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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/brody-thibodeau/laying-hold-of-gods-purpose-for-me/
Let's turn now to the book of Philippians, please. Philippians chapter 3. We'll read beginning at verse number 12 for our purposes. Verse number 12 of Philippians chapter 3, where the Apostle Paul now says, "'Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I follow after.'".
The word there, just for the sake of time, the word is to press on. So the same idea in verse number 14, to press toward. He is saying, "'I am pressing after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth onto the things which are before, I press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded. And if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereunto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule.
Let us mind the same thing. Brethren, be followers together of me and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an example. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.
For our conversation is in heaven. From whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, and that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Now, I was very happy with the way that the ministry went this afternoon, but it's caused me to have to forsake part two of my First Timothy chapter one message. And in its place, I want to just encourage you with what we've read in Philippians chapter three.
What we have done here is we have broken into one of these prison epistles that Paul has written. We talked yesterday about the pastoral epistles that are categorized together, First Timothy, Second Timothy, and Titus, and their purpose and really the angle that Paul brings in presenting truth in those three epistles.
You will find in the prison epistles, which are Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon, you will find that there are very similar themes that run throughout them. But Philippians is unique among those prison epistles in that I believe Philippians was written to an assembly to help address behavior within that assembly.
If you are looking for epistles that will help us in directions as to how an assembly should function in a New Testament pattern, you would look to First Corinthians, right? You will find in First Corinthians as the apostle there is addressing error, he is actually laying down a foundation or a template upon which an assembly can function.
If you look in First Timothy, where we were yesterday, you will find he's not so much pointing out all of the error, although he highlights some, but he is laying a positive template for different functions and an assembly pattern.
And in Philippians, he is bringing before these people the importance of getting along well together so that gospel testimony may be strengthened and maintained in the community or in the assembly as it is a testimony in the community.
But this chapter that we have read together, or in this chapter that we have read together, we find I think Paul may be musing about his personal aspirations, about what he has for a goal in life. It is found in this passage where he takes up the idea of people who are earthly minded.
You see that, don't you? That's verse number 18. Many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping that they're the enemies of the cross of Christ. They mind earthly things. And when the cross of Christ is mentioned, there's a specific reason that he says they are enemies of the cross of Christ.
I believe when he says that their end is destruction, it means that they are not converted. But the fact that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, it means they are antagonistic and at odds with what that cross stands for.
And what the cross stands for is more than just a connection with the person of Christ. What the cross stands for is a separation between the believer and the world. And these men had no time for that which would separate them from the world.
In fact, they mind earthly things. And Paul says, but we should be different. Paul says our conversation, the idea there is not the idea of behavior as it is in chapter one in verse number 27, although it's the same word, that same word again has a semantic range and it could be that he's now telling them our citizenship, our place of politic is in heaven.
From whence also we look for the Savior who shall change our bodies of humiliation and fashion them like onto his body of glory. The power with which he has to subdue all things onto himself will eventually be the power that is used to change these vile bodies.
And Paul says, while those people are looking to the earth, we should be looking to heaven. We should be looking for the Savior. But the reason I read a little bit earlier is because it's really in light of the coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ that Paul states his aspirations.
He talks about pressing toward the mark of the prize of the high calling. Now, the high calling here is not the esteem of his calling in Christ. It's not talking about the loftiness of the calling that he has been called to.
It's really the word upward calling. And it's the rapture he has in view, I believe. He says, I am pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. So connected with the rapture, here's your homework from Cedar Falls Conference.
Connected with the rapture, you follow through now in the book of Philippians and you will find the day of Christ, the day of Christ and the rapture, the upward calling, and this when the Lord Jesus shall come and shall change our vile bodies.
And you will find that the book of Philippians is fixated on that coming day when the judgment seat of Christ will come, the day of Christ. And he's talking about that time. And Paul is saying, I am putting everything into this life, not because I am living for the here and now, but I am living with a view to that day in which there will be reward.
