Book of Philippians X

Tell you what, there are a lot of empty seats right up here, and there are a lot of empty seats right up here, and they don't bother you at all, but they bother me a whole lot. And I just, I really would like the folks that are way back there just to come on in and sort of fill in right here. Let's sort of cuddle up here, kid, and get together so I can, there you go, I really appreciate that, because I just want to talk to you, and I don't want to shout over empty chairs in order to do that. How many were here last Wednesday night? Pretty good, quite a few, getting settled in, I love it, thank you, appreciate that willingness to do that. How many of you who were here last Wednesday night remember what Jay talked about? That's a tough one, because they tell us that, you know, of a typical sermon, only 10% of the people remember about 10% of it, and it's hard. You go to a meeting, and you go away, and you say, oh, that was really good, and then the next week, you try to think of what was it, not only what was good about it, but what was it, and you can't remember. Who's going to help us? There's certainly part of it that you have to remember. Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, you get it? Remember, chariots of fire, now, oh, yes, now you remember, the race, the race, these trained athletes pressing for the mark. And now you're starting to remember the passage even, because it's a familiar verse in Philippians chapter 3 and We're gonna we're gonna just sort of follow that with the verses that come later. So open your Bible said Philippians chapter 3 You ever think about what the chariots of fire are in that movie? It's those men It's those men eager to win the race fast men pressing to win and That's a terrific image and It was a I I feel that it was a very powerful way for Jay to Set the stage last week now. I'm gonna really get hard on you and say what did Jay say after that? He talked about your mind several things about your mind four things Remember and it was from Philippians 3 verses 12 and 13 and 14 Remember he said it's important Your frame of mind is important if you're in this race and what's your frame of mind to be? Teachable somebody took notes terrific that somebody took notes. I Really think it's great when people take notes I I do have a question about what they do with the notes when they're done with them But I think it's great that you take them. I think it's also great if you would go back over them and and Refresh what you've heard. Okay, your frame of mind is important teach ability Paul says I don't say that I've learned all that I that I've attained all this I'm still learning after all these years of experience in the ministry Paul says so he had a teachable frame of mind Second it's important to be Single-minded now you found your notes. I love it Some people think their Bible is more of a filing cabinet than a book to be Studied and read but that's okay. Okay single-minded this one thing. I do Paul says in In verse 12, okay. No, excuse me in verse 13 Then Jay said last week the third thing. It's important to be Never minded that is never mind the past. I'm forgetting the past and I'm pressing on Paul says in in verse 14 and then Finally Jay said it's important to be Future-minded the goal have your eye on the goal and on the prize Which is the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Okay, and Then he did he did mention in passing he was focusing on verses 12 through 14 But he did then mention verse 15 the first phrase of it anyway and he said all of us who are mature should take such a view of things and I don't doubt at all. I Felt it was a good solid message and I don't doubt at all that there are some who who hear a message like that and The challenge is there because the Apostle Paul was that kind of a person He was that kind of a person who was not a spectator. He was a an intense Driving man and he knew what it was to press for the goal And so the metaphor is so appropriate for the Apostle Paul It happens also that the metaphor is very appropriate for our dear brother Jay Because he is he is that kind of person He's hard on himself and he presses himself and he wants to be fully engaged In anything that he does if it's working. He's fully engaged if it's playing he's fully engaged It's with his family. He's fully engaged. He wants to be that kind of person and It's an appropriate metaphor But then Paul says this this phrase in verse 15 all of us who are mature should take such a view of things and some Of us listen to that and we respond with resolve and we say boy. That is terrific I I receive that challenge and we go out of here and we say I really do Lord I want to be engaged in that race and I want to press for the mark because it's a kind of person that we are but I am convinced that a lot of us a Lot of you left here last Wednesday night Maybe with thoughts like Sort of like the Stoney's beer commercial, you know Wouldn't it be great if and this whole idea of a Christian who presses for the mark? Focused on the prize focused on the Savior The Christian who says this one thing I do that kind of attention to his spiritual walk with God Wouldn't it be great if I could be that kind of but that's not kind of the kind of person I am and and and it becomes really a whole lot not a whole lot more than a kind of a fantasy and We sit and we