsenal: Good morning everyone. Morning. Morning. Thank you again for welcoming me into your pulpit. This place looks like a Hallmark movie when it snows. Have you guys ever noticed that I’m sitting here looking out the window, the snow’s drifting down. I’m just waiting for the music to swell and for the rugged young man from the city to come in or some silliness like that. Uh. Thank you Wes for that, uh, introduction. I’m convinced Wes gave me a reasonable size text today simply ’cause he was sick of my jokes about the length of the text he’s assigning me. So if you’ll, uh, pray with me, we’re gonna ask God to open the scriptures to us and we’ll get started. Father, thank you so much for, um, this chance to come and join with these saints and fellowship in your Holy Spirit. Pray today that you would give us humility first and foremost as we approach your word. This is a dense text and it’s very important in the life of the church and therefore in our life. So I pray that you would give me the words and that you would illuminate the scriptures to our eyes and to our hearts, and we pray in Christ powerful name. Amen.  [00:03:05] Why This Text Matters [00:03:05] Tony Arsenal: You know, I’m, uh, I’m a theologian by training with a dash of church history in there. So when Wes. Sent out the list of, uh, passages that he need coverage for. Um, you know, when he was welcoming his new baby, I jumped at this text. Christology is kind of my wheelhouse. I don’t know if, if you remember, but most of the time when I’ve been preaching I find my way back to the theology of the incarnation. Uh, and so I was excited to come to this text and God often has different plans than we do, and so we’re not gonna be as theologically dense as you might expect. Um, I’m sure that there will be plenty of opportunities as you go through the rest of Philippians to call back to this and to investigate that. But God really centered me on the practical elements of this text today. So I’m gonna just read through the text a little at a time and work my way through it and just talk about what it is that Paul is actually commanding us and calling us to here verses uh, 20 or verses one through 26 of chapter one really serve as kind of the introduction. Front matter of the letter. Um, if, if this was an essay, this would be kind of the, uh, sort of the progam or the clearing of your throat before you start to speak. He introduces himself. The Philippians are, he’s well known to the Philippians. He was there when the church was founded. He’s well loved by the Philippians. There wasn’t a lot of conflict around the beginning of his ministry. Um, and there wasn’t a lot of the other kinds of challenges that we’ve seen in other, uh, early church centers. There wasn’t rampant heresy or false teaching like we see in Colossians. There wasn’t the same judaizing tendencies like we see in Galatians. Um, and, and the letter of Ephesians is a little different, but even there, there was some specific issues going on, uh, that we don’t quite see here.  [00:04:54] Philippi and Church Tensions [00:04:54] Tony Arsenal: What we do see here in Philippians is the beginning of a church schism, and I’ll explain that and justify that in a little bit here. But verse 27 through 30 serves as his thesis statement. So once he’s kind of opened up the topic, he’s introduced himself. He started to, um, sort of talk about how he, he loves the church in Philippi, how he’s thankful for them, particularly for the work that they’ve done for the fellowship and their support in the gospel. He moves on in verse 27 and 30 to sort of give them marching orders. And I use that specifically because as this title of this series, the Citizen Soldier Series, um, highlights. Paul uses a lot of military language here. There’s a lot of reasons for that. I’m sure that that’s been covered in the other introductory sermons. But Philippi was a, an, an outpost colony. So the, the life of a soldier and the life of a special citizen was near and dear to their hearts. And so he uses language that calls to mind this sort of military context that even those in Philippi that weren’t soldiers would’ve been familiar with, they would’ve been familiar with watching soldiers train. They would’ve seen them in the streets. They either would be soldiers or would be related to soldiers. So they would be familiar with the equipment they used and the battle tactics and defensive tactics they used. Now, as I said, there’s a lot of reasons that people put forward why this letter may have been written, and I think there’s a very good argument to be made to believe that the occasion of this letter is to address a church conflict between two prominent women in the congregation. We get into the specifics in a little bit here, but this conflict, it seems, was causing the Philippians to drift away from the good progress that Paul had seen when he helped found the church and towards a divisive spirit that was drying away from the gospel.  [00:06:46] Modern Ministry Rivalries [00:06:46] Tony Arsenal: So even in the introductory remarks, he’s, he talks about how there are those who preach the gospel out of sort of selfish ambition or contentiousness. There’s a sense that there were those who are preaching the gospel almost to get at, under someone else’s skin. Um, we see this sometimes in our day. If you think about the high profile ministries, the podcasts, the, the Parachurch Ministries you might be familiar with, there is often a sort of an edge of competitiveness, right? How many more clicks can I get to my blog? How many more reposts or likes can I get on my podcast? How many underlying digs can I get at the guy who has basically the exact same ministry down the street as me? And what’s really stunning is that Paul says, even that is great, as long as the gospel’s being preached, you can consider yourselves co-laborers in the gospel. Even that guy down the road or that lady across the street who’s just doing what she’s doing to get at you. If she’s preaching the gospel, then she’s still on your side. And I don’t think that’s a perspective we have very often, we might look at that and go, yeah, I’m glad that the gospel is being preached, but that person out there is kind of my enemy. They’re on the other side of this thing. This kind of conflict, this kind of divisiveness, not only does it draw away from the gospel, it, it draws people’s attention away from the gospel. If you talk to those in the world who have line of sight to the sort of broader reformed Calvinistic world that most of us live in, what they’ll tell you is that they see a bunch of people who are petty and bickering, and they won’t tell you that they see much of the gospel. That breaks my heart and it breaks my heart because I’m part of that problem at times. There are lots of times that I have to hit Unsend on an email if I catch it in time, or I have to send an apology email really quick if I don’t. This conflict that was starting in Philippi was distracting the believers there from presenting a united front against the actual opposition that was facing them. [00:08:55] Suffering and Philippians 4 13 [00:08:55] Tony Arsenal: Paul has a lot to say about suffering in Philippians and affliction. He has a lot to say about bearing up under the pressures of this world, right? One of the most famous memory verses right, Philippians four 13. I could do all things through crisis strengthens me. We often hear that quoted by singers and football players. I haven’t been following the Olympics, but it would not surprise me if someone at the Olympics this year has. Attributed their victory to the fact that they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them. And there’s a certain level of truth to that, right? Christ empowers us for every work he calls us to, and there is no real distinction between sacred vocation and secular vocation. That person who does a wicked awesome back flip on the ice and doesn’t break their neck and gives glory to God, is called to that and is empowered to that by Christ. But that verse in Philippians is not about giving us strength to do the perfect bobsled run or to nail the presentation at work. That verse is about bearing up under suffering when someone is about to put your wife and children to death in front of your eyes. That verse is about when your livelihood is taken, because you will not. Pinch a bit of incense into a fire and say, Caesar is Lord. So we must as Christians, even though we’re not facing those same trials in our context right now, and there are many who I think are a little bit alarmist that would say we will be facing those in the immediate future. And I don’t, I don’t think that’s where the American culture is at. But we certainly face trials and temptations. We certainly face real pressures to conform to the patterns of this world rather, rather than to the pattern of Christ that is the real enemy that Paul is encouraging and commanding the Philippians and therefore us to stand against. And we cannot do that if we don’t have a united front.  [00:11:13] One Spirit One Mind [00:11:13] Tony Arsenal: In verse 27, Paul commands the Philippians to live this life in light of the gospel. He says, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This command entails standing firm in one spirit with one mind. Now we think of this phrase, one mind, and we we read something similar to like be on the same page or roughly agree with each other. Most of the time, the language is so much stronger than that. Paul doesn’t just say, be at harmony with one another or don’t fight too much. He says, think the same thing. Have one mind and one spirit. Now, commentators go crazy about whether this is a reference to the Holy Spirit or whether this is. A more common reference to just being in United Spirit. At the end of the day, that difference is a difference without a, a distinction, without a difference, right? If we as Christians are united in one spirit, lowercase s, then that means we are necessarily united in the Holy Spirit, unless we’re all united in some other spirit, which we’ll leave for a different day. And if we’re united in the Holy Spirit, then we should and ought to all be united in one lowercase spirit. And he says, we ought to strive side by side for the faith of the gospel.  [00:12:43] Phalanx Unity Picture [00:12:43] Tony Arsenal: Again, this is military language. We don’t think of military the same way that the Philippians would’ve. Right. We often think of soldiers, we think of the movies, we think of people in, you know, in perches with guns or, um, you know, carrying AK 40 sevens. That kind of warfare Actually. It’s not good for you to be standing side by side right in, in a shooting arms race with high powered assault rifle weapons. Too many soldiers right next to each other is a killing field, not a strong defense In the first century, and really anytime before you have modern riflery, standing side by side was the only way to survive. I’m sure we’ve all seen some sort of movie with soldiers from a bygone era. Think of like the Greeks, the Spartans, or the Romans. We have the concept of a phalanx, which was a military unit. It was a formation where men would have large shields, usually long enough to cover most of their body. And they would actually lock next to each other so their shields would overlap and done right. This would create an almost impenetrable barrier because the shields would interlace with each other in a way that when you push on them, it actually reinforces the pressure. So just pushing against the shields would not necessarily break the phalanx. This could be even bolstered further. They would sometimes put shields on top to prevent from artillery fire. The picture is of this phalanx who moves as one and therefore are greater than the sum of their parts. That is what Paul is calling us to. That’s what Paul’s commanding us to. To move with such a united front, to think the same things, to live in the same spirit such that no enemy formed against us, no weapon formed against us can prosper, and in fact, the pressure of the enemy simply makes. Our defense is stronger.  [00:14:48] Unity as a Sign [00:14:48] Tony Arsenal: He continues in verse 28. If the Philippians can stand firm in this one spirit in this way, then they have no need to be afraid of any of the opposition facing them. The unity of Christians in spite of persecution in trials is actually a sign to those who oppose the church that they will be destroyed, not only as the church is saved, but through the very salvation of the church. Have you ever thought about that? Our salvation, both as individual Christians and also as the church as a whole, corporately, it actually brings about the destruction of our enemies in the last day, when Christ makes all things right, he’s not just taking the saints to heaven and then putting all of the wicked off in some other place. He descends with the voice of an archangel. He slaughters all of his enemies, and through that destruction of his enemies, he saves those who are his. This sign to the wicked is also the sign for our salvation. And this sign is not just a sign, it’s a sign from God. That’s some heavy stuff. I, I don’t think that we like to, and I don’t think we should like to, but I don’t think, we like to think about the fact that the wicked, those who are apart from Christ will and should perish. There are those out there who are God’s enemies, who do wicked and evil things, and although we should never rejoice at the death of the evil at once, we should recognize that there is justice and goodness when the wicked pay for their crimes. You know, there’s, there’s, uh, it, I don’t even need to pick an example. You can all think of an example in the news from the last two weeks, three weeks, six months, whatever it is, of someone who’s committed a totally heinous, awful, terrible crime involving children probably. And when they finally get caught by the police and put behind bars, we don’t just breathe a sigh of relief. There’s something good inside of us that says that is the right thing. And when the justice system gets it right and that person is punished, we should rejoice that justice has been done, even as we lament the fact that God’s image bearer has been destroyed. [00:17:30] Suffering as a Gift [00:17:30] Tony Arsenal: Now paradoxically, the way the church knows that this is true is that Christ has granted us to suffer. We all suffer on a daily basis to varying degrees, whether it’s chronic pain, the loss of a loved one, bills, we can’t pay real persecution, which again happens whether it is seeing the wickedness of the world, that’s not just something that happens to us, right? We, we reflected on, um, Romans eight in the call to worship. It’s not just that God looks at all the things that are happening and figures out a way to make them work together. God works those things together. He causes those things to be in order that we might be conformed to the image of his beloved son. So this suffering is not just suffering for suffering’s sake, it’s suffering for Christ’s. And we can be encouraged because this is the universal struggle for all of the faithful. You can look to your left or your right in this room and see someone who is and will suffer for the gospel of Jesus Christ, each to their own calling and each to their own measure by the wisdom of God. But everyone in this room has and will suffer to some extent for the calling and the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is not a sign that our faith is weak or that somehow God has abandoned us. It’s precisely the opposite. We should be honored that God has counted us worthy to suffer for the sake of the gospel. Now this feels at first, uh, and it is like an insurmountable goal. It’s something we simply cannot do under our own. And so Paul continues, he elaborates exactly how the Philippians can fulfill this command.  [00:19:43] Pauls If Then Trap [00:19:43] Tony Arsenal: He starts with a single long sentence in Greek. One of the things that just infuriates, uh, first year Greek students, uh, and I’m not much better than a first Greek student, is that there are often these long sentences. I think when I was studying Greek in college, which is way longer ago than I like to admit, there was one spot we found where the article of a word was like 15 words away from the word that it referred to. So that would be like, we might say something like the running down the street dog. It’s a weird way to say it, but I think we all understand what we’re talking about. I’m saying the dog that was running down the street, I might say the running down the street dog as opposed to the standing in the middle of the street dog. Now picture 15 words between that, that’s a, that’s a real thing that exists in the New Testament somewhere. This sentence though is extremely potent rhetorically. It takes the form of what’s called a first ca, a first class conditional. And a first class conditional might sound really technical, but I think we all understand it. This is an if then statement where the if of the statement is obviously true. So when I’m talking to you, if I might say, if you can hear my voice right, there’s that classic joke. If you can hear my voice clap once. If you can’t clap twice. Well, it’s a nonsense thing to say. If you can’t, there you go. It’s a nonsense thing to say. If you can’t hear my voice, clap twice. That’s because if you can hear my voice is a first class conditional. If you hear it, of course you can hear my voice. This is such a strong rhetorical move that it traps the Philippians and traps us if we’re genuine spirit-filled believers into propelling ourselves forward to, to fulfilling this call. The force of this conditional is to ask a series of five questions that cannot be possibly answered no by the genuine believer. He says, is there any comfort in Christ? Of course there is. Is there any comfort in love? Of course there is. Is there any participation in the spirit? Of course there is. Is there any affection? Of course there is. And is there any sympathy? Of course there is. Even amidst this brewing conflict in the Church of Philippi, Paul anticipates that no one in the congregation could answer no to these questions. That’s pretty powerful. The answer, the obvious and necessary answer to these questions is A, is a resounding yes. He then leads to spring the trap with the then part of the statement. He says then, then it’s not really in the text, but he, it’s, it’s implied there. Then complete my joy by thinking the same thing, having the same love being of one spirit and mind. Now I had a Hebrew professor in college who used to say, difference means difference. And so hermeneutical Bible interpretation, um, catchphrase that has stuck with me and it means if there’s some, something is in the text, there’s a reason for it, right? We often shoot off emails without thinking, right? I send a text message to my wife, I don’t even realize I sent it. I tell her that I’m gonna pick up like, I dunno, frozen popcorn at the, at the store because I’m not thinking when I’m texting. It is so easy for us to shoot off a written message that it’s just second nature. That was not the way it was in the ancient world. Right. Paul had to sit down. He had to dip something in ink. He had to roll out the scroll he was making. He had to do this. It took hours. There was hundreds and hundreds of hours in training. Paul, as he became older, he probably had arthritis in his fingers. It was physically painful to write. So even if we take the Holy Spirit’s inspiration out of the equation, just for the sake of argument here, people chose their words very carefully. They didn’t repeat things for unnecessary reasons.  [00:23:52] One Mind Means Doctrine [00:23:52] Tony Arsenal: So when Paul here lists these four things that he wants the Philippians to do to complete his joy, there’s one of them repeated. So we ought to sit up and take notice of that. He says, complete my joy by thinking the same thing, having the same love being of one spirit, and mind that thinking part, that thinking the same thing, being united in thought probably. Here we should think doctrine. Being united in doctrine is so important that not only does he bring it up in the first part in 27 through 30, he repeats it again here twice in the same sentence. Verse clause. This is so important that it actually creates this recurring theme throughout the book of Philippians that will come back again and again and again. And this is actually a very common theme throughout the whole New Testament, that Christian believers should be of one mind. They should be of the same thought. They should think the same things. They should confess the same doctrine. We miss it if we don’t read it carefully. But this think the same thing and be of one mind again, is directly related to this conflict between these two women.  [00:25:14] Euodia and Syntyche [00:25:14] Tony Arsenal: At the end of Philippians, if you have your Bible in your hand, just turn over for me real quick to Philippians four. I’m gonna steal a little bit of thunder from Wess or whoever ends up preaching that read, um, read with me just Philippians four, two through three. It says, I entreat you, OIA, and entreat. These are the two women that, that we’re talking about to agree in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also true companion help these women who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life. That phrase agree in the Lord is actually the same phrase as be of one mind. Now, I’m never gonna be that guy who tells you that you have to learn Greek to be able to appreciate or understand the New Testament. That’s that’s some sort of weird new age nonsense and I don’t want anything to do with that. But it is an absolute fact that a little bit of Greek knowledge will help you understand the new t. Being able to see some of these parallels, which would’ve been obvious and immediate to the original audience, helps us to understand this. Paul is not just saying, you guys should be on the same page. Yoa and Tiki should be on the same page and stop fighting. He’s saying, think the same thing, agree in the Lord. And then notice, he says, I ask you help these women who have labored side by side with me. Isn’t that exactly what he was commanding the Philippians to do to labor in the gospel strive side by side together? What he points out here is that what he is asking you, OIA and Tiki to do is one. And the same with what he’s commanding the Philippians to do that is to be united, to present a united fight, united front, and to strive together side by side. He’s calling the entire church, and especially these two women back to where they were. They were striving together, they were agreeing in the Lord together. They were fighting side by side against the oppression and the persecution that was out there. They were no longer preaching the gospel outta selfish ambition. They were preaching it out of a love for Christ and a desire to see each other saved and encouraged. He’s calling them back to that. Now, I won’t ask for, uh, a show of hands here, but put yourself in Euodia position here. Is there a syn key that comes to mind? The punchline of that is that means you’re euodia, right? If there’s a syn key out there that you are thinking of, that means that you are that person’s yia. We’ll talk about what to do about that in a little bit here, but just sit with that for a minute. I think all of us either now or at some point in our life, have had a conflict with someone that is probably not unimportant. Conflicts are real. There’s a reason that God gives us divine scripture that tells us exactly how to process and exactly how to handle conflict and sin within the body of Christ. So they’re not, it’s not trivial, it’s not unreal, but it should not be a barrier to the unity and fellowship of the Holy Spirit. He goes on and he gives us some specific guidance on how to accomplish this and what this looks like. [00:28:42] Humility Over Selfishness [00:28:42] Tony Arsenal: In verse two, uh, verse chapter two, verse three, he says, address your motives and your perspectives. Are you trying to make your own name? Great. Do you care if your name is in the bulletin or if someone recognizes the hard work you’re doing at the church when you lead a Bible study at work or you. I dunno, help an old lady across the street. Are you doing that because somebody is gonna give you recognition for it. Are you acting in a way that puts your own needs above the cause of Christ or above the needs of your brothers and sisters? This is the, I think this is the gut check. Do you have a sober self-esteem that not only assesses yourself honestly and accurately, but esteems others more than yourself? I think we have this tendency to look at humility as though it’s just making myself as much like a worm as I possibly can be. Right? We think that if I can just make myself just like trash, then somehow that that honors God. It’s interesting to me here that Paul doesn’t say. That humility is about thinking less of yourself. Humility is about thinking more of others, right? If I did not have an honest, sober assessment of myself, my background, my training, my ability to speak in public, my ability to stand for 45 minutes or however long it is, if I didn’t have an honest assessment of that myself, and I was only ever saying like, I’m a terrible speaker, I’m a terrible person, I don’t study well, I’m not very smart, whatever it might be, then Wes would’ve had to find someone else to preach today. And if that person did that about themselves, then West wouldn’t have anybody to preach. And if West did that about himself, you guys wouldn’t have a pastor. And if you all did that about yourselves, there wouldn’t be a church here. God is not calling us to think of ourselves as trash. He made us in his image. He’s called us for his glory. He’s empowered us by His Holy Spirit and we insult him. When we don’t acknowledge the gifts that he’s given us, but what he is commanding us to do is to see the giftings in other people and to esteem those as higher than our own. Now, when I read, uh, another, and I don’t do this perfectly, I’m not, I’m not the exemplar here, but when I read another blog article or a podcast or a really great sermon, I would be lying to you if I didn’t ever go. I wish I had thought of that, right? But for the most part, by God’s grace and by the sanctifying powers Holy Spirit, I can just go, man, I’m so glad that God blessed that person with the ability to teach that, right? Wes is an excellent preacher. I don’t know if you guys know how blessed you are to have Wes as a preacher. He is one of the finest preachers that I, I know personally, I am edified every time I listen to one of Wes’ sermons. Right When I have lunch with Wes at the hospital and we just talk about theology and he gets into all of the minutiae of New Testament studies and the Greek and all the stuff that I love, but I’m not very good at. It’s edifying to me, are you looking in this room or at other congregations in the upper valley or in the country or in the world, and saying, I’m so thankful that God has blessed that person with that ability, even though he hasn’t blessed me, or maybe even, especially he has blessed me, but he’s blessed that person more. [00:32:28] Looking to Others Interests [00:32:28] Tony Arsenal: That is the picture of humility that Paul is calling us to here, and then he moves on in verse four to answer What does answering those questions look like in practice? Right? We can think great thoughts about someone else, but what does it look like specifically? He says, we should care about the needs of our fellow Christians. Particularly those in our own local congregation. Right? Look with me at verse four, he says, let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. It doesn’t say to disregard your own interests. Isn’t that interesting?  [00:33:13] Needs and Giving [00:33:13] Tony Arsenal: Just like we’re not to think of ourselves as trash. That’s not humility. Taking care of others doesn’t mean neglecting yourself. It is. Okay. We are all in this terrible, crazy economy. Again, I, I remarked a couple times ago, I think last time I was here preaching out of Ecclesiastes. It’s, it’s really great to be a guest preacher because you don’t have to worry about the weird awkwardness of talking about money with the congregation. Right. It’s okay for you to say, I gotta take care of my own needs before I contribute above and beyond my normal offering. Right. It’s important for you to contribute to financially, to the life of the church. God calls us to that. It’s not, it’s not optional, it’s not, uh, it’s not something that was done away with in the New Testament. God calls us to that in a different way, perhaps than the Old Covenant, but he still calls us to it. But there are always times where we have the opportunity to give above and beyond what God may be demanding or requiring of us. And it’s okay for you to say, Hmm, I would love to sponsor that kid through Compassion International. But right now, I’ve got bills to pay. It’s even better to say, I would love to sponsor that kid through Compassion International. But you know what? So, so-and-so in my congregation is having a tough time paying their own bills. I’m gonna put that money there. That’s even better. God does not call us to neglect ourselves in the service of others, at least not here. Whether he does elsewhere in the Bible, let someone else make the argument for, but here he is saying, don’t look not only to your own needs, which implies you look to your own needs. But to others as well.  [00:34:48] Doing Good Wisely [00:34:48] Tony Arsenal: Paul T, just something similar in Galatians six, he says, uh, in verse nine, let us not grow weary of doing good for induced season. We will reap if we do not give up. So then as we have opportunity, right? As you’re able, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are the household of faith. When Paul says, when Paul says, let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others, he’s not saying to the interest of everyone out there in the whole wide world. Now, if you were Elon Musk and you could give every person on the planet a billion dollars, this sounds like made up math, but I promise you it’s real. You could give everyone on the planet a billion dollars and still be like a multiple hundred billionaire. Okay? Maybe if you’re that person, then I would say you need to look to the needs of everyone else on the entire planet. I’m not actually saying that ’cause I also know that’s not how money works, but. None of us is in that position, right? None of us has sufficient capital to just take care of every need for every person we see around us. But we might have sufficient capital to take care of a need of someone in this room that could take the form of bringing someone a meal, offering them a ride to work, paying for a repair on their car, whatever it is. I’ll let the Holy Spirit bring other examples to your mind. [00:36:20] Why Incarnation Matters [00:36:20] Tony Arsenal: And then we get to what I think, and this is my temp temptation in this passage, but what I think is the, the meatiest part of this passage and my experience, part of my preaching preparation is to listen to sermons from other preachers that I trust on the passages. And the first thing I noticed is most places don’t combine these passages, which. Okay. Every preacher makes a decision. Um, I probably would not have combined these passages if this was not what was on the preaching schedule. But what I did notice is that when these passages are combined, that first part usually gets ignored a bit, and it turns into, and again, there’s nothing wrong with this, it turns into a doctrinal se, uh, sermon or seminar about the incarnation. But Paul’s purpose here is not to teach Christology for Christology sake. Now, now here what I’m saying, it’s not that he’s not teaching Christology. It’s not that he’s not making a comment on the nature of the incarnation, and it’s not even that we can’t pull this portion out and use it as a base text to develop our theology of the incarnation. Of course we can and should and must do that. But the reason he’s teaching on the incarnation here is to show the Philippians. What it looks like to have a sober self-esteem of yourself, to esteem others is higher than yourself, and not to look only to your own needs, but to look to the needs of other. And he says, how we do that is we have the mind of Christ, and we look to his example. I’m gonna read this, this portion again just so it’s fresh in our mind. Starting in verse five, he says, have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God, a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing. By taking the form of servant, being born in the likeness of men and becoming found and being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name. So that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father. Dramatic pause. Now, Paul isn’t doing this again, not to just teach Christology, but to show us an example of how to follow, who to follow and how to do this task.  [00:38:54] Two Views of Humility [00:38:54] Tony Arsenal: Now, there are two main ways to understand this passage. Neither of them are unorthodox. I’m not making a strong argument in favor of one or the other. Both of them have pitfalls. We have to have appropriate guardrails, but neither one of them falls outside of appropriate Christian thought. The first is to look at the incarnation as as what we might call an accommodated act of humility. And what I mean by that is when we talk about God. As God, we talk about the Son as respecting his divine nature. We can never talk about that in direct language. Everything we say about God is in the form of analogy because God is simple, meaning he’s not composed of parts. And at even just a base language, our language is made of parts. I have to string words together to describe an a being who is not strung together. So no matter what I say about God, it’s, it’s an a combination. John Calvin speaks of it like when a mother or a nurse made Lisps and cos and who’s in Oz in the face of a baby. That’s God speaking to us. That’s the accommodated language. So the first way to look at this is to say the language of God humiliating himself in the incarnation. The humbleness of God in eternity past is an accommodation to our senses and to our way of thinking. Speaking of God as being humble. In eternity past is a nonsensical statement. It doesn’t make any sense. It’s like talking about a circle with four sides or a triangle with no corners. It just, it’s, it’s a logical incoherency. And so what we would see here is an example, what we might say of from the greater to the lesser. We have this great example of the supreme humiliation and this accommodated humbleness that we see in God, the Son, prior to the incarnation of taking the form of a servant, of becoming man. And so we are to emulate that act of humility and that act of self emptying in a way that’s appropriate to our own natures. The main strength of this view is that it’s baked into it that we can’t actually, ww JD, we can’t actually do what Jesus would do ’cause He’s God trying to do what Jesus do, especially when we’re thinking about Jesus according to His divinity, is a crushing burden that none of us could actually accomplish. Right. What would Jesus do? He would take on a second nature and die on the cross for the sake of humanity. On behalf of our sentence. None of us can even think about what that means for us to do that. I think one of the weaknesses of this is that it actually robs the force of this passage in that Paul is presenting it as a pattern for us actually to follow. That brings us to the second view, which I think is the more, uh, a reasonable view. But again, both are well within boundaries of Orthodox. I’m in read from you a, a question and answer from the Westminster Shorter catechism. I used to feel like I had to preface what that was, but y’all are going through the Westminster Confession in Sunday School, so I think I can skip that preface there. It says, question 27 says, wherein did Christ humiliation consist. The answer is, Christ’s humiliation consisted in his being born in a low condition, made under the law, undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God and the cursed death of the cross in being buried, continuing under the power of death. For a time. Now, of those six things, which one of those happened in eternity past none of them. That’s not to say there aren’t those in the reformed Calvinistic Presbyterian tradition that would hold that form of view, but when we think technically about the humiliation of the son, his estate of humiliation, it’s referring to things that happen to the incarnate son or as the incarnate son. This view does not attempt to apply the creaturely category of humility to the son, according to his divinity, but tells us instead to look to the incarnate Christ as our pattern and example. I don’t have the verse off the top of my head, but there’s a verse I think in Hebrews where it actually talks about Christ as the trailblazer, right? He forges the path that we are to follow. Now, if we ever think we’re following that path under our own power, because he pa, you know, he forged it for us as an exalted creature. That’s a whole different kind of error. But he did forge a path for us. He goes to prepare a place for us. All that language has to do with him establishing a pattern of life, empowering us by the Holy Spirit to live in that and to walk in that way. Paul will go on later and talk about how it is God who wills and works in us, that we might do his will. The first view looks at verse six as something God does, the Son does in eternity passed, relinquishing his claim to divine dignity and the incarnation taking place in verse seven, when he takes on a human nature, the second view. Looks at verse six and verse seven, already having the incarnate Christ in view.  [00:44:20] Incarnate Servant Life [00:44:20] Tony Arsenal: So when it says here that he was, uh, though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God, a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. It’s saying that having already been incarnated, having already been found in the form of man, he humbled himself. He did not count equality with God, even though he was God, something to be grasped or appealed to, right? Christ isn’t Superman pretending to take a tackle in football. He’s really weak. He’s really human. He’s really frail at times, he was really able to be killed and he really died. He did not count equality with God, something to be grasped, even though he was in the form of God, insofar as he remained fully God. As he was also fully man, it means that taking the form of a servant does not exclusively mean taking on a human nature, but also the entire life and disposition of the son as a servant. It’s not just that he became man and then lived a normal life. He became man and became a servant to all the son of man did not come to serve or to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom. This line of thinking then continues in verse eight, and it says, having been found or being found in human form, he continues to become obedient, even to the point of death, even death on a cross, his humiliation, his life of service, his passive obedience. But the theologians called passive obedience, which is the suffering elements of his human life, doesn’t just start during passion week. That’s where we get the word passion, right? The passive obedience is the suffering of Christ. It starts in the moment of his conception, the second he takes on a human nature. When the incarnate son of God was two cells in the womb of Mary, isn’t that an argument for Pearl life, even when he was being born, right? I don’t remember being born. None of us do. It’s probably good ’cause I imagine it’s probably pretty painful, right? I remember when our first child was born, we, we took kind of the standard parenting classes at the Women’s Health Resource Center, and they describe how the physical act of being born actually squeezes a baby so much that it triggers changes in their vasculature that make them start breathing. It actually like closes gates in their veins that trigger breathing versus breathing. That one isn’t that amazing, and two, that sounds like it hurts. Christ did that and he did that for us. He didn’t just die on the cross for us. He skinned his knees for us as a child, right? Theologians vary whether he got sick, but he probably got a cold for us, right? He had sleepless nights for us. He watched his friends die for us. He suffered persecution, not just from the religious leaders, but his own brothers and his mother who thought he was crazy, and he did that for us. The humility of Christ as the incarnate God man is not just a theme for Paul or in Philippians. [00:48:04] Hebrews on Obedience [00:48:04] Tony Arsenal: We have a few minutes left, so turn briefly over to me to he, for me to Hebrews five. I wouldn’t, uh, I won’t get into it too much, but it’s important for us to acknowledge that there are some competing theologies in our orbits about what it means to be the son and humility and humbleness. And that first interpretation is, I think, risky because it does apply creaturely categories to God absent his human nature. And Hebrews, uh, the author of Hebrews, we’ll just call him not Paul, uh, has none of that. Like half the congregation laugh, the other half is ready to stone me. Um. Starting, uh, in chapter five, verse seven, it says, in the days of his flesh rates were squarely grounded in the Incar incarnation. In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered a prayer and supplication with loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death. And he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. He learned obedience through what he suffered and being made perfect. He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obeyed him, obey him, being designated by God, a high priest after the order of Malak. This line of thinking is, is sort of the culmination of a line of thinking. In Hebrews, he starts, uh, in two nine. He says, we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God, he might taste death for everyone because God the Son, as the incarnate God man, humbled himself and was obedient to all of the suffering and miseries of this life and even death on a cross, God is exalted him and granted him the highest name, and he’s given him the salvation of all of his people as a blessing, our status as sons and daughters of God as. Those who belong to Jesus Christ, we are his reward. Think about that. We often think about Christ’s reward being granted to us, which is true. Christ has given all of the blessings that Adam would’ve would’ve obtained if he had been, uh, successful in his probation. And he communicates that to us. He gives that to us as co inheritors of the gospel. But we are Christ’s great reward, right? That passage in Romans again, isn’t it just like the Holy Spirit to start the sermon out, start the service out here with a meditation on a verse that I didn’t even prepare that ties in perfectly. God works all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his command so that. We might be conformed to the image of Christ, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Our salvation is for Jesus. We get a lot out of it, right? Don’t ever, don’t ever think that. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be satisfied in our salvation or rejoice, but it’s not for us. It’s for Jesus, us, and listen to this brothers and sisters because this is where the passage goes next. That very same reward that Christ gets, that he gets us, that he gets each one of us in this room, that he gets the saints at Providence Presbyterian, who are worshiping alongside us in different location that he gets the saints in Zimbabwe or China or Singapore, or Australia, who are worshiping at different times today, but alongside of us, the Saints from a hundred years ago and the a hundred years in the future, who are worshiping alongside of us. We get them too. They are his reward and he shares that reward with each of us for the sake of time, I’m gonna gonna sort of pass on the last part of this passage. Christ has made King, he redeems his people. He protects us from persecution, but this brings us back to our application.  [00:52:49] Make Peace Today [00:52:49] Tony Arsenal: Think back, who’s your syn key? Who’s your euodia? If you have someone in mind, and I think most of us probably have someone in mind, we probably are trying really hard not to have someone in mind, but it’s kind of like when someone says, don’t think of a pink elephant. What are you doing about it? What are you waiting for in a congregation this size? In a church that’s been here as long as it has with a congregation that has been as stable as my understanding this congregation has been. As far as members and turnover, someone in this room probably has their tiki in this room. Maybe you tiki’s in your family. Maybe you saw TKI at Christmas and you’re glad that it’s not that time of year anymore, and you won’t have to do it again until Thanksgiving. Make it right today. The other benefit of being a guest preacher is I can be a little bolder than I might otherwise be if I was the pastor of the church. This is not an optional thing. Loved ones. We don’t have the option to remain at odds with our co-laborers. Soldiers in a company who fight each other get killed, probably not by each other. Sometimes. Make it right today. Jesus. Um, I don’t know if it’s classified as a parable or not, but Jesus says, if you are at odds with your brother, if you know that someone has something against you, leave your offering before you get to the altar and go make it right. He prioritizes making it right with someone you know, not someone that you have something against. Someone you know has something against you. He prioritizes public worship or he prioritizes making that right over public worship. If we take that seriously, what that means, and this is probably the strongest statement you’re gonna hear from me in that time that I’m here, might be the last time I’m here. I guess that means that if you have a syn key in your life and you don’t take care of it this week, and you come back next week, that you are sitting against the God of the universe, I’ll see myself out. Right? Some heavy stuff. There are real enemies out there, right? There are people out there that want to destroy the church. I know I said that I don’t think that we’re gonna be like being led off to the slaughter anytime soon, and I think that’s true, but there are forces in this world who would close down this church today if they had the possibility to, this is a beautiful piece of property. I’m sure there’s any number of people who would love to tear this place down and put up a development and would just make bank with the housing crisis in our area. When you let your petty squabbles get in the way of true Christian unity and fellowship, you let them win. Maybe not today, but eventually [00:55:53] Unity in Practice [00:55:53] Tony Arsenal: I’ll close here with the same set of questions and then a few specific outcomes here. Is there any comfort, any encouragement in Christ here? Of course there is. Is there any comfort from love? I know there is. Is there any participation in the spirit? Yes, there is. And is there any affection or sympathy? I’m confident that there is, therefore make my joy, make wes’ joy, make all of our joy complete by thinking the same thing, having the same love being of one spirit and being of one mind. This means doctrinal unity. We are quick to say major in the majors and minor in the minors, and there’s a, a valid truth to that. We don’t want to let our minor doctrinal differences become the petty squabble, but we should also work towards agreement in all things. I guarantee you that someone in this room has a different view of the millennial kingdom than you do, and that’s okay. But at the end of the day, you think your view is true and their view is not. You think your view represents the Bible and their view does not. So it is not only okay, but it is a good thing for us to work to winsomely persuade those who we think are wrong, to read the Bible in a way that we think is right and it drives us forward in unity when we can do that side by side. Laboring for the gospel, it means practical unity. What are you working towards as a church? What are you working towards as an individual? What are you working for? Don’t settle for general, albeit commendable commitments to love God and love others. Those are good things, but they don’t really mean anything without some shoe leather on the ground. What are you working for and what are you working towards and are you all working towards? And for the same thing, is there a unified vision for this church? Of what it means when someone drives up and says, I’m starving. My kids don’t have any formula, and I need some money to go to the store. Do you all agree on exactly how that should be handled? Maybe the agreement is to place that in the hands of the deacons and to trust them to do that, and that’s great and good and commendable. I actually think that’s the way most churches should operate. But are you all in agreement that that’s the way it should work? Are all your deacons on the same page about how that situation would be handled? Do the elders and the pastor agree? I, I don’t have an answer. Those are rhetorical questions, but it’s something to think through. This means relational unity.  [00:58:49] Sober Self Esteem [00:58:49] Tony Arsenal: Do you have a proper sober self-esteem when you look at yourself in the mirror spiritually, do you see yourself as you really are? Now I think the instinct in, and don’t take this wrong, but the revivalism of our region particularly and, and evangelicalism in the 20th century did a lot of good, but it did a lot of damage. I listened to a lot of contemporary Christian music when I was a teenager coming to faith in the late nineties and early two thousands, and there is a preoccupation during that timeframe of, of a lack of assurance and looking at how a lot of those Christian rock stars have flamed out. That probably was a good thing that they were preoccupied with assurance and maybe they weren’t preoccupied enough. But I think of like DC talk, what if I stumble? What if I fall? What if I slip and I make fools of us all hear me on this loved ones? You are probably far more spiritually equipped and moving towards sanctification than you realize. One of my favorite questions in the Western Catechism is what is sanctification? And not just because it’s such a hard question, but it’s such a simple answer. Sanctification is the work of God whereby he restores us in the image of God in the whole man. That’s a paraphrase. I need to work on my memory work a little bit, but sanctification is not something we do and pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. You don’t make yourself holy any more than you made yourself righteous and any more than you’re gonna raise yourself from the dead. God is the one who makes you holy. And just as I said, when we think for ourselves as trash, we insult the maker who made us. When we refuse to acknowledge the progress that the Holy Spirit is making in our lives because of some misguided perception that we need to bash on our own spiritual progress, we don’t do God any favors. There may be some of you who are looking at yourselves and thinking you are way better than you are. But in my experience with with Christians these days, it’s just not really what the problem is. Most of the time, God is for you. He loves you. He’s sanctifying you. It’s okay to say, man, praise God for the progress he’s made in my life. Yeah, I’ve got a long ways to go. I’ve not reached perfection. Paul’s gonna address that too later. But praise God for the progress. But even in that, do you esteem esteem others more highly than yourself? Do you tend towards, or do you lean towards the needs of others? Or do you lean towards the needs of yourself at the expense of the needs of others? Do you lean towards the expense of others at your own expense? None of those things are great.  [01:01:39] Suffering and Prayer [01:01:39] Tony Arsenal: And lastly, this means sacrifice. Are you willing to suffer for the gospel and for the good of others? Are you willing to make the hard decisions and to take the hard stands? I will, I’ll, I’ll just put this out here. Wes and I both work at the hospital. Joel, who also comes and, and shares the pulpit once in a while. Also works at the hospital. I won’t speak for Wes, but I’ll speak for myself. There is a constant voice in the back of my head when I’m preaching or preparing a sermon that says, if the wrong person at the hospital heard me say this, I could lose my job. I can see Wes nodding. We all have those situations in our life where if we say the truth, it could cost us. Is that something you’re ready for? You better be ’cause it’s coming. It’s gonna happen. Maybe it’s the adult child who wants to do something that you cannot tolerate without saying something. Maybe it’s the teenage child who, uh, refuses to listen to you and you. Have to exercise your parental role out in discipline. Maybe it’s the spouse who won’t, uh, think carefully about how you spend your money. Whatever it is, there’s going to come a time where speaking the truth is going to hurt if, when that time comes, not if, when that time comes, when the suffering comes for you. It’s okay to be upset. It’s okay to have a little bit of fear and a little bit of trepidation, but we can be encouraged. Do you remember why? ’cause we don’t suffer for suffering’s sake. We suffer for Christ’s sake, and God counts us worthy to suffer for the gospel. And this suffering is granted to us as a sign of the destruction of our enemies and the salvation of our souls. Let’s pray. Father, you are God. You are the one who plans our salvation, the one who has covenanted with your son and your spirit, and eternity past to redeem a people, to give those people to the Son who would become flesh for us and for our salvation. And when Grammy granted us as his reward, that we might share in his blessing and his fellowship, that by your and his spirit, we might be made sons and daughters of God, so that the spirit of adoption might dwell within us. Lord, bolster us in our sufferings. Help us to bear up under persecution. Help us to be ready for when it counts and when it costs, most of all. Help us to glorify you to enjoy you pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

