Philippians 3:10-16 "Keep Walking with the Same Standard"

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Answering those questions hearing those questions thinking about those questions, and I I hope
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I know that that's something that Emily and I have really tried to do with Shepherd Especially with shepherding and with Owen is trying to go through those catechism questions
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So it's a it's a blessing to do that as a church with one another today. We're gonna be in Philippians chapter 3
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We're gonna be in verses 10 through 16, so please start making your way there today
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Philippians chapter 3 Verses 10 through 16 for this morning
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As you are turning there, I will lift up just this message in a word of purse. Let us pray
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Lord God I again just want to echo all those petitions Lord you you know Our desires our requests our praises
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Lord So God continue to be worshipped in those things continue to have your will be done in those things
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Lord God right now as we Approach your text Lord. Let us do this with reverence with a good conscience with a
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Ready to understand your word attitude. Let us be made ready for these things
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Lord Prepare our eyes our ears our minds for what is here for us
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Lord God be glorified in the reading of your word today, and we ask this in your name Amen Philippians chapter 3 verses 10 through 16 let's read through this
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That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings
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Being conformed to his death in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead
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Not that I've already obtained it or have already become perfect But I press on so that I may lay hold of that which also
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I was laid hold of by Jesus Christ Brothers, I do not consider myself as having laid hold of it yet But one thing
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I do for getting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead. I press on Toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus Let us therefore as many as are perfect think this way and if in anything you think differently
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God will reveal that also to you However, let us keep walking in the same standard to which we have obtained
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This is the word of God let us pray over it Lord God, I thank you just for the the wonderfulness that it is to read your word
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God as this text has reminded us as Paul himself has said and spoken in this in this word here and an encouragement to This church that he wrote these things
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Lord let us to press on Lord, let us forget what lies behind Seeking that which lies ahead
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Let us press on towards the goal of the upward call of you Lord God let us think these ways
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Let us shape our lives in this way and let us be conformed and find fellowship in your sufferings conformed to even your death
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God I would ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ The one who did suffer for us the one who did die for us and the one who did rise again
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And we say this in your name Jesus Christ Amen Philippians chapter 3 verse 10 through 16.
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This is Only proper this I will be just completely straightforward and just say this right out of the gate
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If you were to hyper focus on these verses without reading its context You could make a lot of very very bad application in life
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This is a text that many cults many false religions and when I say false religions
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I mean religions that have a improper works -based salvation. They would go to something like this and say look
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Baptism tithe all these things are necessary. You have to do X Y & Z things in order to have salvation
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They would look at this text and they say look Paul says that that that That he presses on towards the goal that he is going he's doing these things
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And if that's that's how he has this salvation is by him doing X Y & Z things. That is an improper
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Position an improper understanding of this text. Why? Why is that an improper understanding of this text?
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It comes right after he says All the things that I have considered that might be gained all these things that are that are proper in the
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Old Testament being born of the nation of Israel being Circumcised on the eighth day all these works are nothing but dumb
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He says that I consider them all a loss in the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus so anchored upon that truth anchored upon the truth that in order for us to have salvation and and us to Have the ultimate
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Greatest thing and that is the knowledge of who Jesus Christ is us anchored on that truth having a relationship with Jesus Is how we have to approach this text because that's how
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Paul is writing this text We have to we have to know that so let me first read verses 7 through 8 to remind us of this
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But whatever things were gained to me those things I have counted it as a loss for the sake of Christ more than that I count all things to be a loss because of the surpassing value of knowing
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Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but Dumb rubbish fecal matter so that I may gain
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Christ and be found in him not having a righteousness Which is of my own which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness which is from God upon faith
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You could see how if somebody just looked at the verses after Those that we just read how somebody could come up with some really really bad theology, right?
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But we know that Paul himself is saying I there's nothing in me. There's nothing that I've done that has ever secured obtained reckoned
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Righteousness, there's nothing that's inside of me that has ever done that it's only through faith in Christ that I have been covered in the righteousness of Christ Knowing that we have to approach this text also notice to Paul is writing this to the
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Church of Philippi and the context again is so so so important Because he himself is in prison right now
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So when he's talking about pressing on is that him pressing on and prosperity or him pressing on and suffering?