Now, I want to encourage you to look with a view to that day, because it is in this context that he states his aspiration in verse number 12. And he says, not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I press on, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ.
The Apostle Paul was a mighty man of God. We understand that. The Apostle Paul was used by God mightily. The Apostle Paul was a man who stood. He stood for truth and he stood for Christ. But even at this stage in his life, I would say this is his first imprisonment, perhaps even the Acts passage where he was in his own hired house and he was able to have people come in and go out, but still he was not at liberty to leave and he was under this house arrest, if you would.
But even at this stage in his life, he would say, I have a goal and the goal is that I may lay hold of the reason that God has laid hold of me. What he's saying is this. Now I'm speaking to younger believers and older believers.
What he is saying is I would love to be able to lay hold on and grasp completely the purpose for which I have been redeemed. The idea is to take possession and the word is the same in both cases. And he is saying, I would like to take full possession of the reason for which Christ has taken full possession of me.
Now I hope we all understand this is vital. God saved you for a purpose. And some of you are very, very gifted and talented people with natural abilities. There are mechanics here who are really, really good at what they do.
There are accountants here who are really, really good at what they do. There are doctors perhaps and there are farmers. And you are good at what you do and you work hard at it. That's the right thing to do.
And you are honest and you approach all of things with integrity. But let's remember, while that is a part of honest Christian godly living, there is a higher purpose for which God has saved you. God has saved you and has taken possession of you so that you will fulfill his purpose.
I'm going to tell you a little something here. This could be called the musings of an uneducated Prince Edward Islander. Three minutes. I am convinced that from the New Testament, there is a pattern laid out for New Testament assemblies.
When I was first saved and I studied these things and I read Mr. Crawford's book, I became convinced that what I would look for in the pattern of a New Testament assembly would be a place that had a plurality of overseers because that's what the Bible teaches.
I would look for a place that gathered together and broke bread the first day of every week because that's what the New Testament teaches. I would look for a place where the sisters had a head covering and the brothers had uncovered head in the assembly meetings because that's what the New Testament teaches.
And I would look for a lot of little things that are found in the scriptures that would outline a template for what a New Testament assembly should look like. And I would stop there. But I've been thinking and I've been reading the pattern for a New Testament assembly is never complete until everyone who is in that assembly is functioning in the capacity in which God would have them function.
Your New Testament assembly is not complete. If the shepherds are not shepherding, your New Testament assembly is not complete. If the teachers are not teaching the New Testament pattern is not fully a New Testament pattern if the evangelists are not evangelizing.
The New Testament assembly is only complete when you as an individual are fulfilling the role that God has for you in that assembly. And you may not be an evangelist but you have a role to fill. You may not be a teacher but you have a purpose and God has saved you to be his.
He's taken possession of you so that you will have function as a Christian. He's taken possession of you so that you will be near him in relationship. He's taken possession of you so that you will worship him in obedience.
He has taken possession of you so that you can have power over sin in your life. All of those things are true of every Christian. But he's taken possession of you so that you will be found within the template of the New Testament church functioning with your brethren, with your sisters.
And Paul says, I am just trying to apprehend. Let me read it for you. He said, I follow after, I'm pressing hard if that I may lay hold of that for which I have been laid hold of. So here's what I want to encourage you to do.
Set your mind on things above. Put your focus on that day, that day. Give your time to the things of God. Now we mentioned yesterday because I believe it to be absolutely scriptural. If you're going to be used by God for the purpose for which he has apprehended you, you're going to need to read the Bible and spend time with God.
Give your time to it, but also think of how you are supposed to function in the assembly. Brethren and sisters, our assemblies will only be preserved if there are men and women who care enough to actually do what God wants us to do.
Now that's not a dig at people who are not. That's an encouragement to these people who have so much potential right here in this room. Take a look at it with me one more time. Not as so I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I follow after, I press on if that I may lay hold of that for which I am also or also I am or have been laid hold of by Christ Jesus.