An Advancing Gospel Community: Craves Christlikeness (Philippians 3:12-21)

[00:00:05] Thank you for listening to the Calvary Monterey Podcast. To learn more about our church, please visit calvary.com. And for additional resources from our lead pastor, Nate Holdridge, please visit nateholdridge.com. Teaching today is our lead pastor, Nate Holdridge.

[00:00:24] Nate Holdridge All right. Good morning, church. I love how Janine said we're wanting you to serve in the kids' ministry because it's for you, but we actually do want that from you as well.

[00:00:39] Nate Holdridge Thank you. All right. Today, we're in Philippians chapter three. We're moving through the book of Philippians powerful little epistle from Paul, the apostle.

[00:00:49] Nate Holdridge And today we're in Philippians three verse 12 to 21. If you guys would turn there in your Bibles and just to remind you the theme that we've been thinking of as we've been looking at the book of Philippians is not just joy or rejoicing, but we've been thinking about

[00:01:07] it from the angle of here's Paul writing from a prison cell, most likely in Rome, thinking about what the city of Philippi and that region needs more than anything from the Philippian church.

[00:01:23] Nate Holdridge And what he thinks that they need is for the Philippian church to really become an advancing gospel community, but they were in danger, it seems, of focusing inward arguments within the church disunity.

[00:01:39] Nate Holdridge And so he's urging them towards unity and Christ likeness so that they can become the advancing gospel community that the city of Philippi needed them to be.

[00:01:50] Nate Holdridge So that's kind of the context of this letter. And today we're going to think about how an advancing gospel community craves Christ likeness.

[00:01:58] Nate Holdridge So let's read the passage together, verse 12, all the way through verse 21.

[00:02:02] Nate Holdridge Paul writing said, not that I have already obtained this or I'm already perfect, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

[00:02:14] Nate Holdridge Brothers, verse 13, I do not consider that I have made it my own, but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

[00:02:27] I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

[00:02:33] Nate Holdridge Let those who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.

[00:02:43] Nate Holdridge Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

[00:02:47] Nate Holdridge Brothers, verse 17, join in imitating me.

[00:02:52] Nate Holdridge And keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us, for many of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.

[00:03:07] Their end is destruction. Their God is their belly, and they glory in their shame with mindset on earthly things.

[00:03:15] Nate Holdridge But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

[00:03:35] All right, let's pray together for our time in this passage.

[00:03:38] Nate Holdridge Lord, thank you for your word. We come to you today.

[00:03:42] We've worshipped you in song. We've worshipped you in giving, and now we want to worship you in opening our lives up to your word.

[00:03:52] Lord, we want to be directed by you, led by you, shaped by you.

[00:03:56] The very mentality that we discover in all the biblical texts, but especially here today in this one, we want it to become our mentality, Lord.

[00:04:05] And so by the power of your spirit who knows and searches the deep things of God, would you explain the deep things of God to us as we look into your holy word?

[00:04:16] We thank you, Lord. We praise you. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen.

[00:04:25] Hers was a special case.

[00:04:30] For 12 long years, she had privately suffered from a draining and debilitating malady.

[00:04:40] Chronic uterine bleeding, terrible in any era, was especially painful in hers, as it kept her from two great first century blessings.

[00:04:52] Her sickness kept her from bearing children, from growing a family, from being a mother, but it also kept her out of the temple as it made her ritually unclean.

[00:05:04] As those 12 years of her life passed, the Bible tells us this woman suffered much at the hands of the medical community and the ill-informed views of their time,

[00:05:17] throwing herself into poverty to chase healing at any cost.

[00:05:23] But healing never came.

[00:05:25] At the pinnacle of her despair, she started to hear whispers of a man named Jesus.

[00:05:31] He was at work in the Galilee and apparently had a healing ministry.

[00:05:37] He was changing people, people afflicted with demons, diseases, and disabilities.

[00:05:42] And her hope began to rise.

[00:05:45] As story after story and testimony after testimony spread throughout Galilee and into her ears,

[00:05:52] she started to wonder if he was the great physician who could finally heal her.

[00:05:58] And somehow a message began to well up within her, a message she preached, however hesitantly, to her own heart.

[00:06:05] If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.

[00:06:11] One day, she heard that Jesus was in her region, crossing the waters on his way to her shores.

[00:06:18] She was not the only one who heard, but as a great crowd pressed against him, she would not be deterred.

[00:06:27] Slowly, steadily, she picked her way through the congregation until she arrived at her deliverer.