We are living in a brittle age. I have observed, as I am sure you have, that our cultural moment is defined by a pervasive and paralyzing anxiety. It is an age of therapy-speak and trigger warnings, of safe spaces and emotional support animals, where the language of fragility has supplanted the language of fortitude. For many modern men, the ambient spiritual condition is one of quiet desperation, a nagging sense that we are unequipped for the pressures of the world. We feel the weight of our responsibilities in the home, the church, and the workplace, yet often lack a coherent framework for bearing that weight with steadfastness and conviction. The historic Christian faith, particularly in its Reformed expression, has always championed a kind of spiritual toughness—not a callous indifference, but a resilient and rugged fidelity to Christ, come what may. We are called to be men who are “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58). Yet, if we are honest, this often feels more like an aspirational platitude than a lived reality. The church’s response to this crisis of confidence has too often been insufficient, offering either shallow moralism or a brand of spirituality that fails to forge the rugged resilience necessary for masculine faithfulness. We are told to “just trust God” without being given the theological and practical tools to do so when the foundations are shaking. It is in this context that I am beginning a new, long-term series of articles to propose and develop a framework I am calling Christian Stoicism. Before we proceed another sentence, let us be perfectly clear about our terms. This is not an attempt to baptize a pagan philosophy. It is not an effort to create a syncretistic hybrid, blending the pure religion of Christ with the worldly wisdom of Athens. Rather, this project is an exercise in the classic Reformed task of applying the lordship of Christ to all of life and thought. It is an effort to identify the truths that pagan philosophers stumbled upon by the light of God’s common grace, and to then refine, correct, and ultimately fulfill those partial truths with the perfect and sufficient light of Holy Scripture. In an era of cultural chaos and emotional fragility, the modern Christian man requires a framework for resilient discipleship that is unapologetically biblical and practically robust; Christian Stoicism, understood not as a syncretistic hybrid but as the careful, scriptural refinement of common grace insights, offers such a framework for cultivating virtue and steadfastness in service to Christ. The Ache of Modernity To appreciate the need for such a framework, we must first diagnose the sickness of our age. It is not enough to simply feel that something is wrong; we must understand the nature of the disease so that we can apply the proper remedy. The spiritual ache of the 21st-century Western man is a complex phenomenon, but I believe it can be characterized by a few key symptoms. An Epidemic of Anxiety We are, by nearly every available measure, the safest and most prosperous human beings who have ever lived. Yet our inner lives are plagued by a profound unease. Rates of clinical anxiety, depression, and “deaths of despair” have climbed to unprecedented levels, particularly among men. We are saturated with information but starved of wisdom, connected to thousands of digital “friends” but often lacking genuine brotherhood. The world bombards us with a ceaseless stream of outrage and emergency, demanding our emotional investment in a thousand crises we are powerless to affect. The result is a low-grade, persistent spiritual malaise—a sense of being overwhelmed and perpetually off-balance. The Failure of Fragility Feeding this spiritual malaise is a cultural script that celebrates, rather than challenges, our fragility. Our society has increasingly adopted a therapeutic worldview that often pathologizes normal human struggle and lionizes the identity of the victim. We are taught to be governed by our feelings, to treat emotional discomfort as a sign of trauma, and to view resilience as a form of toxic self-denial. This mindset is profoundly at odds with the biblical call to self-control, which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:23), and the apostolic command to “rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Rom. 5:3-4). Loved ones, a faith that cannot forge character through suffering is no faith at all; it is a spiritual placebo. The Search for a Better Way It is no surprise, then, that many men are looking for an alternative. They are hungry for a robust, muscular vision of the good life that takes virtue and discipline seriously. This hunger explains the immense popularity of figures like Jordan Peterson, who calls men to take responsibility for their lives. Most relevant to our present study, it explains the remarkable resurgence of classical Stoicism—popularized by contemporary advocates like Ryan Holiday—as a life philosophy for men seeking to navigate the chaos of the modern world. This search should not be mocked; it should be seen as a market signal of a deep and legitimate spiritual need that the church, in many cases, is failing to meet. Why Stoicism? A Word on Method At this point, a discerning Reformed reader will rightly ask: “Why engage with Stoicism at all? Is not Scripture sufficient?” The answer, of course, is that Scripture is not only sufficient but is the sole infallible rule of faith and life for the Christian. Our method, therefore, is not to place Stoicism alongside Scripture as an equal partner, but to place it under Scripture as an object of critical and presuppositional analysis. The Principle of Common Grace Our theological warrant for this project comes from the Reformed doctrine of common grace. John Calvin, among others, argued forcefully that God, in His goodness, extends a non-saving grace to all humanity. Through this common grace, He restrains the full expression of sin and enables unbelievers to produce works of civic good, create beautiful art, and, crucially, to apprehend and articulate truths about the world He has made. When a pagan astronomer correctly charts the stars, he is thinking God’s thoughts after Him. So too, when a pagan philosopher correctly identifies a virtue or offers a wise insight into the human condition, he is observing a truth that God embedded in the created order. The Apostle Paul himself modeled this engagement on the Areopus, quoting the Stoic poets Aratus and Cleanthes to establish a point of contact before pivoting to the gospel (Acts 17:28). Adopt, Adapt, or Reject Therefore, our approach to Stoicism will be governed by a simple, three-part framework of biblical discernment. For every Stoic concept we examine in this series, we will ask: What can we adopt? Which concepts align so closely with biblical truth that they can be used, as is, to articulate a Christian principle? What must we adapt? Which concepts contain a seed of truth but are distorted by their pagan context, requiring theological correction and redefinition by special revelation? What must we reject? Which concepts are fundamentally antithetical to the Christian faith and must be unequivocally condemned? This disciplined method allows us to “plunder the Egyptians,” taking whatever is true and pressing it into the service of Christ, while burning the chaff. A Presuppositional Foundation Finally, our entire analysis will stand on a Van Tillian presuppositional foundation. We will argue throughout this series that the Stoic worldview is, in fact, internally incoherent. Its core tenets—a belief in a rational universe (Logos), objective virtue, and natural law—are unintelligible and philosophically bankrupt apart from the existence of the personal, triune God of Scripture. The Stoics, in other words, were borrowing capital from the Christian worldview without acknowledging the Lender. A First Glance at the Christian Stoic Vision So, what does this look like in practice? How does a biblically-refined Stoicism differ from its pagan original? Let us conclude with a brief, introductory sketch of the vision we will be building over the coming months. Resilience Rooted in Providence The Stoic endures hardship by resigning himself to an impersonal, deterministic Fate. He cannot change what happens, so he learns not to desire that it be any different. The Christian Stoic, by contrast, endures hardship by joyfully entrusting himself to the meticulous, sovereign, and good providence of a personal God. We do not merely resign ourselves to what happens; we actively believe that a loving Father is working all things together for our good (Rom. 8:28). The outcome is not mere endurance, but worship. Virtue Fueled by Grace The Stoic pursues virtue through sheer force of will. He is the archetypal self-made man, pulling himself up to moral excellence by his own bootstraps. The Christian Stoic knows this to be a fool’s errand. We pursue virtue—or, more accurately, holiness—in daily, desperate dependence on the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit. Our effort is real, but it is a Spirit-empowered effort. The goal is not self-mastery, but Spirit-filled sanctification. Peace Found in a Person The Stoic seeks inner tranquility (ataraxia)—a state of undisturbed calm. This is the ultimate goal of his practice. The Christian Stoic knows that true peace is not a state of mind, but a state of being: we “have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). Our peace is not found in an empty mind, but in a justified soul. It is not something we achieve through discipline, but something we receive as a gift through faith in a Person. This is the project before us: to build an arsenal for an iron faith. It is a call to recover the masculine virtues of fortitude, self-control, and resilience, not as ends in themselves, but as expressions of a robust and confident trust in the sovereign God of the Bible. I invite you to join me on this journey. It will demand rigorous thought, but it promises a more steadfast and joyful walk with Christ. Key Terms & Concepts Christian Stoicism: A theoretical-practical framework that identifies the common grace truths within classical Stoicism and refines them through the authoritative lens of Scripture for the purpose of cultivating Christian virtue and resilience. Common Grace: The non-saving grace of God, extended to all humanity, by which He restrains sin, maintains order in creation, and enables non-believers to achieve a measure of civil righteousness and discover truths about the natural and moral order. Presuppositional Apologetics: A method of Christian apologetics which argues that the truth of Christianity is the necessary precondition for all human thought and experience. It contends that non-Christian worldviews are internally incoherent and ultimately unintelligible because they must borrow from a Christian understanding of reality to make sense of things like logic, morality, and science.

Every great theological work, like any well-constructed building, must begin with a solid foundation. Before we can speak of God, humanity, sin, or salvation, we must first answer a more fundamental question: How do we know? On what authority do we base our claims about reality, eternity, and the very character of God Himself? The theologians of the Westminster Assembly, tasked with creating a confession to unify the church, understood this perfectly. They did not begin with abstract philosophical arguments for God’s existence or with an exploration of human nature. They began with the source of all theology: God’s self-revelation. This first chapter, “Of the Holy Scripture,” is the bedrock upon which all subsequent doctrines rest. In this first article, we will examine the first five paragraphs of this crucial chapter, exploring the internal logic of the text concerning the necessity, identity, and authority of God’s Word. The Westminster Confession of Faith begins its systematic presentation of Christian doctrine by establishing the Holy Scripture as God’s uniquely sufficient, necessary, and authoritative self-revelation, which, while confirmed by the church’s testimony and its own internal excellencies, is ultimately authenticated by the inward work of the Holy Spirit. The Necessity of Divine Revelation (WCF 1.1) The Confession opens by affirming that “the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable.” The divines ground this in texts like Psalm 19, which declares that “the heavens declare the glory of God” (Ps. 19:1), and Romans 1, where Paul argues that God’s invisible attributes are “clearly perceived” in creation, leaving all humanity without excuse (Rom. 1:20). This natural knowledge is enough to make us aware that we are accountable to a divine being. However, the divines immediately state its limits, declaring that this general revelation is “not sufficient to give that knowledge of God, and of His will, which is necessary unto salvation.” To know God not just as Creator but as Redeemer, we need something more. As Paul writes, the world in its wisdom did not know God, so God was pleased “through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe” (1 Cor. 1:21). For this reason, “it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal Himself” (Heb. 1:1). God Himself had to speak. He then saw fit “for the better preserving and propagating of the truth” to “commit the same wholly unto writing,” a step that “maketh the Holy Scripture to be most necessary,” especially since “those former ways of God’s revealing His will unto His people being now ceased” (Heb. 1:1–2). The written Word is now the final and complete deposit of saving truth. The Canon of Scripture (WCF 1.2-1.3) Having established the necessity of the written Word, the Confession next defines what is contained “under the name of Holy Scripture.” After listing the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, it states plainly that “All which are given by inspiration of God to be the rule of faith and life.” This claim is supported by 2 Timothy 3:16, which states that “All Scripture is breathed out by God,” and Ephesians 2:20, which describes the church as being built on the “foundation of the apostles and prophets.” This defined list is significant for what it excludes. The divines state unambiguously that “the books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon of the Scripture.” Because of this, they are of “no authority in the Church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved, or made use of, than other human writings.” The reasoning for this is scriptural. In Luke 24, Jesus defines the Old Testament Scriptures for his disciples as “the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms,” a threefold division that did not include the Apocrypha (Luke 24:44). Furthermore, Paul confirms that it was to the Jews that “the oracles of God were entrusted” (Rom. 3:2), and the Hebrew canon they preserved has never contained these books. The Authority of Scripture (WCF 1.4) Where does the Bible get its authority? The Confession makes the radical claim that “the authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, and obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man, or Church; but wholly upon God (who is truth itself) the author thereof.” The simple and profound conclusion is that Scripture “is to be received, because it is the Word of God.” Its authority is inherent because its origin is divine. The church does not create the canon; it recognizes the canon. The proof texts here are foundational. Peter states that “no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation” but that men “spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). Paul reminds the Thessalonians that when they received the gospel, they accepted it “not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God” (1 Thess. 2:13). The church is the servant of the Word, not its master. The Persuasion of Scripture (WCF 1.5) If Scripture’s authority is inherent, how do we become personally convinced of it? The Confession acknowledges that we “may be moved and induced by the testimony of the Church to an high and reverend esteem of the Holy Scripture” (1 Tim. 3:15). It also lists many powerful internal proofs—”the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style”—which it calls “arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God.” However, these are not the ultimate grounds of our faith. Loved ones, intellectual agreement does not create saving faith. Our “full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.” This is the doctrine of the internal witness of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit who inspired the authors now persuades the reader. John writes of an “anointing from the Holy One” that “teaches you about everything” (1 John 2:20, 27). Jesus promised the Spirit would “guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13). This inner work doesn’t add new information; it gives us spiritual certainty to believe the information already revealed. Conclusion In just five paragraphs, the Westminster divines, drawing carefully from Scripture, established the absolute necessity, the precise identity, the inherent authority, and the spiritual confirmation of the Bible. They laid a foundation that is not the shifting sand of human opinion or ecclesiastical decree, but the immovable rock of God’s own spoken and written Word. This is the rule of our faith and life, the standard by which all other truth claims are judged. It is the very oracles of God, authenticated by the Holy Spirit Himself. Only from this secure starting point can we begin to explore all that God has revealed. Key Terms/Concepts Revelation (General and Special): General Revelation refers to the knowledge of God available to all people through the created order (nature) and human conscience. It reveals God’s existence and power but is insufficient for salvation. Special Revelation refers to God’s specific disclosure of Himself and His plan of redemption through direct acts, such as prophecy, and supremely through the inspired Scriptures. Canon: From the Greek word for “rule” or “measuring stick,” the canon of Scripture refers to the list of books that the church recognizes as divinely inspired and therefore authoritative for faith and life. The Protestant canon consists of 66 books (39 in the Old Testament, 27 in the New Testament). Apocrypha: A collection of intertestamental Jewish writings. While valued by some for their historical and religious content, they are not considered canonical or inspired by Protestant traditions for lacking evidence of divine authorship and not being recognized by Jesus or the Apostles as Scripture. Self-Authenticating: A term used to describe the authority of Scripture. It means that the Bible’s authority is inherent to itself, derived directly from its divine authorship, and does not depend on any external validation, such as the approval of a church or council. Internal Witness of the Holy Spirit (Testimonium Spiritus Sancti Internum): The theological doctrine that the Holy Spirit works inwardly in the heart of a believer to provide a firm persuasion and assurance that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God. This witness confirms the objective truth of Scripture with subjective certainty.