listen to the message and we and we say oh, wouldn't it be great if that was me? But I know deep in my heart. That's not me and maybe we do our best to look good and maybe we can thank Jay for a terrific message and we leave and We go home feeling if we're really honest with ourselves That's not really for me I'm much more like and that's okay for Jay. That's okay for the elders. I I know some Christians that that's okay for but that's not for me I'm just not cut out for that Or we go home and like a lot of you admitted never think about it again Or We say well the Paul said that was for the mature. I guess I'm not mature and I sort of don't fit or I'm not even sure what the goal is let alone press for it or Maybe something like this one thing I do take care of the kids No, and and somehow we read the verses and And all we do and we hear the message and all we do is end up sort of feeling guilty sort of feeling left out and we don't see ourselves in the race and We can't see that this is for us And here we are well Thank God The rest of the verses are here. The rest of the passage is here because Paul now under the direction of the Spirit of God Begins to express the great heart of God and he says this all of us who are mature should take such a view of things and If on some point you think differently the Revised version says in verse 15 if in anything you are otherwise minded God will reveal that also to you. Oh Wait a minute, maybe he's talking maybe he's talking to me. Maybe I do fit in this Because I know my mindset isn't this intense race I wish it was maybe someday it will be but that's not where I am right now and God reaches out in marvelous grace and he says Wait a minute This is what this is what the model is. This is what the metaphor is This is what I really would like to see you be like, but if you're not like that Paul has confidence that God's gonna show us in what way we're not like that God is gonna reach around us with his grace and he's gonna meet us right where we are and He's gonna gently but firmly and steadily Move us in the direction that we need to be moved Paul said had confidence in it. He says if on some point you think differently that too God will make clear to you Now this is grace You see if this wasn't here, then we'd only have the metaphor of this terrific race And I'm not a marathon runner and I'm left out. But no none of us is left out If any way we think differently God's gonna reveal that to us now When I say that this is grace We need to be we need to understand that we're not talking here when we say grace That doesn't mean indulgence. That doesn't mean that God is just doesn't care what we do And we just wander off and do whatever we want. That's not grace The goal is still the same The goal is still this high calling that we have in Christ Jesus as Sons and daughters of of the father. We have a high calling in Christ Jesus The goal is still the same But the fact is God is prepared to meet us right where we are In our struggle to move toward that goal And Paul has full confidence See God wants to let us know where we're off the track God wants to He wants to make it clear to us what we need in our lives in order that we might move toward that prize of understanding and walking in the high calling that he has for us in Christ and He's not up there Waiting for us to To blow it so that he can dump guilt on us I know a lot of a lot of Christians think that about God But that's not what he's like Paul is confident here that God is going to Communicate he's gonna let us know What it is we need that we might move towards this realizing the high calling of God Well, the question is how does he make it clear how does God communicate to us? How does God Let us know what we need in our walk that we might fulfill our high calling that we have in Christ How does he let us know? He lets us know Through his word any other ways Pardon me He speaks through the Holy Spirit in the in the quiet recesses of our hearts Any other ways? He lets us know through other believers They was a wise counsel We're we're brought into a body so that that body can be a vehicle of demonstration of the grace of God and communication of his heart to us So when another Christian comes alongside of you and Understands where you are and helps you in your way. That's God Communicating to you through that other believer He also communicates to us through circumstances Just the events of life that he lines up We can discern sometimes the the voice of God in that we need to be careful with that one because we can rationalize Circumstances a whole lot We also need to be careful if we just say God told me and it was the Holy Spirit and if that's not if that's not Validated by what he says in the word or validated by the counsel of the body Then you probably just had an idea or a thought and it wasn't the Holy Spirit at all This is that's another message but but we need to spend some time thinking about how you tell the difference between The voice of God in having an idea Because there is a difference and sometimes an idea is the voice of God and sometimes an idea isn't and We we get those confused But at any rate, how can we get to a place? Where we can hear him Look at verse 16 the next verse Paul is Taking us a step at a time here only let us live up to what we have already attained Whoo, what's that mean? First of all, we have to