[00:06:35] Anonymously, she reached out to her hand to touch his garment.

[00:06:39] And when she did, she could feel her body heal.

[00:06:43] She was changed.

[00:06:46] Jesus, having felt divine power released from him, began to ask who had touched him.

[00:06:52] The crowd was pressing against him.

[00:06:54] Hundreds had touched him.

[00:06:56] So his disciples challenged his question.

[00:06:59] But as Jesus looked around and waited for a reply, the woman realized her story was not hers alone.

[00:07:08] So she came forward and told him the entire tale.

[00:07:12] With love, Jesus replied,

[00:07:15] Daughter, your faith has made you well.

[00:07:18] Go in peace and be healed of your disease.

[00:07:23] I wanted to begin our time in Philippians chapter 3, verse 12 to 21 with that story from Mark and Luke's gospel

[00:07:33] about the woman healed of her issue or flow of blood that she had chronically for 12 years.

[00:07:40] I wanted to begin with that story because to me, it encapsulates the mood of Philippians 3, verse 12,

[00:07:48] all the way through verse 21.

[00:07:50] Because in this passage, what Paul is depicting is from himself and hoping for the congregation

[00:07:58] that there would be a hunger, a craving, an unstoppable desire, an itch that can only be fulfilled in Jesus.

[00:08:11] In pursuing, prioritizing, focusing on gaining or attaining increased Christ-likeness within our lives.

[00:08:24] Paul, in our passage today, we've already read it, but we're going to see that he depicts himself that way.

[00:08:31] I've not attained it, he'll say, but I want to attain it.

[00:08:35] And it is the focus of my life.

[00:08:38] It's the goal, the upward call that I am looking for and longing for to become like Jesus.

[00:08:46] And he will tell us this is not just an apostolic attitude.

[00:08:52] You know, those real holy people who write books of the Bible, they might want Christ-likeness.

[00:08:58] But us mere mortals, we leave that business alone.

[00:09:01] No, Paul is going to tell us that anyone who's mature as a Christian should think this way, will think this way.

[00:09:09] In fact, he's so confident of this that he says,

[00:09:12] and if you're not convinced, I trust that the Spirit of God is going to reveal this to you.

[00:09:18] So Paul is embodying a pursuit of Christ-likeness, and he's promoting a pursuit of Christ-likeness for the church there in Philippi.

[00:09:31] Now, why is this important?

[00:09:33] Well, Paul is thinking about the church in Philippi.

[00:09:35] He wants them to be an advancing gospel community, not just for their sake, but so that they can be a blessing to the community that they live in.

[00:09:42] So in other words, the citizens in Philippi needed the Philippian church to become more like Jesus,

[00:09:50] to become little Jesuses, if you will, bringing the love of God to a broken and fallen world.

[00:09:58] And so Paul is promoting this craving of Christ-likeness within us.

[00:10:07] So today, in this passage, I just want to ask a couple of questions of this text.

[00:10:13] And really, all it is, is the big question,

[00:10:17] what are the attitudes befitting a community that craves Christ-likeness?

[00:10:24] What does it look like for a group of people to say, we want to be like Jesus?

[00:10:30] All right, what does that craving look like?

[00:10:33] So I'm going to talk to you about three confessions, I think, that flow from this text.

[00:10:38] And the first confession is this.

[00:10:40] Number one, an advancing gospel community that craves Christ-likeness,

[00:10:46] they confess, we want to apprehend it.

[00:10:51] We want to apprehend Christ-likeness.

[00:10:56] Now, this is a little bit of a side B of our teaching that we looked at last week,

[00:11:00] because in Philippians 3, verse 1 through 11, Paul talked about authentic Christianity,

[00:11:05] what that looks like, what it feels like, what it isn't, what it is.

[00:11:09] And at the end of that passage, he announced,

[00:11:12] I want to partake of the resurrection life of Jesus.

[00:11:18] And when he said that, he wasn't just talking about a time in the distant future

[00:11:21] when he would die or when Christ would return and he would receive his resurrected body.

[00:11:25] What he was saying was, I want to partake of newness of life right now.

[00:11:30] I want to be changed and transformed right now.

[00:11:32] I want to experience the power of Jesus working in my life,

[00:11:35] changing and transforming me right now.

[00:11:37] How many of you would say, I agree with that?

[00:11:38] I want that.

[00:11:39] I'd like to see the Lord changing me, shaping me, molding me.