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It's pressing on and suffering. It's pressing on in the current situation that he's in right We could flip this script to and think and have a wrong understanding of this that pressing on only means that you're gonna have a
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Betterment in your life over and over and over again. That's not what Paul's saying in here. He's saying I press on Tomorrow if it's another lashing
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I press on tomorrow if I have a broken bone I press on tomorrow if I don't get fed I press on It's not something that is good in the physical sense to Paul to press on so so remember that in the context when we read
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These things so let us look here at verse 10 That I may know him so again this comes right after saying the righteousness
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Which is from God upon faith that I may know him now this is so Important I think for us to recognize this
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That we as the sheep of God know our shepherd and not only that but our shepherd knows his sheep
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He knows us we know him and it's this personal relationship that we have with Christ Jesus Matthew chapter 7 it's a verse that I quote very often because I think it's so important for us to remember
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Matthew chapter 27 verse 22 through 23 says this many will say to me on that day
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Lord Lord who in here thinks Jesus Christ is Lord. I hope all of us raise our hand, right?
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There are going to be people on the last day that call out to him as Lord, and they say did we not
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Prophesy in your name and did we not cast out demons in your name and in your name did we not do many mighty miracles?
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There's people that are gonna say look at what I did Lord Jesus, and this is how
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I'm saved look at this Lord and Listen to what
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Christ says to them, and then I will declare to them depart from me you workers of iniquity
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I never knew you That's why it's so important that when we see this that Paul in here says that I may know him
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It's not just a calling out to him to what he who he is It's that you have an actual relationship an actual true understanding an actual true faith an actual true reliance upon the rock
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Jesus But that's where you have built your state that it's been there upon Jesus Christ himself the chief cornerstone
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Did you know him that you love him that you seek him so he says that that I may know him here in verse 10
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I may know him. It's this this intimate knowing of Christ Jesus. Not just this mere superficial understanding of who
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Jesus is but a knowing of him I I Use this often and especially when my sons are with me, and I'm doing evangelism
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Especially if I'm talking to even somebody that I know on a personal level if I said that I have a wonderful son named
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Shepherd And he's seven feet tall He's got real long red red dreadlocks.
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Maybe that's what I say that I describe him as I Call him Shepherd Do you think
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I really know my own son if I'm saying that he's standing next to me? He's actually only three and a half feet tall and he's got blonde hair very short blonde hair and blue eyes
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Do you do you think I actually know who my son is if I'm describing him incorrectly? No, I don't
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I have an under misunderstanding I don't have a true relationship with my son to be able to speak about who my son is
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And so here is Paul. He's saying I know him and not only do I know him, but I know the power of his resurrection
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Why is that so important that Paul is saying that right here in this text is
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Paul Knowing they're guaranteed of life tomorrow No, he's not he says in chapter 1 verse 20 if I live it's
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Christ, and if I die it's games He's not guaranteed what tomorrow will bring so he's saying I know the power of the resurrection
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Romans chapter 4 verse 25 it says he who was delivered over on account of our Transgression was raised on account of our justification
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I Know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering
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Brothers and sisters. What is something that is in our life today that we think is a great thing to overcome
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I remember when I was growing up. I always thought it was so cool to hear about people climbing Mount Everest, right?
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I looked up a crazy number last night on on how many people climb Mount Everest It said that recorded it's been over 6 ,000 people right
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What a great triumph what a great victory right how many people of those individuals died? They there's many that are dead today that are in the grave.
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How many people have been on the moon? twelve How many people are still alive today?
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four we take the great triumphs in life or whatever it is and we think about them and What ultimately what's still the great enemy that people still can't overcome
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Death We think that here we have these great victories that men overcome and overcome and overcome
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But yet they still die. They still have a great enemy That's against them and Paul's saying that the power of the resurrection.
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What what does that mean? Did Christ climb Mount Everest for us? He rose from the grave for us
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He did something that no one else has done no one else could do and that is he defeated death itself
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He knows the power of the resurrection He knows that he will to one day experience this resurrection and stand glorified just as Christ Jesus is
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Imagine when when Christ was there in the grave He was being held captive to the bonds of death that if you were to stop on day two
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You would look and you would say death one day two of Christ's Crucifixion you would look at death and you'd say it appears death one
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Day three comes around morning breaks tomb is rolled away. Who won?
