Welcome to Affirm foundation, presented by Princeton ministries with Dr Ken Smith. This is Carol Smith, Ken’s wife. Please enjoy.

meditations of our hearts. We ask would be acceptable in your sight. We ask it in Jesus name. Amen. I have four children, and it seems that everywhere I go, when someone sees my children, the first thing they say is, you look just like your father. Little Mary, who when she was born had dark hair for a few moments, looked just like her mother, but a week later, she looked just like her father. I remember when I was 21 and there was a family aunt who I had never met related to my father, and I went to visit her. And the first thing, having knocked on the door and greeted myself, she said, you look just like your father. And it’s true, in an earthly way that all of us resemble, whether physically or emotionally in our makeup, our fathers.

This was brought home to me this week. I was speaking with Bill Crispin, who runs an urban ministry in Philadelphia. And he was talking about a little interview that he had done with eleven families. He asked this question of all of the children from these eleven families, what makes you angry? And so all of these kids gave a long list of the things that made them angry. And then he went and asked their fathers, what makes you angry? And the interesting thing was that they were the same list. And isn’t it true that many of the things that are a great encouragement to you are the same things that were a great encouragement to your family and the things that hurt you and are a discouragement to you are also a result of things that you had learned at home?

Well, if this is true in the physical world, I think it is equally true in the spiritual world. As a matter of fact, Jesus was very aware of this truth. He was aware that spiritually we have all been born with a father and that we all resemble our father? In John 644, Jesus was talking to those people of the day who considered themselves religious people. And he said of them, you are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. And one of the inescapable truths of the scripture is that each of us was born into this world with a father. We may not have been aware of it, but it is spiritually true.

And that the father of this world is the prince of the power of the air, the one over whom darkness is his kingdom, and that we have all been born with this legacy. Now, certainly we are not all al Capones and out of robbing banks, but to one degree or another, we are aware that there is something in our heart that needs the light of greater truth. And every time that we would lie, we resemble that father, that prince of darkness. Every time that we would try to get even, every time that we would quarrel, every time that we would find ourselves depressed, every time that we would find ourselves anxious, we resemble this prince of darkness rather than the prince of light. Jesus Christ.

And the ministry of Jesus is to take people who were born in darkness and to bring them into his light, so that we as Christians are able to say, my father, because of Jesus Christ, is the living God. My father is the one in whom there is only holiness and truth. And each of us lives in one family or the other. And the issue of the Christian faith is that we would come out of darkness and into the light of Jesus Christ. Now Paul has finished giving a very complete doctrinal teaching, which for some people is very boring. For some people, they think of theology and they say, oh, no, I’m not ready for that. Well, Paul, finally, having given all of his teaching of doctrine and Christian truth, he arrives at a therefore. And we say, all right, here’s all this truth.

Some of it I understood, some of it I didn’t. And Paul says, therefore, say, all right, Paul. I want to understand all these truths and apply them to myself. How can I do it? He gives three principles as to how you and I, as we have once trusted in Jesus Christ, would be able to resemble our heavenly Father. How can we do it, Paul? He tells us in Philippians four one, my beloved and longed for brethren, my joy and crown, stand fast in the Lord. Stand fast in the Lord. Now, several times in the scripture, the apostle Paul comes to a place of practical application. We say, what is it that I’m supposed to do as a result of all of this wonderful truth? And in the book of Ephesians chapter six, Paul says, and having done all stand. Stand, therefore.

And now the apostle Paul tells us that we are to stand fast in the Lord. He doesn’t tell us that we’re to march into battle. He doesn’t tell us to go forward. He simply says, stand. James Boyce, pastor at 10th Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, says, the implication of the command to stand is that God has already done or is doing the conquering. We are only to hold the ground that he conquers. If you’re anything like me, one of the last things that you want to do practically is to stand fast. We seem to understand action better than we do standing firm. And yet, in Romans chapter five, an interesting verse, the apostle Paul says, I glory in my tribulations, in my afflictions, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance produces character.

Character produces hope, and that does not disappoint us because the love of God has been poured into us by his holy spirit. Did you ever notice how many people want character? How many people would like to have that strength of personality, to be able to accomplish the task that God has given to them? And I don’t know of a Christian who doesn’t say, I would like to have greater Christian character. I would like to grow and be stronger in the Lord. Well, how does that happen? Paul says, first, there is tribulation, afflictions, problems, as those occur. There is a period which he refers to as perseverance or endurance, and he asks us to live in. In the midst of that perseverance, to endure, we say, how long until that Christian character comes? The problem is that we face afflictions and trials.