[00:11:43] But then secondly, Paul also was quick to say,

[00:11:46] and so also I want to partake of the sufferings of Christ.

[00:11:51] He understood that for the resurrection power of Jesus to be flowing in his life,

[00:11:57] there would need to be, at least in some way,

[00:11:59] an emulation of the sacrificial love and death of Jesus.

[00:12:05] Paul knew, I need to take up my cross and follow after my Lord, follow after Jesus.

[00:12:14] So that's where we left Paul, you know, saying,

[00:12:17] I want the resurrection power of Christ.

[00:12:19] I will want as well the suffering or the fellowship of the sufferings of Jesus,

[00:12:25] to know him in that beautiful kind of way that only comes through pain or difficulty.

[00:12:31] But here in our text today, Paul is sure to quickly tell all of us,

[00:12:37] but I'm not there yet.

[00:12:39] Notice what he says in verse 12.

[00:12:42] He says, I've not already obtained to that.

[00:12:45] I don't already look like Jesus.

[00:12:48] It still hasn't fully happened in my life.

[00:12:52] In fact, he even uses the phrase, I'm not already, he says in verse 12,

[00:12:56] I'm not already perfect.

[00:12:58] Now, when we read that, we chuckle a little bit.

[00:13:01] We scoff a little bit.

[00:13:03] You know, there's a little bit of like, you know, who lives, right?

[00:13:06] You know, no one's ever perfect.

[00:13:07] That's Jesus alone.

[00:13:09] Sometimes we do that with phrases like that in scripture.

[00:13:12] Like when Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, we call it the greatest sermon ever.

[00:13:18] At the end of the first movement of that sermon, after recounting the law and appropriate relationship with it,

[00:13:25] he says, you therefore be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.

[00:13:30] We read that and we're like, I mean, come on, Jesus.

[00:13:34] Like, that's not going to happen.

[00:13:36] You know it.

[00:13:37] I know it.

[00:13:37] Like, who are we kidding?

[00:13:39] You know, kind of thing.

[00:13:40] And I understand that perspective.

[00:13:42] It's actually right for us to think that way because it is true.

[00:13:47] On this side of eternity, none of us will attain to sinless perfection.

[00:13:51] In our operation and the way that we are and all of that,

[00:13:54] the church has already had to endure enough holiness movements in its history

[00:13:59] filled with false teachers saying things like,

[00:14:02] you can and will or should be perfect on this side of eternity.

[00:14:07] And I found that if you look at what they said and did and taught,

[00:14:10] they lowered the bar to describe what holiness actually looks like.

[00:14:15] And they created these hyper-legalistic communities.

[00:14:18] But when Paul uses the word perfect,

[00:14:21] he's using a Greek word that means to bring to completion.

[00:14:25] Paul isn't saying, I'm looking to be flawless on this side of eternity.

[00:14:30] He's saying, I want every single thing that Jesus is trying to do in me,

[00:14:36] that my Father in heaven envisions for me,

[00:14:39] I want that to be completed in my life.

[00:14:43] And I was praying about this this morning.

[00:14:45] I just had a little prayer time before coming to church today.

[00:14:48] I ended my day yesterday reading my sermon.

[00:14:53] And every once in a while, you read your sermon on a Saturday night and you go,

[00:14:57] okay, I got to get up early tomorrow and do some rewriting.

[00:15:01] So that was what most of my morning was about this morning.

[00:15:03] But I did have a little personal time reading the Bible

[00:15:05] and a little personal time in prayer.

[00:15:07] And one of my prayers was just simply because I was thinking about this passage.

[00:15:11] I was just thinking, you know, Lord, Father,

[00:15:14] what I want you to do in my life is I want you to carry out your vision

[00:15:19] of what a Christ-like Nate Holdridge looks like.

[00:15:23] I don't want to leave anything on the table.

[00:15:25] I want everything for which you have attained me for.

[00:15:28] I want to attain all of that.

[00:15:30] That's what Paul is saying when he's saying,

[00:15:33] I've not yet become perfect,

[00:15:35] but he's saying, but that's what I'm shooting for.

[00:15:38] I'm hungry for it.

[00:15:39] I want to become everything that Christ has for me to become.

[00:15:44] I love this from Paul because what it says is, I mean,

[00:15:48] here you've got a man, he's been walking with Jesus for 30 years.

[00:15:53] And I think probably every one of us in this room would say

[00:15:56] he's been walking with Jesus really well for 30 years.