A Word to the Reader: An Introduction to the Series Welcome, loved ones, to the beginning of a significant undertaking. This article marks the first step in a long and rewarding journey we will take together: a systematic, expository walk through the entirety of Sacred Scripture, from this first verse in Genesis to the last in Revelation. The goal of this series is not to chase theological novelties or engage in fleeting academic debates. Instead, we will proceed as careful and thoughtful readers, allowing the Word of God to speak on its own terms, confident in its clarity and consistency. By letting Scripture interpret Scripture, we will endeavor to build, piece by piece, a robust and integrated biblical worldview. Our journey begins where all stories begin: in the beginning with God. Genesis 1: The Divine Blueprint We begin our walk where all reality begins: Genesis 1. Few passages of Scripture are more familiar, and perhaps few are more profoundly misunderstood in our modern context. The cultural air we breathe is thick with debates that attempt to conscript this text into battles it was never meant to fight. Is it a scientific account? How old is the earth? To focus on these questions is to risk missing the author’s primary intent. The text is not, first and foremost, a scientific treatise but a theological one, delivered with the force of a thunderclap. Our approach in this article, and the articles to come, will be that of an expositor. We will walk through this foundational pericope step-by-step, allowing the structure and flow of the narrative itself to teach us about God, our world, and our place within it. We will see that this is a masterfully composed account, a divine blueprint designed to reveal the one true God with unparalleled clarity. As we trace the divine architect’s logic, we will build a robust, coherent, and worshipful worldview grounded in God’s self-revelation. A careful exposition of Genesis 1:1–2:3 reveals a divinely ordered narrative that systematically establishes God’s absolute sovereignty as the transcendent Creator, showcases His purposeful ordering of the cosmos, defines humanity’s royal-priestly purpose as His image-bearers, and culminates in the Sabbath rest as the goal of the created order. Verses 1-2 The Uncreated God and the Unformed World “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” The opening words of Scripture are the foundation of all reality. “In the beginning, God…” With this simple phrase, two categories of being are established: God, and everything else. The text offers no story of God’s own origins. He doesn’t emerge or evolve. He simply is. Before time, space, or matter existed, God existed. This is the doctrine of His transcendence. He stands utterly outside and before the creation He is about to initiate. The verb translated “created” is also significant. Here, you can see how the Bible itself teaches you how to read it. When you trace the specific Hebrew word used here throughout the rest of the Old Testament, you find it is reserved only for the creative activity of God. Men can make or form things from existing materials, but Scripture uses this unique word for calling into existence something fundamentally new. By letting Scripture interpret Scripture in this way, you can confidently conclude that this points powerfully to the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo—that God brought the universe into being from nothing but the power of His own will. Verse 2 describes the initial state of creation as “without form and void.” This isn’t a description of some evil, chaotic force opposing God. Rather, it is the language of an uninhabited and unordered, yet good, raw material. The world is like a blank canvas or an unfurnished house. The rest of the chapter will show God solving these two “problems”: first bringing form to the formless (Days 1-3) and then filling the void (Days 4-6), following a clear and logical blueprint. Over this primordial state, the Spirit of God “hovers,” like a bird over its nest, poised to bring forth life and order. With this foundational state established, God begins the work of forming and filling His creation through His powerful Word. Verses 3-13 Day 1: The Divine Fiat and the Nature of Light The first creative act is accomplished by the divine fiat: “And God said…” God’s Word is not descriptive; it is performative. It accomplishes what it says. He speaks, and reality conforms. Light bursts into existence, and God immediately gives it order by separating it from darkness, calling them “Day” and “Night.” Now, notice the profound sequence the text lays out for you. By simply following the author’s logic from Day 1 to Day 4, you see that light is created before the sun, moon, and stars. The passage’s own internal clarity forces you to a powerful theological conclusion: God Himself, not any created object, is the ultimate source of light and life. The sun will be a servant of that light, not its source. Day 2: Ordering the Cosmos God continues to bring order by separating the “waters from the waters.” He creates an “expanse” which He calls “Heaven.” In the understanding of the original audience, this was the sky that separated the waters above (the source of rain) from the waters below (the seas). The point is not to give a technical description of the atmosphere, but to show God as the one who masterfully architects the cosmos, assigning every element its proper place and boundary. Day 3: A Fruitful Earth and the Goodness of Matter The ordering work continues as God gathers the waters, allowing dry land to appear. He names them “Earth” and “Seas.” And for the third time, “God saw that it was good.” Immediately, God commands this newly formed earth to be productive: “Let the earth sprout vegetation.” The material world is not evil or inert; it is a good creation, designed to be fruitful and life-sustaining. This stands in stark opposition to any worldview that would denigrate the physical in favor of the “spiritual.” God made the material world, He called it good, and He commanded it to be a place of abundance. Verses 14-31 Day 4: The Heavenly Bodies as Servants It’s striking how the narrative treats the sun, moon, and stars. In a world where these celestial bodies were often worshipped as powerful deities, Genesis portrays them as almost secondary creations. God makes them and gives them a job. They are functionaries, not gods. Their purpose is threefold: to separate day from night, to serve as signs for seasons, days, and years, and to give light upon the earth. They are created to serve the earth and humanity, not to be served. They are cosmic clocks and calendars, subject to the will of the Creator. Day 5: Life in the Air and Seas God now fills the domains He has formed. He speaks, and the waters swarm with living creatures. Even the “great sea creatures,” which might inspire fear or awe in humanity, are simply part of God’s good creation, made by His effortless command. For the first time, God bestows a blessing: “Be fruitful and multiply.” He is a God of life and abundance. Day 6: The Apex of Creation The land is filled with living creatures, each “according to its kind.” Then, the narrative slows, and the pinnacle of God’s creative work is introduced with unique solemnity. For the first time, God speaks in the plural: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” This divine counsel signals the supreme importance of what is to come. Man is not just another creature; he is the Imago Dei, the image of God. This is a royal and priestly status. Humanity is created to be God’s representative, His vice-regent on earth. This is immediately clarified by the cultural mandate: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion…” We are to reflect God’s wise and good rule over creation, cultivating the world so that it flourishes for God’s glory. Having completed His work, God looks upon all He has made and declares it not just “good,” but “very good.” Genesis 2:1-3 The Telos of Creation The creation narrative does not end with the work of Day 6, but with the rest of Day 7. God’s Sabbath is not a rest from exhaustion, but a rest of completion and enthronement. Having finished His work of building His cosmic temple, the King takes His throne to reign over and delight in His kingdom. This establishes the Sabbath principle as the telos, or ultimate goal, of creation. The rhythm of work and rest is woven into the fabric of the universe. It reminds us that our purpose is not endless labor, but to enter into communion and rest with our Creator. The Sabbath is a gift, a signpost pointing forward. And here, the New Testament completes the picture for you. When you read Genesis in light of the whole of Scripture, particularly a passage like Hebrews 4, you an understand that this initial Sabbath points to the ultimate, eternal rest that believers will enjoy in the presence of God in the new heavens and new earth. Conclusion The divine blueprint laid out in Genesis 1 is therefore complete. In it, we see a world spoken into existence by a transcendent God and a narrative that establishes His effortless sovereignty over all things. We see a material world that is fundamentally good, created for fruitfulness, and humanity at its apex, dignified with the royal calling to be God’s image-bearers. And we see that the entire project, according to its own architectural logic, is aimed toward a goal of Sabbath rest—of perfect communion with the God who made us. Loved ones, this is our story. This is the truth of our origins. In a world that tells you that you are a cosmic accident, Genesis 1 declares that you were made on purpose, with dignity, and according to a glorious design. It establishes the proper order of all things, with God at the center, and it is here, “in the beginning,” that we find our own true beginning and our ultimate hope. Key Terms Creatio Ex Nihilo (Creation Out of Nothing): The foundational Christian doctrine that God created the universe in its entirety without the use of any pre-existing materials or energy. This affirms that all of reality apart from God himself is contingent and owes its existence solely to His sovereign will and divine fiat. Imago Dei (Image of God): The theological term for the unique stamp of God upon humanity. More than just rationality or moral capacity, the Imago Dei is a royal and representative calling. Humans are created to function as God’s vice-regents on earth, reflecting His character and exercising wise dominion over creation as outlined in the cultural mandate (Gen. 1:26-28). Though marred by the Fall, it is restored and perfected in Jesus Christ. Transcendence: The theological concept that God is ontologically distinct from, independent of, and superior to the created order. He is not part of the universe, nor is He subject to its laws or limitations. His existence is not contingent upon anything outside of Himself. This doctrine establishes the fundamental Creator-creature distinction. Divine Fiat: A Latin phrase meaning “let it be done,” referring to God’s method of creation through His authoritative, spoken command. The Word of God is performative and efficacious; it does not merely describe reality but brings it into being. This demonstrates God’s absolute sovereignty over all things. Sabbath: Presented in Genesis not merely as a day of rest, but as a creation ordinance signifying completion, satisfaction, and divine enthronement. It is the telos, or goal, of the creation week, establishing a holy rhythm of work and worship that is woven into the fabric of time. It serves as a type, pointing forward to the eschatological rest believers will enter in Christ.

In this eye-opening sermon on Ecclesiastes 5:8-20, Tony Arsenal tackles the challenging relationship between Christians and money. Drawing from the wisdom of “the Preacher,” he explores how wealth—while not inherently evil—can quickly become a destructive master rather than a useful tool. The sermon reveals the futility of chasing wealth for satisfaction, exposes the painful consequences of hoarding riches, and presents the surprising biblical perspective on enjoying possessions properly. Most importantly, it reminds us that the ability to use money wisely is actually a divine gift from God that comes only through Christ. This message offers practical wisdom for anyone struggling with financial anxiety, materialism, or uncertainty about how to steward their resources faithfully. Key Takeaways [00:02:21] Understanding wisdom literature requires recognizing the gap between “what is” (our broken reality) and “what ought to be” (God’s perfect design) regarding wealth [00:19:11] The love of money can drive people from faith and pierce them with many pangs—it’s never as satisfying as it promises to be [00:27:06] Hoarding wealth often leads to greater hurt, as illustrated by the futile attempt to keep riches that ultimately cannot be retained [00:34:59] God’s gift is not just wealth itself but the ability to properly enjoy wealth as a tool rather than serving it as a master [00:45:15] Practical application: Christians are free to enjoy possessions while avoiding both legalism and hoarding, but can only do so through Christ’s power Impactful Quotes “Once a person recognizes that wealth is a gift from God to be enjoyed and not a master to be served, we can finally enjoy it. And this enjoyment of our wealth drives us to enjoy the labor that’s required to get it. When you work and work and work and you never spend your money, that is one of the sure-firest ways to learn to resent your job.” “If you allow money to be the primary focus of your life, there’s very little chance that you will enter the kingdom of heaven… This is why it is so difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven, because wealth has this pernicious way of replacing God in our worship.” Discussion & Reflection Questions In what ways have you found yourself serving money rather than using it as a tool to serve God and others? How might your relationship with wealth be reshaping your priorities? The sermon suggests that “the ability to rule over wealth rather than be ruled by it is a divinely granted ability that can only be ours in Christ.” How does this perspective change how you might pray about your finances? Tony said that “when you work and work and work and you never spend your money, that is one of the sure-firest ways to learn to resent your job.” Do you feel you have found a healthy balance between saving, spending, and giving? Why or why not? How might your community or church benefit if more Christians embraced the freedom to both enjoy wealth appropriately and share it generously, as described in this sermon? Consider the contrast between the “laborer who sleeps sweetly” and the “rich man who cannot sleep.” Which do you more closely resemble, and what changes might God be calling you to make? Next Steps Pray specifically this week for God’s wisdom in handling your resources. Ask Him not just for financial provision, but for “the power to enjoy” what He’s already given you. Consider one practical way you can use your money this week that brings both glory to God and joy to yourself or others—then take action on it.