deal with what the word attained means. What's that mean? What does it mean to attain something Paul had already used it before he said not that I have already obtained all this but but What's it? What does attained mean? Have to tell you I wasn't sure What do you think it means David? David said what you've come into or taken possession of like a ladder That the place that to which you've grown in your grasp of the things of God I looked it up in the dictionary The dictionary says to attain is to come into possession of or to arrive at by growth So Paul says If in some point you think differently God's gonna make that clear to you only live up to what you have attained. Oh Now he's beginning to give us a clue as to how it is that God is going to make something clear to us If we are living up to what we have attained if we are actually Living at the level of our spiritual understanding We will be in a place where God can communicate to us and tell us how to move on from where we are now It seems that that would be a pretty logical reasonable thing But you know what There is a reason why Paul Has this little verse 16 in here only let us live up to what we've already attained And the reason is because it's very very easy for us to attain to things To come into an understanding of things and not live them simple things like the most elemental principles of the gospel Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so Jesus loves me How could a person not how could a person understand that and Not live up to what he understands I know lots of Christians who believe that Jesus loves them and they despise themselves You know that if? Jesus loves you Maybe you think you know you better than he does and you know that stuff that you don't like you look in the mirror and are dismayed at the way God made you and you haven't really accepted what you are and who you are and Sister brother You are not living up to what you've attained We all know that Jesus died for us that Calvary spells forgiveness and yet we walk around with loads of guilt on our backs and we don't want to let it go and We are not living up to what we've attained There is a there is a discrepancy between our our theology the things that we learn and In our real lives another thing he lets us know is that that his word is food for our souls That really our souls without the truth of God will shrivel and die We know that But we put ourselves By our own choices on a starvation diet And our souls are shriveled and dying Because we're not living up to what we've attained and it's no wonder that we have great difficulty in Understanding what it is. God wants to communicate to us. I want to I want to get out my little trusty Swiss army knife here. I Will let me make a warning here. This is this is an experiment for trained professionals only Do not practice this or try this in your home. Okay, I'm going to Get a couple of leaves over here. I don't know. I don't know who's in charge of the plants around here, but I'm I'm decimating them for the sake of an example here. Okay, I got two leaves here I'm better Put my trusty knife away or it will depart Okay, I got two leaves this one is a Happen to know this. This is a It's called a Chinese evergreen or a silver queen Okay, it's a very nice plant. It's a it's a reliable house plant needs a lot of light But it will they're very nice a very elegant plant this one happens pretty much garden variety Philodendron if I'm not mistaken This is one of the great weeds of the jungle and when you see them whacking their way through the jungle with the machete It's this stuff that they're cutting away. Only the stems are that big around. It's the same thing. Okay? now I Really appreciate The way this is done up here. I think it's terrific The fresh green is there and I appreciate the choices that they've made But I want to talk about these two leaves for a minute Here we have the silver queen the Chinese evergreen and here we have the philodendron There's a much more elegant plant than this one And we could compare these we could look at their their the structure of the veins in them and and We could look at their texture and their stems and everything make comparisons between the two. I'm not gonna drag this out But if we and we look at these we say this is an elegant one this is a sort of a plain ordinary one But if we were to bring into the room, maybe we have already in the room, I don't know a biologist or a botanist or a gardener and Had them come up here and look at these two leaves and compare them They would say immediately This one is a joke Why? this one is An artificial plant this one This one is a miracle This one is a live plant. It's real. They have to water those over there these These silver Queens these elegant numbers They just have to dust them off That's all and they stay fresh and green. Isn't that terrific? You know why this one's green Because it has been injected the plastic in it has been injected with green dye You know why this one's green. This one's green because of a one of the most amazing miracles of nature life flows up and down this stem and chlorophyll fills this leaf and When light hits it that chlorophyll turns green and it literally generates Food for this plant it turns light into nourishment it's a marvel and so the botanist would have great admiration and respect for this lowly philodendron leaf