[00:15:59] You know, he's been growing.

[00:16:01] It's been a transformative work that has occurred in his life.

[00:16:09] None of us would describe this man as a carnal believer,

[00:16:14] you know, struggling with whether Jesus is going to gain lordship in his life.

[00:16:18] No, day one, it was, I've called you to preach this message

[00:16:22] to kings and nations and Gentiles and Jews.

[00:16:27] And that's what Paul devoted his life towards.

[00:16:30] I mean, he was all in from the very jump.

[00:16:34] But here he's saying, I still have so far to go.

[00:16:39] I may have walked with Jesus for 30 years.

[00:16:41] There might have been a lot of progress in my life,

[00:16:43] but I'm still trying to grow.

[00:16:45] I still want to become like my Lord.

[00:16:48] I love that.

[00:16:49] There's no elitism in his heart.

[00:16:52] It reminds me of the book of Joshua, this little episode

[00:16:56] where a man named Caleb, if you know the Old Testament story,

[00:16:59] Joshua and Caleb had been sent in with 10 other spies

[00:17:03] into the promised land by Moses.

[00:17:06] And they all came back and Joshua and Caleb reported,

[00:17:09] yeah, it's a beautiful land.

[00:17:10] There are giants in the land, but God is stronger than them.

[00:17:14] And so he will give us the victory.

[00:17:16] We don't know what it's going to look like,

[00:17:17] but God will give us the victory.

[00:17:19] But the 10 other spies said, it's a beautiful land.

[00:17:22] We agree, but we are like grasshoppers

[00:17:25] in the sight of those enemies.

[00:17:27] We cannot go in and take it.

[00:17:29] And the congregation believed the 10 rather than the two.

[00:17:32] And so God pronounced a judgment upon that generation.

[00:17:34] They died off in the wilderness over the next 40 years,

[00:17:38] including those 10 unbelieving spies.

[00:17:40] But because Joshua and Caleb believed,

[00:17:43] God said, you guys get to go into the land.

[00:17:45] And so in the middle of the book of Joshua,

[00:17:48] there's this episode where Caleb is 85 years old.

[00:17:52] And he goes to his friend Joshua,

[00:17:54] who's leading now at the time.

[00:17:56] And he says, hey, you remember.

[00:17:59] You remember what God said.

[00:18:01] And you remember the mountain that God said

[00:18:04] that me and my descendants could inherit.

[00:18:08] It's a difficult mountain.

[00:18:09] There's big warriors up in those hills,

[00:18:13] but I want you to give it to me.

[00:18:16] I wanna go up and fight the battles

[00:18:18] that God has called me to fight.

[00:18:21] To me, that's the same spirit from Paul

[00:18:23] right here in this place.

[00:18:24] He's seasoned in his walk with Jesus,

[00:18:27] probably tired there in this Roman prison.

[00:18:30] He's exhausted himself for Christ,

[00:18:33] but he's saying there's still territory for me to gain.

[00:18:38] And I want it.

[00:18:39] I long for it.

[00:18:41] I'm craving it.

[00:18:43] He wanted so badly to become like his hero,

[00:18:49] like his Lord, Jesus.

[00:18:52] So he said that he would press toward the goal.

[00:18:59] When Paul said that he would press toward the goal,

[00:19:01] it's actually a beautiful literary device that he's using.

[00:19:05] Because remember last week when he told us

[00:19:08] of his old life, his testimony,

[00:19:10] he said I was a zealous persecutor of the church.

[00:19:14] He's using the same word that he used for persecute

[00:19:18] to describe his pressing toward Jesus.

[00:19:23] It's like he's saying the same energy that I used in the past

[00:19:27] to chase down Christians, to throw them into jail.

[00:19:30] I'm using that same force and energy today

[00:19:35] to become more like Jesus.

[00:19:39] And I love Paul because he said,

[00:19:41] this is how every mature believer is going to think in verse 15.

[00:19:46] And think is a huge word in the book of Philippians.

[00:19:50] It speaks of mentality.

[00:19:51] It speaks of affection or feeling,

[00:19:54] the way that we feel, the way we process our mindset.

[00:19:58] And I've found that this is a huge area

[00:20:02] of mindset need in modern believers.

[00:20:06] To come to a place where we're like,

[00:20:08] man, my mentality is,

[00:20:10] I want to become more like Christ.