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Who is the victor on day three? Jesus is power of his resurrection
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What does this mean for us what does this mean for Paul even in his day the ultimate enemy is death
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What about the lesser enemies in life? scoffing Temptation addiction disease turmoil heartbreak and so on all of these things are overcome by the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ Is not those things the lesser enemy than death itself
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Yeah, they are but yet Christ has beat the ultimate enemy death itself We are to rely on the power of the resurrection we're to rely on Jesus Christ rising again from the grave
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Now listen to this He also goes on to say in the in the power of the resurrection He makes and he makes note of this and he says and the fellowship of his sufferings
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Fellowship, this is an interesting thing for us to think about How many times do we think fellowship is just this really sweet thing?
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It's only always good always no matter what It's Paul saying he has fellowship in good things right now says
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I have fellowship in the sufferings I Have fellowship in the whippings and the lashings and the going hungry the chains themself
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I have fellowship in these things. Why why does he say that he has fellowship in these things and If children also heirs heirs of God and fellow heirs of with Christ if indeed we suffer with him
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So that we may also be glorified with Paul is recognizing that the very things that he is suffering today in the day that he's living is
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Making him actually just more and more like Christ himself Did Christ suffer for us
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Yeah, is Paul suffering for Christ? Yeah, the fellowship of his sufferings
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Christ suffered for me Who am I does not suffer for him? I?
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Fellowship with Christ in these ways I was totally taken back when I saw this because think about this today in our in in in the 2023 the year that we are in right now.
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I Feel like there isn't a week that goes by that I'll go and knock on someone's door or talk to somebody at the grocery store or something along those lines and they say
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I don't go to church because somebody did something or something happened or this took place and It's ah, man.
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I just can't suffer for even even a minute small amount of time and these totally
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Ridiculous things that to try to forsake the fellowship that forsake the assembly to God Listen to this church
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Could you imagine Getting a splinter in your fingernail something that causes pain and complaining about it in front of Paul in this text
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Right would Paul laugh at you? What happens if you said I got a finger in a splinter in my finger now,
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I can't go to church tomorrow what he rebuke you Yeah Imagine taking those silly things and Before men that have been refined women even that have been refined in the furnace of God like Job Paul Daniel Peter John even
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Jim Elliot Justin Martyr Stephan Dietrich Bonhoeffer John Huss or even our beloved
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Zach and Lizzie cast could you imagine taking your complaints of the days today of your life in the year of 2023 and Wallowing then in them even before the feet of Jesus Christ thereupon the cross
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Paul is saying I rejoice over this suffering. I rejoice over it
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Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I rejoice over this Paul I rejoice over this
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John the Apostle. I rejoice over the sufferings Why why do
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I rejoice because I'm becoming more and more like Christ because Christ himself
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Suffered I'm being conformed more and more every day to his image. I typically in those conversations when
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I when I'm at the grocery store or anything along those lines and they say I can't go to church Because of these these things or whatever it is.
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I Typically try to remind them about who God is God is infinite.
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He's holy. He's perfect And yet he suffered for you in your place
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You're telling me that you can't worship him on Sunday because of a splinter in your fingernail or whatever the example is the fellowship of his sufferings and Paul is even saying that he's even rejoicing over the reality that I'm being conformed to his
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Death and we all know that all the Apostles suffered in such a way that they died very similarly to Christ Jesus himself
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Did they do this Wallowing and mourning or were do they doing this with rejoicing that they were going to meet
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Christ They did this with rejoicing in the sufferings of Christ being conformed to his death
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In order so this is what then Paul says in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead
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Paul is presenting a type of living faith Not a dead one, but a living true faith that carries him through not only to through suffering not only through death
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But one that will eventually bring him to Christ Jesus on a day where he will see him Physically again in a resurrected glorified state and brothers and sisters that day has not come yet.
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I Hope today you say I press on so I may attain from resurrection that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead
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Just as Paul himself is presenting to us in this text Verse 12 and 14.
