PHIL. 3: 15 – 21 NO

 In reality, it was only two weeks ago, … but for some of us it seems like 5 years due to my memory fade…  So I will spend a few minutes of review…  READ 3: 12-21

 IF ONLY I HAD TAKEN THAT BABY ASPIRIN …  IF ONLY I HAD NOT SOLD THAT PROPERTY…  IF ONLY I HAD NOT PURCHASED THAT STOCK…  I SHOULD HAVE NOT TAKEN THAT JOB…  I SHOULD HAVE NOT MARRIED THAT …. “ LOOKING BACK” IS GENERALLY ALL ABOUT REGRETS…

 TRYING TO ACHIEVE “RIGHTEOUSNESS” BY KEEPING EVERY “JOT AND TITTLE” OF THE LAW. EVEN GOING BEYOND THE LAW TO DEFEND IT AGAINST “UPSTARTS” (WHICH HE CONSIDERED FALSE RELIGIONS)… THAT MINIMIZED KEEPING THESE VERY SACRED RULES. UNTIL… THE DAMASCAS ROAD….

 He found that all this effort of keeping the law to obtain “righteousness” was of no value… in GOD’S eyes..  Rather, he found that upon salvation, GOD gave him as a gift, Christ’s RIGHTEOUSNESS, which is acceptable to GOD.  Lead by the HOLY SPIRIT, HE URGED OTHERS (PHILIPPIANS AND US) TO QUIT LOOKING BACK… BUT HAVE OUR FOCUS ON THE FUTURE.. To know CHRIST.

 “TO KNOW CHRIST, AND THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF SHARING IN HIS SUFFERING, BECOMING LIKE HIM IN HIS DEATH, AND SO, SOMEHOW, TO ATTAIN TO THE RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD.”  i.e. Independent of past decisions, past sins, past regrets, past and present circumstances ………  Remember 1 Tim. 1:15

 QUESTION: HAVE YOU EVER TRIED TO RECORD ON A DVD-BLUE RAY MACHINE… OR AN I-POD.. OR A TOTAL ELECTRONIC WASHING MACHINE (or some other complex electronic device)????  THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL IS ONLY 178 PAGES  DON’T YOU WISH THE MANUFACTURER WOULD HAVE JUST SENT A REP AND JUST “SHOW ME”?

 GOD DID JUST THAT…  HOW DOES THIS GOAL FLUSH OUT IN REAL LIFE….  PAUL SAYS: WATCH ME … I AM YOUR EXAMPLE … (AS I FOLLOW CHRIST)  THE ULTIMATE GOAL WILL NEVER BE REALIZED IN THIS LIFE (PERFECTIONISM…) BUT KEEP PRESSING ON.. (DON’T LOOK BACK ON YOUR LIFE/REGRETS)

 I think Paul had written to the Philippians before… (my opinion) this was not his first letter.. Or  49+ Galatians  51I Thess.  522 Thess.  55-56I & 2 Corinth  56 Romans  Ephesians and Colossians  61 Philippians  I Tim & Titus  Hebrews  672 Tim

 MANY HAVE TRIED TO ACHIEVE “PERFECTIONISM”  TESTIMONY  MONASTERIES  CONVENTS  LEGALISTIC PROTESTANTS  GOD USES THE “SHOW ME” APPROACH TO PURSUING THE CHRISTIAN GOAL

 IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO “ARRIVE” IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE, TO COME TO THE PLACE WHERE YOU NO LONGER SIN.  PARAPHRASE : “I have not yet become perfect like Christ. But it is my goal… even while on earth … to become like Christ, to become what he called me to be. As I said, I haven’t reached it, but I have one burning desire.. To be like Christ in every aspect of His life. I am not allowing my past life to drag me down. Rather, I am moving full speed ahead toward the goal. And in heaven, when Christ calls me home, I’ll receive the prize.. I’ll be like Christ: that is, completely conformed to His image.”amen

 Paul wrote this, while under “house arrest”.. With chains 24/7 to a Roman guard… could your circumstances be as bad?  SO, how does the Philippians believers (and us) follow this lofty goal ???  Follow my example.. As I follow Christ

 GOAL SETTING… (he identified the specific goal)  MOTIVATION…  PERSONAL ACTION …  BALANCE BETWEEN “DIVINE ENABLEMENT” AND “HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY”  PAUL NEVER COMMANDED OR DEMANDED OF THE ROMANS (12:2) “TO OFFER YOURSELVES AS LIVING SACRIFICES” … THIS WAS URGING, CALLING FOR HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY

 “ I URGE YOU TO LIVE A LIFE WORTHY OF THE CALLING YOU HAVE RECEIVED (4:1)  E.g.  “MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO KEEP THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT”.. “PUT OFF THE OLD SELF.. PUT ON THE NEW SELF”  PUT OFF FALSEHOOD, AND SPEAK TRUTHFULLY” … STEAL NO MORE…  WORK, DOING SOMETHING USEFUL…  GET RID OF ALL BITTERNESS, RAGE AND ANGER…  BE KIND AND COMPASSIONATE….