We want God to teach us character traits, that we might be more like Jesus Christ, but we don’t want to endure. We don’t like persevering in the midst of an affliction because it’s very painful, it’s very hard. And in our culture, we seem to have a desire that any time that there is a need, there must be an immediate solution. God says, if you want to grow as a Christian, that I am going to bring into your life various trials, don’t look at them as terrible things, but look at them as wonderful things, for which I am going to grow a most fragrant flower of Christian character. That’s the reason whenever we hear about Mother Teresa who lives in a world that is full of afflictions, trials, day by day, she faces untold needs.

And as we would remember, Mother Teresa in the midst of all of that suffering, we see her persevering year after year. And when we see someone who is enduring and persevering in the strength of Jesus Christ, we say to ourselves, you remind me of your heavenly Father. When things are going well, you can remind others of your heavenly father. But more often than not, it’s when things are not going well that we are called upon to remind others who our father is. Secondly, Paul tells us that if you and I truly want to remind others and ourselves of our heavenly Father, then we are to be of the same mind. He tells us in verse two and three. I implore Euodia and I implore Synectic to be of the same mind in the lord.

And I urge you also true companion, help these women who laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my brethren, fellow workers whose names are in the book of life. It seems that at the church in Philippi there were two women. These women had a disagreement. The apostle Paul doesn’t tell us the nature of the disagreement. He simply tells us that they were in great danger personally, and the danger was that they were going to affect unity. They were going to be a source of division. And one of the desires that Paul had was that the church be a place where there be great unity. Now, we don’t know the difficulty that went on between these two women. Perhaps their names will give us a little insight. Euodia’s means fragrance, and sanctity means a talker.

And some think that probably in the church at Philippi, there was gossip and malicious talk that was occurring, and it caused a division in the church, and people were hurt. And the apostle Paul learns about it, and he sends this note back to these two people, and he says, please be of the same mind. Don’t be disunited. I think I shall never see a church. That’s all it ought to be. A church whose members never stray beyond the straight and narrow way. A church that has no empty pews, whose pastor never has the blues. A church whose deacons always desk and none is proud and all are meek, where gossips never peddle lies or make complaints or criticize, where all are always sweet and kind and all to others false or blind.

Such perfect churches there may be, but none of them is known to me, but still will work and pray and plan to make our church the best we can. Have you looked for the perfect church where all is in order, where everyone acts as a Christian? If you find such a church, please let me know. Unfortunately, they probably would not let me become a member because, I would add that imperfection, but I don’t know of such a church. And this becomes one of the ongoing problems in our culture, people looking for that perfect place. This week I sat in a barber chair of a barber who I had never met. Very dangerous thing to do. And as I told him I was a minister, he mentioned that he was a Christian. And I asked him, well, where do you go to church?

He said, well, I’ve tried so many churches, and I just can’t find a place. That’s right. I encouraged him to find that church where God’s word is taught, even though it may not be perfect until we come to heaven. Before we would find that perfect place, there’s some people who say, well, I can be a Christian without joining the church. Can I? Well, yes, you can. But to be a Christian without being part of a church, it’s like a student who will not go to college. It’s like a soldier who will not join an army. To be a Christian who will not be part of the church is like being a football player who won’t join any team. It’s like being a sailor who won’t get on any boat.

Yes, there certainly are Christians who are floating about without the comfort and the support of the church. But that certainly is not God’s desire. Desire for Jesus Christ died for the church that is made up of one beggar telling another where they might find bread. The church, a place where people learn about the forgiveness of Jesus Christ and some of the excuses that people give for their lack of involvement in church. It bothered a newspaper reporter several years ago who asked people who read his column to send them statements, why I don’t go to church. And so they sent in their responses and what he did. Everywhere where the word church appeared, he filled in the word movies to show how these alibis sounded. Well, one person said, and he filled in church for a movie.

I am out of the habit of going to the movies. That’s why I no longer attend. Another said, I know a man who has gone to the movies for years, and he’s no better than I am. Still, another said, I went to the movies as a child and I’ll never go back. And finally someone said, there are so many hypocrites in the movies. Why ever go? Well, it doesn’t make much sense to movies. And yet those are some of the very excuses that are used why people don’t attend God’s church. I was reading recently about a new illness called Morbus Sabbatical. It’s called the Sunday sickness. Some of the symptoms are very simple. It never lasts more than 24 hours. This illness, it never interferes with the appetite. No physician is ever called. After a few weeks of this condition, it becomes chronic.