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It says not that I have obtained it already Or I have already become perfect But I press on so that I may lay hold of that which is also laid hold of by Christ Jesus Press on I haven't obtained it already, but I press on What what is he speaking about right now
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We understand that the resurrection is going to be a wonderful thing right that it's going to be when things are made anew that there's a separation that takes places of sheep and goat and Those that are his those that are his sheep will come into Christ's kingdom in a way
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That there will be no more suffering and no more mourning no more pain those things have been done away with Paul saying in this text
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I press on to that Press on to that Brothers I Do not consider myself as laying hold of it yet But one thing
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I do forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead What is this?
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Mean in this text. What does this look like in this text for us? Is Paul saying that he's forgetting his suffering that he's in right now
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There's two there's two things of lines of thinking I think in some sense both things could be said to be true in this
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So when it says forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead is
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Paul talking about? His resume that he spoke of in verses 1 through 5
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With how I'm a Hebrew of the Hebrews is that what he's saying? I forget that and I'm pressing on in Christ Jesus to what lies ahead
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That's a possibility of what he's saying I forget about or it could also be said He's forgetting about what he's suffering.
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He's going through right now what persecution he's had today Yesterday and he's seeking what is ahead of him both could be said to be true, right?
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It's hard to know exactly what he's referencing in this text But he says that he's forgetting what lies behind him and he's reaching forward to what lies ahead this is coming from a man who's in prison again a man that coming to Christ has not given him a
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Physical wonder a Physical betterment I keep on referencing that and I think it's so important for us to remind ourselves about this
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What has Paul gained in this? There's surpassing value of knowing
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Christ Jesus something that's far better Far more prosperous than any wealth that could ever be given to us, right?
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So don't let me downplay that but in the physical sense Paul has not been given anything in the physical sense
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He's been given the lashings and prison and chains. He's bearing the brand marks of Christ Jesus on his body himself
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And he's saying I forget what lies behind me to reach to that which is ahead of me What was talked about here in verse or chapter 2 verse 22 it says but you know of his proven worth
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Brothers and sisters, this is This is something that I've seen in my life, especially
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When I first became a Christian there's a gentleman that I still think about daily That he had all the fruits of righteousness out of the gate
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But as time went on his proven character wasn't there's proven worth wasn't there. He ended up leaving the faith
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Day one it appeared that he had faith day two. It appeared he had faith day three.
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It appeared he had faith Because somebody that doesn't press on someone that does fall away from the faith
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Do you see them falling away on day one day two or day three? most likely not
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You typically see them fall away on day 725 You see them as time goes on the proven character that's spoken about in the text is not there that actually was not ever of Faith that they had listen to this
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John 1st John 2 18 through 19 It says children it is the last hour and if just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming
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Even now many antichrists have appeared for this. We know that it is last hour. They went out from us
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This is talking about people that in the very first century bore fruit. It looked like they were in the faith
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They went out from us, but they were not really of us for if they were of us They would have remained with us, but they went out so that it would be manifest that they are not of us
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When it says here in Philippians 3 verse 13, I forget what's been behind me and I press on to what's ahead of me what is this that is painting for us in this picture a
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Christian who's been saved by faith who is continually living a life full of faith
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Now this doesn't mean that that the Christian won't fall or won't won't have issues here
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There won't have stumbling blocks won't have bumps in the road. But what is the difference on this?
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It's a Christian that continues in the faith. He continues to go to worship God. He continues to see these things before him
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It's a living faith that's being presented for us in this text Verse 14
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I press on I press on What is he pressing on again?
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What is what is he living in right now? He's living in filth. I press on I live on I'm going to keep on in this in this state that I'm in I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus a
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Christian one that has been born again one that has faith in Christ Hardship will not stop them from seeking
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God Loss will not stop them from crying to our God But all these things over those 725 days as time goes on You will look at those
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Christians and you will see that they have a proven worth that they actually have been this whole time
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Seeking the upward call of God in Christ Jesus That We even see this when
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Paul becomes Saul and he goes before other people and they're confused and they're mad that he's there that this Is Saul he took he persecuted us
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Do you think that they say that about Paul anymore No All of Christendom in that day looked and saw
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Paul as a man who had proven worth I Press on and then he says let us therefore as many as are perfect think this way
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And if anything you think differently God will reveal it also to you
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So he's saying that every Christian so brothers and sisters every Christian has to have this type of thinking about ourselves
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Let us therefore as many as are perfect are any of us perfect No, all right.