[00:20:13] My view is that I would like to progress

[00:20:17] in the Christian life

[00:20:18] to become more of the redeemed version of myself

[00:20:22] that my father in heaven envisions.

[00:20:26] Paul said, this is what we would want to quote

[00:20:30] from the New International Version.

[00:20:32] We press on to take hold of that

[00:20:35] for which Christ Jesus took hold of us.

[00:20:39] In other words, if Christ attained you,

[00:20:42] then don't you want to attain Christ likeness?

[00:20:46] That's what Paul is saying here in this passage.

[00:20:51] You guys know that Christmas is coming.

[00:20:54] We actually just gave an announcement this morning

[00:20:56] that had to do with the Christmas season and all of that.

[00:20:58] I don't know what you guys are like in your house,

[00:21:00] but we have a no Christmas music

[00:21:03] in the family sound system

[00:21:06] until the day after Thanksgiving.

[00:21:08] That's our rule in our house.

[00:21:11] That doesn't mean that individuals

[00:21:13] can't put on headphones

[00:21:14] and listen to a Christmas song or two.

[00:21:16] I've been doing it, I'll admit.

[00:21:18] But in order to kind of skirt our rules,

[00:21:22] as a family we've been,

[00:21:24] over the last few years,

[00:21:26] one of our daughters in particular

[00:21:27] has cultivated this very long Spotify playlist

[00:21:31] of songs that sound like Christmas songs,

[00:21:35] but aren't Christmas songs.

[00:21:36] Like I never knew that Bing Crosby sang all kinds of songs.

[00:21:40] Thought about Christmas.

[00:21:41] Sang about fall.

[00:21:43] He sang about the snow falling,

[00:21:45] which feels really close, but not quite.

[00:21:48] There's all these songs like that.

[00:21:50] Nat King, Cole.

[00:21:51] It's like, I thought it was just Christmas songs

[00:21:52] all the time.

[00:21:53] So that's what we do in November.

[00:21:54] We got all these songs on like,

[00:21:55] hey, that's Christmas.

[00:21:56] No, not Christmas music.

[00:21:57] You're just singing about autumn.

[00:22:00] And so Christmas is coming.

[00:22:02] All right.

[00:22:02] Christmas is coming.

[00:22:03] I mean, it's my segue to say that to you.

[00:22:05] In part, I want you to think about Christmas morning.

[00:22:09] Think about a little child

[00:22:11] receiving a long awaited,

[00:22:14] hope for anticipated gift.

[00:22:16] What would you expect that child to do?

[00:22:19] Right.

[00:22:19] They celebrate.

[00:22:21] They're excited.

[00:22:22] What are they doing the rest of the morning?

[00:22:23] They're like tolerating the rest of their presents.

[00:22:26] Right.

[00:22:26] You know, they're like socks and pajamas

[00:22:29] and snappy outfits that mom got them,

[00:22:32] you know, put in the under the tree.

[00:22:34] They're tolerating all that

[00:22:35] because once present time is finished,

[00:22:38] what are they going to do?

[00:22:39] They're going to go play with the video game,

[00:22:41] ride the bike, you know,

[00:22:42] enjoy the gift that has been given to them.

[00:22:46] If a child received an incredible gift

[00:22:49] that they'd hope for and long for

[00:22:51] and then just decided,

[00:22:53] I'm just going to neglect it.

[00:22:54] I'm not going to partake of it.

[00:22:56] I'm not going to enjoy it.

[00:22:57] We would, we'd say, what's wrong?

[00:23:00] What's wrong?

[00:23:00] That's Paul's attitude

[00:23:02] about what Jesus has done for him.

[00:23:05] Why would he celebrate

[00:23:07] that Christ had made him his own

[00:23:09] only to stop short of making Christ likeness his own?

[00:23:14] I mean, Paul was the great apostle who,

[00:23:17] I mean, his teaching was just incredible.

[00:23:19] He was very fluent in what the new covenant was,

[00:23:23] that there was an old covenant

[00:23:24] in the Old Testament era

[00:23:26] and a new covenant

[00:23:26] that had been promised in the Old Testament era,

[00:23:28] that he was living in that new covenant era

[00:23:31] and that the spirit of God

[00:23:32] had come to reside within him

[00:23:34] and rewrite the law on his own heart,

[00:23:38] that God would change him from the inside out.

[00:23:40] But Paul is saying,

[00:23:41] I'm not content to be able to teach that.

[00:23:44] I'm not content to be able to articulate that.

[00:23:47] I'm not content to be able to understand that doctrinally.