and Incredible scorn for this why because the botanist is into plant life Not into plant looks The botanist knows that if the plant is healthy, it will look good But the botanist is not the least concerned with a plant that looks good and you just have to dust it off Now caring for this one is a lot simpler Caring for this one is very messy But listen this one has Life and this is dead and I know lots of Christians Who look just like they are alive and all they need is a weekly dusting off and They look great and there is no life Flowing in them Paul says brothers and sisters Let us live up to what we have attained I have to say that being in a church like North Way Where we enjoy an expressive kind of worship service and Atmosphere here when we gather It is sometimes very easy To look like there's lots of life going on when all it is is just an injection of green dye and The life the green that appears that which appears to be life is not coming because it is nourished By roots it is not coming because it has the capacity to turn light into nourishment you realize that The Holy Spirit in us the life of God in us gives us the capacity to turn light Into nourishment and make us alive Alive as a as a marvelous miracle of nature life coursing on the inside And our great tendency is to attain a whole lot of stuff that we do not live up to And Paul says in verse 17 Join with others in Following my example brothers. See the example is still the same The prize is still that high calling of God in Christ Jesus that doesn't mean that unless you're regarded as a spiritual giant you're not on track not at all It just means what is the high calling of God in Christ Jesus? God has reached into a world of sinful Rebellious Blackened people and called out to himself Those who would respond to the gospel and he's made them sons and daughters of God and he has given them a high Calling what is the high calling to reflect the character and person of Jesus? Day by day, that's our high calling. That's what he wants us to live up to. That's what he wants us to press for He says join with others and following my example brothers and Take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you Now notice the stakes are high Because or for as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ Their destiny is Destruction their God is in is their stomach and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly earthly things But our citizenship is in heaven Now let me go back to this group of people or this category of people that Paul's talking about Is he talking it could he be possibly talking about people in the church? Or is he talking about people in the world? You know what? We don't know it's not clear here it could be either Is it possible that there could be people in the church who live as enemies of the cross of Christ Is it any wonder that Paul says I tell you with tears Their destiny is destruction Their God is their stomach. What's that mean? The most important thing to them is what am I gonna eat? What am I gonna? What am I gonna consume on myself? Their glory is in stuff that they ought to be ashamed of Now my purpose isn't to heap guilt on anybody tonight But I am saying brothers and sisters. We have a high calling in Christ Jesus Because you see our Citizenship is in heaven and we eagerly await a Savior from there the Lord Jesus Christ 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, but he wants to do a work in us. He wants to fashion his life and his character in us That's our high calling And our hearts and our minds need to be set on on our Citizenship, which is in heaven We need to see ourselves as so clearly different from the world Peculiar the King James says peculiar not oddball but different unique special God's own creations And he concludes the thought here actually chapter 4 starts verse 1 of chapter 4 belongs at the end of chapter 3 if you have a International version it puts it there where it belongs and Paul says therefore my brothers Whom I love and I long for my joy and my crown. That is how You should stand firm in the Lord. How is it that we should stand firm in the Lord Paul? By living up to what you've already Attained that's how Live up to what you've already attained now when I was talking about different kinds of examples of Not living up to what we had attained or I was trying to think of things that we might have attained That we wouldn't be living up to I made up this list as examples But what I want encourage you to do is think through your own life Think through what you believe think through your walk with the Lord and your relationships with other people and Examine your heart as to How where you really live stacks up To what you have attained Intellectually or theologically and where there is a discrepancy God will point that out to you it might be a small thing and you obey in that and You take a step and then if your heart remains open, he's gonna point out another thing And you take a small step of obedience there and another one there and as you begin to take those small steps what's happening God is meeting you right where you are and By his grace and by his life that's living in you That leaf that may have been withered and yellow Can begin to flush with green once more May it be so maybe so in me Maybe so in each of us that we will know what it is to live up to what we've already.