 DIVINE ENABLEMENT: “BE STRONG IN THE LORD, AND IN HIS MIGHTY POWER”  HOW DO WE TAP THIS POWER?  PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD

 “DON’T BE SATISIFIED WITH YOUR PRESENT LEVEL OF CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE EITHER.”  (“ALL OF US WHO ARE MATURE CHRISTIANS… SHOULD NEVER BE SATISFIED WITH “STATUS QUO””)  “mature”  Dr. McGee … orange trees  Baby … gue, gue, gue…

 “and if in some point, you think differently, that too God will make clear to you”  Paul stated it well in I Cor 10: 12 “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall”  Often those who “grew up” in a legalistic church environment … wrestle with the true “freedom in Christ” …

 Vs 16: “only let us live up to what we have already attained”  Paul seems to refer to what frequently goes along with “legalistic perfectionism”, or a “holier- than- thou” attitude  DON’T go to the opposite extreme and practice license rather than legalism.

 MANY WHO SEEM TO HAVE A HOLIER- THAN-THOU ATTITUDE, OFTEN ARE THE MOST DIVISIVE AND ARGUMENTATIVE…. THEY ARE OFTEN UNTEACHABLE, CONSEQUENTLY,  VIOLATE THE VERY TRUTH THEY PROPOUND, SO, “FOLLOW GOOD EXAMPLES OF CHRISTIAN BEHAVIOR”

 PAUL AGAIN WARNED AGAINST FALSE TEACHERS AND WORLDLY MINDED PEOPLE.  PAUL IDENTIFIES THESE PEOPLE WITH THREE CHARACTERISTICS…  1. THEIR GOD IS THEIR STOMACH (GLUTTONS)  2. THEIR GLORY IS THEIR SHAME.. (They gloried in immorality and sensual behavior)  3. THEIR MIND IS ON EARTHLY THINGS (They are materialistic in their philosophy of life)

 THIS YEARS THEME:  KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE THEME STOLEN FROM PAUL

 (GOAL) KEEP YOUR EYE ON KNOWING CHRIST  SOMEDAY: THE GOAL WILL BECOME THE PRIZE  OUR EYES WILL SEE THE PRIZE – CHRIST.

 “FOR OUR CITIZENSHIP IS IN HEAVEN, FROM WHICH ALSO WE EAGERLY WAIT OF A SAVIOR, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST…” (eagerly and patiently)  The church in the USA (and many Seminaries) (mostly) do NOT read this verse correctly. They say “for our citizen ship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait (for the tribulation) and then the appearing of the LORD JESUS CHRIST.”  IS THAT WHAT IT SAYS? THINK ABOUT IT.  ROM 8:23; I THESS 1:9-10; 5:1-9

 CHURCH HAS BEEN DELIVERED FROM JUDGMENT  BELIEVERS WILL NOT GO THROUGH THE TRIBULATION ANY MORE THAN ENOCH WENT THROUGH THE FLOOD.  Many churches maintain that the LORD can preserve the church through the Tribulation period. Yes, HE can…

 SO, PRESS-ON…(goal): TO KNOW CHRIST ….  PERSEVER

 1. WILL BE TAKEN OUT, AS HE SAYS TO THE CHURCH OF PHILADELPHIA “SINCE YOU HAVE KEPT MY COMMAND TO PERSEVER, I ALSO WILL KEEP YOU FROM THE HOUR OF TRIAL, WHICH IS GOING TO COME UPON ALL THE WORLD, TO TRY THEM THAT DWELL UPON THE EARTH (Rev. 3: 10)… ROM. 8:23; I THESS 1:9-10; I THESS 5:1-9  2. A GROUP OF 144,000 JEWS “SEALED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT” WHO WILL BE CHRISTS EVANGELISTS ON EARTH

“WHO BY THE POWER THAT ENABLES HIM TO BRING EVERYTHING UNDER HIS CONTROL, WILL TRANSFORM OUR LOWLY BODIES SO THAT THEY WILL BE LIKE HIS GLORIOUS BODY ” Question:  WILL OUR BODIES BE SUITED FOR HEAVEN OR EARTH?  WHAT DO YOU THINK PAUL MEANS BY OUR “LOWLY” BODY OR “BODY OF CORRUPTION”?

 I watched Fran’s mother slowly lose energy… slowly lose heart strength, slowly lose her kidney function, slowly lose her control of bowels, slowly lose her ability to breath….  It was a body of “weakness”… then death.  God says… When I come, I will transform your “weak” body to one like my “glorious” body…. (33 years old?)

 “Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump”. Also,  O Thess. 4:16 “For the LORD HIMSELF, SHALL DESCEND FROM HEAVEN WITH A SHOUT, WITH THE VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL, AND WITH THE TRUMP OF GOD.

 Rev. 1:10 “I was in the Spirit, on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet. And when he turned to see who was speaking, he saw the glorified Christ. It was HIS voice that John heard. There are no trumpets connected with the church.

 Exactly the same thought that John had: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God and doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is ” 1 John 3:2

 SO  PRESS ON TO KNOW CHRIST  PERSEVER

 WROTE A 20 QUESTION SELF- EVALUATION …..