In this sermon, Tony Arsenal delves into James 1:1-18, offering an encouraging and theologically rich exploration of how Christians can find joy amidst trials. Addressing an audience of Jewish Christians scattered due to persecution, the book of James reveals the purpose of trials: to test and validate faith, producing steadfastness, sanctification, and ultimate conformity to Christ. This teaching emphasizes God’s unchanging goodness, His provision of wisdom in trials, and the eternal crown of life promised to those who persevere in faith. With references to Romans 8:28, Philippians 1:6, and Matthew 24:13, the sermon provides practical insights into how believers can face suffering with confidence, trusting in God’s providence and immutability. Key Takeaways Trials serve a divine purpose: to test and validate faith, producing steadfastness and sanctification. God’s unchanging nature ensures His promises and purposes remain secure, offering believers assurance amidst suffering. Wisdom in trials is a gift from God, granted generously to those who ask in faith. Temptation arises not from God but from the sinful desires within us, and sin ultimately leads to spiritual death. The steadfastness produced through trials is a mark of genuine faith and leads to the crown of life promised by God. Trials are not inherently joyful but can be viewed as opportunities for growth and sanctification in Christ. Christ’s example of enduring trials with joy serves as the ultimate model for believers. The Purpose of Trials: Testing Faith and Producing Steadfastness James 1:2-4 calls believers to “count it all joy” when facing trials, not because the trials themselves are joyful but because they fulfill a higher purpose. Trials test and validate faith, much like a temple shekel is weighed to confirm its authenticity. This testing produces steadfastness—a spiritual endurance that equips believers to persist in faith throughout their lives. Far from being a random occurrence, trials are divinely ordained to sanctify us, conforming us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:28). They provide a tangible demonstration of God’s faithfulness, working in and through difficult circumstances for our ultimate good and His glory. God’s Immutability: A Source of Comfort and Assurance James describes God as the “Father of lights” with whom there is “no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17). This imagery highlights God’s immutable nature—He is unchanging and perfectly reliable. Unlike the instability of human circumstances or the shifting shadows of the natural world, God’s character and promises remain constant. This truth provides profound assurance to believers, especially in the midst of trials. The same God who brought us forth by the word of truth (James 1:18) is faithful to complete the work He began in us (Philippians 1:6), ensuring that no trial will ultimately consume or defeat us. Wisdom in Trials: A Supernatural Gift James 1:5-8 emphasizes the necessity of wisdom to navigate trials, wisdom that comes not from human reasoning but as a generous gift from God. This wisdom enables believers to see trials from an eternal perspective, trusting in God’s providence and purposes even when circumstances seem overwhelming. However, James warns that this wisdom must be sought in faith, without doubting God’s ability or willingness to provide it. Doubting God’s goodness leads to spiritual instability, like a wave tossed by the wind. Thus, asking for wisdom is both an act of faith and a demonstration of trust in God’s fatherly care. Memorable Quotes “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” “The steadfastness produced through trials is not just the means to reach the end; it is the very testimony of God to your faith.” Full Transcript The Joy of Trials [00:00:00] Tony Arsenal: We’re gonna be reading today from the first chapter of James, so if you’ll make your way there, [00:00:13] Tony Arsenal: and I will be reading verses one through 18. This is God’s word. James is servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. To the 12 tribes in the dispersion, greetings counted all joy, my brothers. When you meet trials of various kinds for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness and let steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing. [00:00:43] Tony Arsenal: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously to all without reproach and it will be given to him. But let him ask. In faith with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. [00:01:03] Tony Arsenal: He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation and the rich in his humiliation because like a flower of the grass he will pass away for the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass. Its flower falls and its beauty parishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. [00:01:27] Tony Arsenal: Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial for when he has stood the test. He will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted. I am being tempted by God. For God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. [00:01:49] Tony Arsenal: Then desire when it has conceived, gives birth to sin and sin when it is fully grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow. Due to change of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. [00:02:17] Tony Arsenal: Pray with me. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for your servant James, who has given us this wisdom from above. Let us receive it with meekness and humility. Let it implant itself into our hearts so that we may run the race and persist to receive the crown we pray in Jesus’ name, amen. [00:02:42] Tony Arsenal: I got the call from Isaac on Saturday afternoon or Friday afternoon. Excuse me. Asking me if I could preach. And I think most of us, if we got a call asking to preach in a few days, would probably think about it for a few minutes. Uh, I was able to say yes right away because God’s providence is such that I was actually studying the book of James. [00:03:03] Tony Arsenal: Uh, some of you may know I have an opportunity to fill pulpit, uh, in local churches occasionally. And I was asked a few weeks ago to preach the second half of James one, and so I was already studying the book. I was already reading through the commentaries. [00:03:15] Context and Background of the Book of James [00:03:15] Tony Arsenal: So in God’s providence, he was already preparing us for, uh, for today, I wanted to just share a very brief bit of information about the book of James. [00:03:26] Tony Arsenal: It’s always important when we come to a passage to understand the context. James, uh, as an epistle was written by the brother of Jesus and he, James was the leader of the Jerusalem church. So early in Christianity, the primary center of of Christianity for the first several years was really Jerusalem. So there were of course, Christians that were at Pentecost that had begun to work their way out back to their homes. [00:03:50] Tony Arsenal: But primarily, at least as, uh, the Book of Acts is concern, we really zoom in on the, um, church in Jerusalem. And James was the leader of this church. James was writing to an audience of Jewish Christians who had since then been scattered into the Judean countryside as far north as Fania. So the very northern reaches of, of what was the land of Israel at the time. [00:04:16] Tony Arsenal: And they had been scattered out of the church due to persecution that arose following Stephen’s death. So you don’t have to turn there, but just to sort of show that I’m not making this up, uh, acts eight, one says, Saul approved of his execution, speaking of Steven. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem. [00:04:34] Tony Arsenal: They were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And then compare that to James one. One. It says, James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes in the dispersion Greetings. Now, that word scattered that you hear in both. I’m, I’m not a big fan of using a lot of Greek terms in, in this kind of context, but the word for scattered used in acts as DePiero, it’s a farming metaphor. [00:05:01] Tony Arsenal: It’s you scatter seed. It’s a very interesting, um, turn of the Holy Spirit’s inspiration that the persecution of the church was described as the scattering of seed, which of course we hear later in church history is a common theme picked up. And in James, the word for dispersion, it’s a little bit obscured, by the way. [00:05:20] Tony Arsenal: It’s transliterated instead of translated, the word is diaspora. So you can see that the word for scattered and the word for scattering or the dis the scattering, the dispersion is basically the same word. One is a verb and one is sort of the noun form of it. There’s also some, some verbal affinities between James here and the letter, uh, that the Jerusalem council sends out. [00:05:42] Tony Arsenal: They both end with the word greetings, which is an, a very uncommon way to end a greeting for a letter in the New Testament. So we see that James, the brother of Jesus, as opposed to some of the other James candidates, um, is the author here and he’s writing to this persecuted church. And it’s important for us to frame this as a letter to the persecuted church. [00:06:01] Tony Arsenal: ’cause I think we think of trials and we think of something very different usually than the trials that were going on in the audience of this letter. That’s not to say, and we’ll talk about why we can say it. That’s not to say that this doesn’t speak to other kinds of trials, but if we lose sight of the fact that this is a persecuted minority scattered into the Judean countryside being oppressed by wealthy Jewish landowners, most likely we lose sight of the flavor of this and the force of what he’s saying. [00:06:32] Purpose and Outcome of Trials [00:06:32] Tony Arsenal: Today’s sermon will have three main points to cover. The first is the purpose of the trials we face. The second is the outcome of those trials, and the third is the source of our success in those trials. So the purpose of trials, the outcome of trials, and the source of our success. James two, uh, one, two starts with the familiar phrase, but I, I wanna read it again here because I think we often gloss over it quickly as we’re reading. [00:07:00] Tony Arsenal: We’re kind of eager to get into the meat of it, or maybe we’re rushing to get to chapter two where it gets a little spicy with the justification controversy. But it says here, count it all joy, my brothers. When you meet trials of various kinds for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness and let steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. [00:07:25] Tony Arsenal: Count it all joy when you meet. Trials of various kinds, right? Don’t count it some joy. Don’t count it a little bit of joy. Don’t think about counting it as joy. Count it all joy. In the Greek, this word is positioned in front of the word it’s describing, which gives it the robust character. The word all is not like, count it every joy. [00:07:50] Tony Arsenal: Think about everything as though it’s joyful. That’s not what it’s saying. It’s intensifying the word. Count it as extreme joy. Revel in the joy of this. It doesn’t mean that the trials themselves are joyful. That’s not what the text is saying here. This is not a bootstrap theology where we just try hard enough to not feel bad about the terrible things that are going in our life. [00:08:14] Tony Arsenal: Um, James was not telling the Christians in persecution here that they should smile when someone is coming to kill them. What he’s saying is that they should count it all joy when they meet these various trials. Because you know the purpose of them. You know that they are for the testing of your faith. [00:08:36] Tony Arsenal: And we can know that this applies to our trials and not just the particular persecutions that were happening because he tells even the people who are in the midst of this persecution that they will face trials of various kinds. So whether it is the loss of a loved one sudden or expected, whether it’s the loss of a job or a messy divorce, that you have no say in the matter, a wayward child or a loss of property, a cancer diagnosis, or the bills that you can’t pay, or something as mundane as the sleepless nights with a new infant. [00:09:14] Tony Arsenal: Those are all trials that we should look at and count as joy, counted as all joy. And the reason, again, is that these trials have a purpose. These trials survey function. We, we read in Romans, we won’t turn there, but we read in Romans, I’m sure we’re all familiar, right? God works all things for the love or for the good of those who love him, who are called according to his purpose, that they might be the firstborn among many brothers that they might be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. [00:09:45] Tony Arsenal: This is not saying that God is coming behind an uncontrolled history and is figuring out a way to make something good outta something bad, and he’s certainly not commanding us to try to do the same thing. What he’s saying is that the purpose of these trials, and it is known to us that the purpose of these trials, because God’s word tells us that it is known to us, is that they produce in us endurance and steadfastness. [00:10:10] Tony Arsenal: One commentary I read translated this as sticktoitiveness. This is not about. Gritting your teeth and bearing it. It’s not about living through an individual trial and just making it through. This is about the life of endurance that is ours in Christ by the pul power of the Holy Spirit. This is also not a test of our faith as in a test that we pass. [00:10:36] Tony Arsenal: This isn’t some sort of, um, entrance exam into the Kingdom of Heaven. The Greek word here has to do with validating things. The image that was used is the idea of the temple shekel. You’ll read about that in the Old Testament and the temple shekel. In ancient times, they would, everything would be weighed out on scales, and it was very easy for people to shave off the edges of their coins to shave just a little bit off so they could keep that small amount of silver or gold or whatever it might be. [00:11:04] Tony Arsenal: And so the Temple Sheckle, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference by holding it in your hands. But if you put the Temple Sheckle on one side of a balance scale, and you put the other shekel on the other side, if they don’t balance something is off. That’s the picture that we have here. Our faith is not being, um, tested in that we have to prove that we have faith. [00:11:25] Tony Arsenal: We’re not trying to clear a hurdle or to try to pass an exam. Our testing here is that our faith is being validated. It is being shown to be genuine and shown to be real. In many ways, the person that it’s being shown to the most is ourselves. God doesn’t need to learn that our faith is real. Our colleagues and our brothers and sisters in the faith. [00:11:51] Tony Arsenal: It’s helpful for them to be able to look at our lives and to be able to assess whether we are in the faith. But first and foremost, these trials serve to validate our own faith to us, to encourage us and to build us up in the faith. They are not a hurdle for us to jump over. They are a rubric or a grading scale. [00:12:15] Tony Arsenal: That is shown what the reality is. And finally in this section it says, let Steadfastness have its full effect. If I want it to be just a little bit cheeky, I might translate this as, let, let Steadfastness show its chief end. The word here when it says full effect is the tell us, the end, the aim of steadfastness. [00:12:40] Tony Arsenal: It’s not saying give steadfastness permission to do what it does. It’s saying let steadfastness complete the work that it is intended to do. So the trials and the testing of our faith build in us this steadfastness. They come to us and they show us. And the Holy Spirit uses the difficult providences in our lives to show us that we have faith and to show us that it is being perfected in us. [00:13:07] Tony Arsenal: It is being grown, it is being sanctified in us. And through this process, our steadfastness has increased. We will face more trials. We’ll come back to that at the end of the passage here. But there’s this cycle testing faith steadfastness, testing, faith steadfastness. It doesn’t stop, but it’s for our good and for God’s glory. [00:13:30] Tony Arsenal: I take your Bible briefly. I’m gonna turn over to Matthew 24, 3 through 14. [00:13:41] Tony Arsenal: I commented earlier that this is not just the momentary endurance of making it through an individual trial. That this is the steadfastness of a Christian life and it’s not James alone who teaches this. So reading starting in, uh, Matthew chapter 24, verse three, and he, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. [00:14:01] Tony Arsenal: The disciples came to him privately saying, tell us when these things will be and what will the sign of your coming and the end of the age, Jesus answered them. See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name saying I’m the Christ, and they will lead many astray. You hear of wars and rumors of war, see that you are not alarmed for this must take place. [00:14:19] Tony Arsenal: But the end is not yet for nations will rise against nation and kingdoms against kingdom, but there will be famine and earthquakes in various places. All these are about the beginning of the birth pains. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death and you’ll all be hated by all nations, for my name’s sake. [00:14:37] Tony Arsenal: And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will increase the love of many will grow coal cold, but the one who endures to the end will be saved and this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations. [00:14:57] Tony Arsenal: And then the end will come. You can see just in the English translation, the the verbal affinities here, right? For James, the full effect of steadfastness, which is in Greek is Hoopa. Monet, is that we might. Uh, is that we might be perfected in the end, in the Tello. The tell us for Jesus, the one who endures, he endures until the end, the telos. [00:15:24] Tony Arsenal: So we have this complex of words that is used by the church, by Christ to show us that the process of Christian living that will bring us to the end is one of endurance. We should not expect it to be easy. We should not expect it to be simple and to not require effort. Both Christ and Jesus. And then Paul and all of the other, um, biblical writers who teach on this are arguing that the chief end of this endurance is to prepare us to fulfill the chief end of man, which is to endure to the end so that we might glorify God and enjoy him forever. [00:16:06] Tony Arsenal: The endurance that we. Have that is given to us by the spirit is given to us for the purpose of our good and for God’s glory. [00:16:17] Wisdom in Trials and Faith Without Doubt [00:16:17] Tony Arsenal: Now moving on to the next pass, uh, section of this passage here back in James. We see immediately that James acknowledges that seeing trials in this way is going to require wisdom. [00:16:31] Tony Arsenal: The natural man cannot look at negative things as they’re happening and see that they’re for his good. We all know people, and I think almost everyone, this is a universal experience who’ve had some sort of negative thing happen in their life, and they look back and say, that was really the best thing that happened to me. [00:16:49] Tony Arsenal: But we’re not talking about the wisdom to see the good. In retrospect, we’re talking about the supernatural wisdom, the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit to see the good in advance. To understand and trust the Lord that he is working good for those who love him, that he is conforming us to the image of his son, Jesus Christ. [00:17:14] Tony Arsenal: For this reason, we must ask God for this wisdom, not just in the moment, but every day. Every time we come before the Lord, we should be asking him for wisdom and we can be confident as we approach the throne of grace. Because God does so generously and without reproach, he does not chastise us for asking for wisdom. [00:17:36] Tony Arsenal: He looks at us similar to how he looked at Solomon. We can ask God for all of the temporal blessings of this world, for all of the skills that we need to accomplish our job, and he may in fact give them to us. God is a God who loves to give good gifts, but just as he said to Solomon, I will bless you with this because you have not asked for other things. [00:17:55] Tony Arsenal: He also will bless us with wisdom. Another way to come at this phrase of without reproach is to bless. Without hesitation, God is not slow to grant this blessing. God grants us this blessing in the moment that we ask for it, and in a certain sense, the blessing comes in the very asking of it coming to God. [00:18:16] Tony Arsenal: To ask for wisdom is itself a wisdom act that is driven by the Holy Spirit. We cannot do it apart from wisdom that he’s already granted us. However, James is clear that we must ask for this in faith. He says that you must ask with no doubting for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. [00:18:39] Tony Arsenal: When you’re sitting on the ocean, the waves have a rhythm. They come in, they go out, they come in, they go out. They don’t ever make a lot of progress. When they do make progress, it’s a big problem, but even when they do, they still go back out. It might just come in longer and harder, but they go back out. [00:19:01] Tony Arsenal: This is the image of the doubting man that that James is leaving you with. It’s this fool who spins his wheels and accomplishes nothing. He’s asking for something from someone he doesn’t believe has the ability or the desire to grant it. That makes no sense. You wouldn’t go to someone with no money and ask them for a loan. [00:19:23] Tony Arsenal: I mean, you might do it, but it’s a foolish thing to do. [00:19:29] Tony Arsenal: God does not answer the prayers of those who are marked by doubting him. Now, James is not saying anyone who ever has a doubt is not going to be given this wisdom. That’s just not, not the testimony of the New Testament and James is consistent with the testimony of the New Testament. What he is saying is those who are characterized as the doubter. [00:19:50] Tony Arsenal: It’s not just the individual who has a doubt from time to time, or even the person who has the persistent and besetting sin of doubt. There are those out there who are, for whatever reason, just full of doubt. They’re full of a lack of assurance and they need to have our gentleness and not our uh, aggression. [00:20:11] Tony Arsenal: But that is not who James is talking about. He is talking about the person whose life is characterized as a rebellious doubt in the blessings of God. Probably he’s referring to the Jewish landowners that are persecuting the church. He’s probably referring to people who claim the name of God, who claim to be God’s people and refuse to accept his blessings on his terms. [00:20:36] Tony Arsenal: If we do not believe that God is generous or that he will give us this wisdom asking for, it is a form of insanity. That’s why he says that the one who doubt. Is a double-minded man unstable in all his ways. It’s not just the faith life of this person that is unstable. When you live a life characterized by radical skepticism and doubt, that will creep into everything you do and it will make your life unstable. [00:21:04] Tony Arsenal: He gives us two primary examples, and this is a, a thing that James does a lot. He’ll get, deliver a little block of teaching. He’ll give us a concrete example and then he comes back to that block of teaching to finalize and clarify it. He gives us the example of the lowly brother. We might translate that as poor brother. [00:21:23] Tony Arsenal: The Christians that are being persecuted, he’s encouraging those, receiving the letter, but he’s also encouraging us that are lowly us, that are made lowly by our trials. Later in the chapter outside of our passage, he talks about receiving the word with meekness. He’s talking about those, the lowly who receive God’s word. [00:21:43] Tony Arsenal: In humility, asking for wisdom to understand it. He says that this lowly brother will be exalted because of his trials, because of his humiliation. He will be exalted. And then he contrasts this with the rich doubter and the commentaries in the church have interpreted this doubter in many ways. Some would say that this is a rich Christian, and so his humiliation is that in the end of things, he will, uh, he will not have his riches. [00:22:14] Tony Arsenal: I’m not convinced of that perspective. I think that a, a better argument can be made again, that the rich doubter here is probably the Jewish Christian’s persecuting the church. But he says, let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation and the rich in his humiliation because like the flower of the grass, he will pass away. [00:22:35] Tony Arsenal: The rich doubter will not endure through his trials. James is probably referring to the trial of being rich, which is its own kind of trial. But whatever the trial this rich person faces, he will not per, he will not endure because he will fade away like the grass he fades away in the midst of his pursuits. [00:22:57] Tony Arsenal: So James is building this image for us of the wise lowly Christian who trusts the Lord in the midst of his trials, seeks wisdom and receives it by going to the word of God and hearing and receiving the word of God in meekness. And he contrasts that with the people who do have a bootstrap theology who do think they just have to push harder. [00:23:19] Tony Arsenal: They do just have to see the good in it and see the silver lining. Do you see that contrast? There’s those, uh, those who have faith in the Lord and are able to see that the Lord is working even in the most tragic of circumstances. I had a friend in college, uh, who. She, um, she had rheumatoid arthritis or some sort of rheumatoid disorder. [00:23:42] Tony Arsenal: And so the, the medication she had to take was, um, was not conducive to healthy pregnancy. So her and her husband had to make the difficult choice to just commit themselves not to having children. And I heard, I heard from a, a friend, uh, shortly after we graduated, that they had found some new treatment that was managing her condition and she was able to get pregnant. [00:24:02] Tony Arsenal: And she was calling to share that this mutual friend was calling to share the good news. And a few days later, that same mutual friend called me and told me that my friend had been in a terrible car accident, died on her way home from her first ultrasound. And I remember sitting at the funeral and her husband was literally carried into the podium, and he looked at the, the, it wasn’t a church service, it was a, it was a funeral service, but he looked at the gathered crowd and he said, for I know that God works all things together for the good of those who love him. [00:24:34] Tony Arsenal: That is the lowly brother who trusts in the Lord. In the worst circumstances that brother was imitating Christ, who of course looked forward to his trials with joy. Moving on to the outcome of our trials, we see in verse 12, James says, blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial. We see again that same repeated language who remains steadfast under trial for when he has stood the test. [00:25:03] Tony Arsenal: He will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. The order is being moved around. Before it was the trials that produced the testing that produced the steadfastness. Now it is the steadfastness under trial that we are looking at, and it is looking at the test in reverse. [00:25:27] Tony Arsenal: This is not, um, someone who stands through individual trials, as we said. We could look at this in a translation, which is hard to say, might say for when he has been authenticated or when he has become authenticated. The, the word here is a, a being verb when he has entered the state of being, of having been authenticated. [00:25:51] Tony Arsenal: This is looking at the final outcome of the life of a Christian who has faced trials and has remained steadfast, who has trusted the Lord to give him the steadfastness, the endurance, the sticktuitiveness to persist. [00:26:09] Tony Arsenal: And this is now given to him as the victor’s crown. The crown is the, the culmination of his trials. It’s the culmination of his steadfastness. Paul describes it this way in one Corinthians nine. He says, do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that. You may obtain it. [00:26:29] Tony Arsenal: Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly. I do not box as one beating the air. But after I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest I preaching to others should find myself disqualified. And that word disqualified is the negation of the same word that we’re using here for tested. [00:26:57] Tony Arsenal: He’s saying, I discipline my body. I run after the prize, not so that I may gain a prize, but that I may not be unauthenticated. This is the consistent teaching of the New Testament. Not that we obtain our salvation based on our endurance or obtain our salvation based on our works, but that we must endure unto the receiving of our prize. [00:27:25] Tony Arsenal: If we want to make it to the end, we have to make it to the end. But making it to the end is not what gives us the prize. It’s not what gives us a right to the prize. It’s not what delivers us the possession of the prize. It is simply the pathway that we must walk in order to reach the goal. [00:27:45] Temptation and the Source of Success in Trials [00:27:45] Tony Arsenal: Moving on to close out the passage here, starting in verse 13, we talk about the source of success in our trials. Now this is a complex passage and and we won’t dig into all of the nuances of it here, but James is very careful to qualify a few things. He’s told us now that the reward is for those who endure, which implies that there are some who do not endure. [00:28:09] Tony Arsenal: There are some who will not be qualified or will not be authenticated, but will instead be disqualified. He’s anticipating the doubting man who receives nothing from God and blames his failure on God’s withholding wisdom and endurance. [00:28:25] Tony Arsenal: He is anticipating the argument that someone will say, well, I asked for wisdom and God didn’t give it to me. Calling God a liar, because we know that God gives generously and without reproach to all who ask for wisdom. The way that he answers this hypothetical objection is He points to the fact that God is holy, good, and wholly righteous, and cannot be tempted with evil. [00:28:54] Tony Arsenal: And because he cannot be tempted with evil, he cannot be affected by evil. He cannot be tested by evil. Evil has no control or root or foothold within God. He also cannot be said to tempt anyone else with evil. So rather than look at a situation where a person is facing a trial and fails under the trial and blames God, he details for us how it is actually that that failure occurs. [00:29:23] Tony Arsenal: Starting in verse 13, he says, let no one say when he is tempted, I’m being tempted by God. For God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. Then desire when it has conceived, gives birth to sin and sin when it is fully grown, brings forth death. [00:29:42] Tony Arsenal: It is absolutely the case that the trials, the providence, the context that our trials take place in, comes to us from God. He will ground that later on in the verse explicitly. What does not come to us from God is the evil desires that inappropriately reach out and interact with those desires. When God brings a good gift in in our lives, there is a constant temptation to take that good gift and use it for unlawful purposes. [00:30:13] Tony Arsenal: The constant desire to find your identity in your children instead of in Christ. The constant desire to see your spouse as someone who is there to meet your needs rather than someone you are called to serve and love and sacrifice for the desire to turn the money we earn in our jobs, in our vocations, which God has called us to, and our catechism is clear that wealth is not in itself a bad thing. [00:30:39] Tony Arsenal: To turn that into an idol, to turn that into its ultimate purpose. That temptation is constantly there, but it is not there because God is dangling something bad in front of our face and just hoping we won’t take it. Instead, we are tempted when we are lured and enticed by our own evil desires. This is a fishing metaphor. [00:31:00] Tony Arsenal: It’s a line fishing metaphor. Most fishing in the promised land was done by nets, but there was line fishing. We read, Peter goes and he line fishes when he gets the temple coin to to pay the temple tax. The picture here is that. Our desire is placed on the end of the hook, and when we bite, we are trapped. [00:31:20] Tony Arsenal: It’s not that the nice new car that we’ve been looking at, that there’s nothing wrong with purchasing a nice new car. It’s fine to have a car that you enjoy or the trip, the vacation that you’re planning or whatever it might be. There’s nothing wrong with wanting that. There’s nothing wrong with pursuing that if you’re doing it according to God’s law and in Christian prudence. [00:31:39] Tony Arsenal: But when we reach out and grasp ahold of it because of, or through our wicked desires, we have been tempted. The temptation is not the thing that’s out there. The temptation is what happens in here. And he says that desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin and sin when it is fully grown, brings, brings forth death. [00:32:03] Tony Arsenal: The chain of verbs here is in a complete tense. It’s not a sequential thing. It’s the desire. When it has finished the process of conceiving, then it gives birth to sin, and when sin has completed the process of being fully grown, it brings forth death. This is both terrifying and encouraging. It is never too late to stop and turn around when you’re walking down the path of sin until you’ve reached the end. [00:32:30] Tony Arsenal: If you’ve endured to the end of the path of sin, then you’re in trouble. But the Holy Spirit is always quick to bring us back. He’s always quick to receive our repentance. This is why we should repent of particular sins, particularly we should examine our life every day and see the areas that we are falling short. [00:32:49] Tony Arsenal: He goes on to reinforce this when he says in verse 16, do not be deceived, my beloved brothers, which of course implies that there were some who were either being deceived or likely to be deceived. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. [00:33:10] Tony Arsenal: The trials themselves are not joy, but they are a gift. John Piper wrote a famous book, don’t Waste Your Cancer, right? We don’t have to enjoy trials. We don’t have to think that they’re fun. We do have to recognize that God is working in them and that he has ordained them for us. He has prepared them as good works in advance for us to walk in [00:33:38] Tony Arsenal: and it calls God here the Father of lights. This is probably not a reference to God the Father as the first person of the Trinity, but rather a reference to the whole Godhead as a fatherly God who gives fatherly gifts to his people. And more than the fact that God is a fatherly God, God is immutable. He does not change. [00:33:57] Tony Arsenal: There is no variation or shadow due to change in God. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Malachi three six is the famous passage in the Old Testament. If, if you, if you’re looking for a new memory verse, you could do a lot worse than this one. It says, for I am the Lord. I the Lord do not change. [00:34:18] Tony Arsenal: Therefore, you, o children of Jacob are not consumed. God’s unchanging nature is a source of comfort and assurance for his covenant people. We are marked in our baptism with the promise of God. He has admitted us into the church. He has promised us by the sign of baptism that we are his people, that we will persist until the end, that we will be fully clear. [00:34:45] Tony Arsenal: Uh, CL cleansed, excuse me. It’s a sign and a seal of regeneration. It signifies what is ours in Christ that is given to us by the Holy Spirit. And we can look to our baptism. We can look to. The Lord’s Supper. We can look to our Christian family and our place in it. We can look to these things that God has given us and we can trust that he is good because he does not change and his promise does not change. [00:35:12] Tony Arsenal: Paul says in Philippians, he says, I’m sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Just as Israel could be confident that even though judgment was coming, they could be confident that they would not be consumed. So also, can we be confident that our trials will not overcome us. [00:35:34] Tony Arsenal: We may be pressed down, but we are not rushed. The hearers of this letter were persecuted, but they were not abandoned. And lastly, he says in verse 18 of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creation. He gave birth to us by the word of truth because that was his unchanging, eternal will. [00:36:01] Tony Arsenal: And if it was internal, eternal unchanging will that we would be brought forth as the first fruits of his creation. It is also his unchanging eternal will that he will accomplish that for his own good or for his own glory, and for our good. [00:36:17] Application and Conclusion [00:36:17] Tony Arsenal: A few brief points of application as we leave this place today. And I, I recognize that this is probably particularly poignant for people in the congregation right now. We’re all facing something, some of us worse than others, and this is not an easy application to make to any passage of the Bible. But we must praise God in the midst of our trials, we must turn to Jesus and give him the glory he deserves for bringing us through and into these trials that he will produce steadfastness in us. [00:36:51] Tony Arsenal: He is producing steadfastness in you. You may not feel it, you might not recognize it. In the dark of the night when you’re laying there staring at the ceiling, just begging for sleep to come. ’cause that’s the only thing you can do to get it off your mind. He is building steadfastness in you. And that steadfastness is not just the means to reach the end, it is the very testimony of God to your faith. [00:37:17] Tony Arsenal: It is the discipline that he instills in our life to show us that he is our father. And once your faith has been fully validated, you’ll receive the crown of life, not as a reward of your faith, but as the ultimate proof that you are his. When we look at the Olympics, in most instances, it’s very clear who wins. [00:37:39] Tony Arsenal: There’s an objective standard, and the winner is determined based on when they cross the finish line in reference to other people or how high they jump or whatever the, the test might be. The awarding of the Olympic medal is not what makes them an Olympic. It is to show that they are an Olympic winner. [00:37:57] Tony Arsenal: It’s the signification to all who are seeing. It’s the permanent reminder that they have run the race and that they have won the prize. [00:38:09] Tony Arsenal: An equally difficult application here is to not only praise God in the midst of your trials, but to seek God in the midst of your trials. God generously gives wisdom to all who seek it from him. It is important to seek wisdom. When we are not facing trials, it is vital that we do when we are. If we do not allow our trials to be a source of driving us to the Lord, then we in very real effect, are wasting our trials. [00:38:42] Tony Arsenal: We might learn something from it. We might come out of there with a good story that we can tell. It may shape our careers in a positive fashion. We may be able to look at it and say, this was the best thing that ever happened to me. But if we do not seek God in our trials and allow ourselves to be shaped by the Holy Spirit, then we might as well pack up, shop and go home. [00:39:04] Tony Arsenal: God has brought you forth by the word of truth, and God is faithful to complete his work in you. Let’s pray. [00:39:15] Tony Arsenal: Father, we are soft-hearted and sensitive as we come to your word. We are all mourning something in our own ways, and we are all facing difficulties in our own ways. And we know that it is not easy to count at all joy when we face these trials, but we also know that you are working all things together for the good of those who love you, and we love you Lord. [00:39:40] Tony Arsenal: And so we can trust that the purpose of these trials is to conform us to the image of your son, Jesus Christ. So we pray that you would make that true in our lives, that you would make it apparent to our eyes. In Jesus name, amen.