No symptoms are ever felt. On Saturday night, the patient sleeps well and eats a hearty Sunday breakfast. But then, mysteriously, the attack occurs and they are not able to attend church because of Morbus sabbatical. And so at the close of the morning, the patient, having slept, usually begins to feel better around noon and eats a hearty Sunday breakfast and dinner. And then in the afternoon, he might do a little work, chat with some neighbour’s. But around evening time, if there are church services or home Bible studies planned, for the Sunday evening, he may have another short attack of this disease. But Monday morning he wakes and feels fine. The symptoms may not recur until the following Sunday. So often we look for qualities in the church that we will never find.

And when we don’t find them, we, too are part of the people who are in the ward with morbus sabbatical. In Hebrews, chapter ten, verse 25, we are urged, do not forsake the assembling of the brethren. The Lord has created his church. That you and I would grow in the knowledge and admonition of Jesus Christ through his church. So Paul tells us, first, that we are to learn to stand in the midst of perseverance, in the midst of afflictions and trials. And secondly, he tells us that we are to be united the same mind. Third, he tells us to rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice. Do you find it easy to rejoice? You wake up every day saying, this is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Is that the way your day begins?

This week, like many weeks, was a full one for me, as I’m sure it was for you. Starting early in the morning and finishing somewhere around 10:00, Channel five news has that little notice. Do you know where your children are this week? It would have been more appropriate for them to ask; do you know where your father is? Because it was a full week, and in the midst of this full week, I received a phone call in the middle of a very full day. A man, a stranger on the other end of the phone explained that he was stranded in Princeton and was trying to get to Hudson, New York. Could I give him a ride over to the train station and help him with some fare? Now, did this cause great joy in my spirit?

Did I say, I really am looking for a place to be joyful? And here it is? No, as a matter of fact, exactly the opposite occurred. I thought to myself, I have so much to do. And immediately, rather than being filled with joy, I was being filled with dread. I told him I would come in 45 minutes. During that 45 minutes, I began to think about my attitude. I began to think about this sermon. I began to think about the admonition that the Lord gives us to have his joy always. So I thought to myself, my attitude needs to be readjusted. Rather than look on this as something dreadful, I am going to be joyful. It took an act of the will, and that’s where the struggle was. And I went and I met this young man.

And as we talked for ten minutes on the way to the train station, I learned that he was living in a small town, Hudson, New York, where there was little work and little opportunity for employment. He had come from one job interview in Philadelphia. It didn’t work, and he had no money. He was also a Christian. And I thought to myself, here, a person who comes into my life for a few moments, shall I dread them, or shall I look upon them as a source of joy? That choice is before us all every single day. Charles Spurgeon, in speaking about joy, said, when you speak of heaven, let your face light up. Let it be irradiated with a heavenly gleam. Let your eyes shine and reflect the glory. But when you speak of hell, then your ordinary face will do.

We all need a dose of Christian joy. The apostle Paul encourages us in the good times to rejoice in the bad times, to rejoice in the times when we are called upon to do a task that we don’t want to do, to rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice. It has been said that joy is a flag that is flown from the heart of a Christian to show that the king is in residence. You and I are called upon in busy days of busy schedules to have the joy of the Lord in all things. And if you and I would want to resemble our heavenly Father, then when I see you persevering, when I see you standing firmly for the Lord, then you remind me of our heavenly Father.

And when you are united with one another in the bonds of Christian fellowship, then you remind me of our heavenly Father. And when you and I are filled with Christian joy, you remind me of our heavenly Father. Let’s all go and remind others of our heavenly Father. Our God and our Father, we ask that you would help us to go in the name of Jesus Christ. Help us to learn to stand and to persevere, Father, help us to be united one with another and help us to be full of Christian joy. And we know that all of this only comes through Jesus Christ, that we cannot manufacture these things.

But, Lord, your instruction to us is that we should stand fast in the Lord, that we should be united in the Lord, and that we should have joy in the Lord and Father, that as we would be joyful and united, and as we would stand, it would be an evidence to us that you are accomplishing your work in our lives, and we would give you all thanks and honour and glory, for we ask these things in Jesus name. Amen.

Thank you for listening to a firm foundation presented by Princeton Ministries. This programming is supported by you, the listener. You may go to our website, princetonministries.org, or send your donation to Princeton Ministries Post Office box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey 08543. That’s Princeton Ministries Post Office box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey 08543. The Lord bless you and Doctor Smith looks forward to hearing from.