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None of us are perfect, right but each one of us I Can do this myself, too Can any of us in this room think of a
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Christian that appears to be fully sanctified that we just think man that there's a Certain glow to that Christian right there.
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It appears that they have everything correct Right there. It looks like it appears like they are
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Just as you might see a pregnant woman you say that it she has a glow to herself You look at a Christian be like man that just appears to be what a
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Christian looks like, right? We all can think of those individuals those people that are in our mind
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But listen to what this text says If there's any that think that they're perfect in this way
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And if there's anything that you think differently God will reveal it to you also However, let us keep walking in step with the same standard to which we have obtained
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Let us keep walking in the same step with the same standard to which we have obtained
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What is the standard what's the same standard the same rule that we have obtained? Paul saying that the the life that he's living today the life that is in prison
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It's he's living it by the same standard from the day that he was called from Saul to Paul The day of his conversion the very same day that he was called he's living the same standard.
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What is that standard? Ephesians chapter 2 verses 1 through 5 and you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you formally walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air of The spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience
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Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh indulging the desires of The flesh and of the mind and were by nature children of wrath
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Even as the rest but God being rich in his mercy because of his great love which he loved us
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Even when we were dead in our transgressions Made us alive together with Christ by grace.
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You have been saved Even the Christian that has this glow to themselves even the
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Christian They too need to be reminded that the life that they live is only lived because Christ lives in them
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They don't have this glow to them because of their own righteousness But because they have sought the fellowship that is in Christ Jesus They have this glow to them not because they are good because what does that text say right there it says that they are dead
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This glow that is to them apparently is not actually a glow that is in and of themselves It's that in and of themselves.
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There's only a stench of rotten decaying flesh It's a child of wrath an individual that is dead in their sins
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So, how are we to live how do we live in this life? Turn with me to Galatians chapter 2
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Galatians chapter 2 Verse 20 this again is
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Paul writing this on prison Galatians chapter 2 verse 20
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I Have been crucified with Christ And it's no longer
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I who live but Christ lives in me And the life which
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I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me.
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I Do not set aside the grace of God for if righteousness comes through the law then
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Christ died Needlessly, what is the same standard that we are first called in that we are to continue to live in?
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That we're saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and it's according to God's Word alone
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We come to this conclusion from God's Word How do we press on how do we press on how do we go towards that upward call of Christ in The upward call of God in Christ Jesus, how do we do this?
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We live a life Recognizing that it is no longer I who live but it is
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Christ who lives in It's not through a supposed righteousness
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It's not through the supposed actions that you yourself do but it is that Christ himself is living in you
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Why do I say that because the same standard that was first that we were first called in according to Philippians chapter 3
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Were you first called because of your obedience to the law? Were you first called because you did good works were you first called because of your righteousness
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No The first standard that you were called to is that Christ Jesus is the only one that has lived a perfect life
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He was the one that died in your place. He was the one that buried and rose again The things that we go through today should be seen as fellowship in his suffering
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We should be focusing on being conformed to his death. We should have a boldness about ourselves just as Paul himself
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That's the same standard that we are to be called to today. Let us pray Lord God, I thank you for this text
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Lord God. I would ask that you would be glorified as we leave here today Continually thinking about these things
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Lord God, let us remember The proven worth that we could look to another
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Christian as having is not a proven worth in them Doing their own righteous deeds, but it is because they have a living faith in what you have done for us
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God let us remember that the standard that we have been called to today is to live in you and you to live in us
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Lord So God, I would ask that we would press on in life in these ways.
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I Would ask that you would be with everyone in our church Lord God that you would continue to raise your bride here at Valley Baptist Lord that that we would be a buttress of your truth that it would be a
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Fortress Lord that it would be a place that your word would go out of Lord Let us be encouraged in these things day
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Lord if we are suffering today Let us remember that it is suffering a fellowship in the sufferings of you
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Lord So God let us be encouraged in these things. Let us do your will in these things
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Let us be obedient these things to glorify you in your name. We ask these things in your name Jesus Christ Brothers and sisters, please stand as we sing our final song also there will be
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I forgot to mention this in announcements I believe there's gonna be a short little VBS Meeting today, right?