In this sermon, Tony Arsenal explores James 1:19-27, emphasizing the importance of receiving the Word with meekness, being doers of the Word, and demonstrating true religion through practical application. Arsenal begins by providing historical and theological context for the letter of James, highlighting its relevance to Jewish Christians in the dispersion who were facing persecution, poverty, and trials. He stresses the need to understand the Word of God as the foundation for Christian living and the transformative power it has when received and acted upon. The sermon focuses on the relationship between hearing and doing the Word. Arsenal cautions against passively hearing Scripture without allowing it to produce change in one’s life, likening this to a person who looks in a mirror but immediately forgets their reflection. He explains that true religion is marked by practical obedience, such as bridling one’s tongue, caring for orphans and widows, and remaining unstained by the world. These outward actions, while not the cause of salvation, are evidence of the transformative work of Christ in believers’ lives. Finally, Arsenal discusses assurance of faith, emphasizing that believers should first look to Christ as the grounding of their assurance, rather than relying solely on their works. He encourages listeners to examine their faith, trust in the promises of God, and live lives that reflect their identity as the people of God. The sermon concludes with a call to action: to be doers of the Word, to love the downtrodden, and to demonstrate God’s charity through good works. Key Points: Receiving the Word with Meekness: Believers are called to humbly accept the implanted Word, which has the power to save their souls, and to let it transform their lives. Hearing and Doing the Word: True faith is demonstrated through obedience to God’s commands and a life marked by good works, not just passive listening. True Religion and Practical Obedience: Pure religion involves caring for those in need, bridling one’s tongue, and living a life unstained by the world. Assurance of Faith: Assurance is grounded in the promises of Christ, with good works serving as evidence of the Spirit’s work in believers’ lives. Application: Ponder and Memorize Scripture: Spend time meditating on the Word of God, such as the Ten Commandments, to better understand and live out God’s moral expectations. Live Out True Religion: Actively care for the needy in your community, such as orphans, widows, and the homeless, as a reflection of God’s love and charity. Examine Your Faith: Regularly evaluate your life to ensure it aligns with the teachings of Scripture, trusting in Christ’s promises for assurance. Questions for Reflection: How can you be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger in your daily life? In what ways are you demonstrating true religion through practical obedience? What steps can you take to ground your assurance in Christ rather than relying on your own works? Other Scriptures for Study: Matthew 7:24-27 (The wise and foolish builders) Romans 10:14-17 (Faith comes from hearing) Philippians 1:6 (God’s faithfulness to complete His work in believers) Confessional Resources: Westminster Larger Catechism, particularly on the effectual use of the Word The doctrine of the Ordo Salutis (Order of Salvation) The Heidelberg Catechism on true faith and good works

In this sermon, Tony Arsenal delves into Jonah 1:7–17, unpacking profound themes of God’s sovereignty, judgment, and mercy. The narrative focuses on Jonah’s rebellion, the sailors’ transformation, and God’s providential use of both creation and re-creation to accomplish His will. Arsenal begins by walking through the text, highlighting the sailors’ decision to cast lots to determine the cause of the storm, which ultimately points to Jonah. Jonah confesses his identity as a prophet of Yahweh, the Creator of heaven, sea, and land, and acknowledges that his disobedience is the reason for the calamity. Despite Jonah’s suggestion to throw him overboard, the sailors initially hesitate, showing a surprising moral transformation as they begin to fear the Lord. The sermon draws connections between Jonah’s experience and broader biblical themes, particularly the idea of judgment as “de-creation” and salvation as “re-creation.” Arsenal explains that Jonah’s descent into the sea symbolizes God’s judgment, echoing imagery from Genesis and the Flood narrative, where chaos waters are unleashed. However, God’s mercy intervenes through the appointment of a great fish, transforming Jonah’s judgment into an act of salvation. Jonah’s time in the belly of the fish is portrayed as a symbolic rebirth, prefiguring both Christ’s resurrection and the believer’s experience of regeneration. Arsenal concludes by emphasizing the necessity of rebirth and evangelism. He challenges Christians to reflect on their spiritual lives, evangelize their children and neighbors, and pray for all people, including those who may seem far from God. The sermon serves as a call to action, urging believers to grasp the urgency of sharing the gospel and living in light of their new life in Christ. Key Points: God’s sovereignty over creation and judgment: Jonah identifies Yahweh as the Creator of heaven, sea, and land, emphasizing His control over all circumstances, including the storm and the casting of lots. Judgment as de-creation and salvation as re-creation: Jonah’s descent into the sea reflects God’s judgment, which echoes the chaos waters of Genesis and the Flood. God’s intervention through the fish symbolizes salvation and rebirth. The transformation of the sailors: The sailors move from pagan idol worship to fearing the Lord and making sacrifices to Him, illustrating God’s power to bring spiritual renewal even to Gentiles. The necessity of rebirth in Christ: Arsenal highlights the urgency of being born again, pointing to Jonah’s symbolic rebirth in the fish as a picture of the believer’s regeneration through Christ. Evangelism as a Christian duty: The sermon calls on believers to evangelize their children, neighbors, and even those in positions of power, emphasizing that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. Application: Examine your spiritual life: Reflect on whether you are fleeing from God’s presence like Jonah or following Him wholeheartedly. Take stock of your spiritual health and seek assurance in Christ. Evangelize your children and neighbors: Parents are encouraged to share the gospel with their children daily, recognizing that even covenant children need salvation. Similarly, Christians are called to evangelize their neighbors with urgency and love. Pray for all people: Follow the biblical mandate to pray for all kinds of people, including those in leadership and even perceived enemies. Trust in God’s ability to bring salvation to anyone. Questions for Reflection: In what ways have you experienced God’s mercy and re-creation in your own life? How can Jonah’s story encourage you to trust in God’s sovereignty, even in difficult circumstances? Are you actively sharing the gospel with those around you, including your own family? Other Scriptures for Study: Genesis 1:1–10 (God’s creation of the heavens, sea, and dry land) Genesis 7:11–12 (The Flood as an act of judgment and de-creation) 2 Corinthians 5:17 (The believer as a new creation in Christ) Psalm 139 (God’s presence in all places, including the depths) Romans 1 (God giving people over to their sins as judgment) Confessional Resources: Westminster Shorter Catechism Q&A 30–31: On the application of redemption and effectual calling John Calvin’s commentary on Numbers (regarding Balaam as an irregular prophet) Augustine’s reflections on creation in The City of God

This sermon on Jonah 1:1-6, preached by Mr. Tony Arsenal at Providence Presbyterian Church, explores the profound theological insights surrounding God’s sovereignty, omnipresence, mercy, and discipline. The sermon begins by examining Jonah’s call to Nineveh and his subsequent flight, emphasizing how Jonah’s disobedience provides a mirror to our own tendencies to flee from God’s will. Through the use of vivid narrative details, Mr. Arsenal highlights how Jonah’s descent is not only physical but also spiritual, reflecting his rebellion against God’s calling. The sermon delves into the sovereign presence of God, showing how His omnipotence and omnipresence are evident even in Jonah’s attempts to escape. From the storm hurled by the Lord to the obedience of the sailors and the personified ship, God’s control over every aspect of creation is evident. The theological richness of the text is further explored through reflections on the Trinity, with the Word of the Lord being presented as the pre-incarnate second person of the Trinity. In the application, Mr. Arsenal draws parallels between Jonah’s story and the Christian walk. He emphasizes that God’s discipline is a reflection of His love and a tool for sanctification. Drawing from the Westminster Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism, the sermon encourages believers to trust in God’s purposes, even during trials, and to fulfill their callings as faithful servants in all areas of life, including evangelism, family, and citizenship. Key Points: Jonah’s Disobedience Reflects Human Nature: Jonah’s flight from God’s calling mirrors our own tendencies to resist God’s will due to fear, stubbornness, or self-interest. God’s Sovereignty on Full Display: From the storm to the sailors, every element of the story highlights God’s control over creation, His persistence in pursuing Jonah, and His overarching plan for redemption. The Presence of God: The sermon explores the complex theological concept of God’s presence—His omnipresence, special presence, and the withdrawal of His grace in discipline. God’s Discipline is for Our Good: Like Jonah, believers experience God’s discipline as an act of love, designed to restore, sanctify, and draw them closer to Him. Application: Recognize God’s Sovereignty: Trust that all things, including trials and discipline, work together for your salvation and God’s glory. Fulfill Your Calling: Be faithful in the roles God has placed you in—whether as a parent, spouse, employee, or evangelist—and avoid the temptation to flee from His will. Repent and Return to God’s Presence: When you stray, remember that God is eager to forgive and restore you, just as He was with Jonah. Questions for Reflection: How do I respond when I sense God’s calling in my life? Do I move toward obedience or resist like Jonah? In what ways have I experienced God’s discipline? How has it shaped my faith and understanding of His love? How can I better trust in God’s sovereignty, especially during challenging or confusing times? Other Scriptures for Study: Psalm 139:7-10 (God’s omnipresence) Hebrews 12:5-11 (God’s discipline as an act of love) Romans 8:28 (All things work together for good) Confessional Resources: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 1: Assurance of belonging to Christ in life and death Westminster Confession of Faith 5.5: God’s providence in trials and sin Puritan writings on God’s wrath as His “alien work”: Explaining God’s quickness to forgive the repentant

Tony Arsenal’s sermon, titled “What Manner of Man is This?”, focuses on Mark 4:35–5:43 and explores the miracles of Jesus, the question of His identity, and the theological implications of His divine and human nature. Arsenal begins by addressing the structure of the passage, emphasizing how the calming of the storm, the exorcism of the demon-possessed man, and the healing of Jairus’ daughter and the bleeding woman all reveal critical aspects of Jesus’ nature. The central question posed by the text—“Who is this man?”—is answered by examining both Jesus’ humanity and divinity, offering a rich exploration of the hypostatic union. Arsenal highlights that Jesus’ miracles were not performed merely as acts of compassion but as demonstrations of His authority as both truly God and truly man. Drawing from Philippians 2:5–11, He explains how Jesus, though in the form of God, took on the form of a servant, fully embodying human frailty while retaining His divine nature. This double nature is vital for understanding Jesus’ role as our sympathetic High Priest, who both shares in our suffering and intercedes on our behalf. The sermon also delves into the historical development of Christological doctrines, referencing the early church councils, such as Nicaea and Chalcedon, which defended the biblical teaching that Jesus is one person with two natures—united without confusion, separation, or division. Arsenal connects these theological truths to practical applications, showing how Jesus’ humanity ensures He understands our struggles, and His divinity guarantees His power to save. The sermon concludes with a call to trust in Jesus as both Savior and Lord and a reminder of the hope and inheritance we have in Him. Key Points: The Miracles of Jesus Reveal His NatureArsenal discusses how Mark 4:35–5:43 uses Jesus’ miracles to highlight His authority over nature, demons, illness, and death, while simultaneously portraying His human limitations, such as fatigue and hunger. The Hypostatic UnionJesus is fully God and fully man, a truth affirmed by Scripture and historic church councils. Arsenal explains how this union is essential for Jesus to be our Savior and High Priest, capable of making atonement for sin and interceding for His people. Jesus as Our Sympathetic High PriestJesus’ humanity ensures He understands our pain and suffering, while His divinity gives Him the power to save and intercede. This provides profound comfort and hope for believers facing trials and tragedies. Application Trust Jesus in the Storms of LifeJust as Jesus calmed the storm for His disciples, He has the power to bring peace to the chaos in our lives. Trust in His sovereignty and faithfulness. Take Comfort in Jesus’ HumanityJesus fully understands our struggles, as He experienced human frailty and suffering. This makes Him a compassionate and relatable Savior. Rest in the Assurance of SalvationThrough Jesus’ perfect life, atoning death, and resurrection, believers have a secure inheritance and the promise of eternal life. Let this truth shape your daily walk with God. Questions for Reflection: What does the question “What manner of man is this?” reveal about how people in Jesus’ time viewed Him? How does understanding Jesus’ dual nature as truly God and truly man deepen your faith? In what ways can you rest in the knowledge that Jesus is your sympathetic High Priest? Other Scriptures for study: John 3:34 – The anointing of Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Philippians 2:5–11 – The humility and exaltation of Christ. Hebrews 2:10–18 – Jesus as our faithful High Priest. Confessional Resources: Chalcedonian Definition – Explains the hypostatic union of Christ. Nicene Creed – Affirms the divinity of Jesus Christ. Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 8 – On Christ the Mediator.