[00:23:50] I will not be satisfied until I enjoy that,

[00:23:54] until I partake of that.

[00:23:57] That's the person who craves Christ likeness.

[00:24:02] They say, I want to attain it.

[00:24:06] And this longing for Christ likeness,

[00:24:09] I think it fits an advancing gospel community.

[00:24:12] This shouldn't be like a big shock to us.

[00:24:14] I mean, we live in an age of self-improvement.

[00:24:19] We manage stress.

[00:24:20] We optimize sleep.

[00:24:23] We hack nutrition.

[00:24:25] We encourage mental health.

[00:24:26] We take our supplements.

[00:24:27] Fine, do all those things.

[00:24:29] That's great.

[00:24:30] We develop our professional skills.

[00:24:32] We build our network.

[00:24:33] We advance our careers.

[00:24:35] We prepare for retirement.

[00:24:37] We work on our romantic relationships.

[00:24:40] We work on our family relationships.

[00:24:42] We work on our social relationships and our church relationships.

[00:24:45] We set goals.

[00:24:47] We develop routines.

[00:24:48] We manage time.

[00:24:50] We eliminate procrastination.

[00:24:51] We work on improving our emotional intelligence,

[00:24:55] our leadership abilities, our productivity levels.

[00:24:59] Some of us read lots of books,

[00:25:02] learn new languages, or continue our education.

[00:25:05] Others master an instrument, become great artists,

[00:25:08] or start a side hustle.

[00:25:10] But amidst all of this mentality of growth and self-improvement as believers,

[00:25:16] let's make sure that we do not minimize or deemphasize or forget the incredible priority

[00:25:25] of pursuing Christlikeness, to become more like Jesus.

[00:25:32] It's what we need.

[00:25:33] But if I could just say it like this, to use Paul's, I think, grid for how he was thinking

[00:25:38] about the Philippians, it's not just what we need.

[00:25:40] It's what our community needs us to be.

[00:25:44] All right.

[00:25:45] So the second thing that I want you to see after this first one is of we want to apprehend it.

[00:25:51] The second confession of an advancing gospel community that craves Christlikeness is this.

[00:25:56] We will focus on it.

[00:25:59] We will focus on it.

[00:26:03] And for this, it's real simple.

[00:26:06] We look at verse 13.

[00:26:07] Look at what he said.

[00:26:07] These are famous verses.

[00:26:08] Probably many of you have these underlined in your Bibles.

[00:26:11] He says,

[00:26:12] One thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

[00:26:17] I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

[00:26:24] Okay.

[00:26:25] These verses show us not just that he craved Christlikeness, but how he pursued Christlikeness.

[00:26:35] How did he do it?

[00:26:37] Well, the first thing you have to notice is that he made it the priority of his life, right?

[00:26:42] I mean, when he's saying one thing I do, it speaks of priority.

[00:26:48] It speaks of focus.

[00:26:50] Now, this doesn't mean, of course, that Paul didn't do other things.

[00:26:54] You know, Paul planted churches.

[00:26:56] Paul went to worship services.

[00:26:58] Paul had friendships.

[00:27:00] Paul, at times, worked side jobs.

[00:27:03] Paul bought groceries.

[00:27:05] Paul ate food.

[00:27:06] There were other things that Paul did.

[00:27:07] He's a human being.

[00:27:08] He's not just there every day with his Bible in his hand or the scrolls in his hand,

[00:27:13] just meditating on the word and saying,

[00:27:15] Oh, I want to become more like Jesus.

[00:27:17] He's living his life just like Jesus lived a life.

[00:27:19] And he's just going through his life.

[00:27:22] But for him, all of the things of life came back to that centering point of being designed

[00:27:28] to shape him to become more like his Lord.

[00:27:34] A laser, I'm sure you guys know this, is focused light.

[00:27:41] And because a laser is focused, we can actually use lasers for lots of cool things.

[00:27:47] Like you're never going to go to get LASIK eye surgery.

[00:27:50] And the doctor comes out and he's like, I've got this lamp from my house.

[00:27:55] It's great reading lamp.

[00:27:56] I'm going to try to do something in you.

[00:27:58] You know, you need a focused laser beam to be able to perform a surgery that minute.

[00:28:06] And because lasers are focused light, we use them for medical things, industrial things,

[00:28:11] technological things, warfare things.

[00:28:13] They are able to produce because of their focus.

[00:28:17] Focus is productive.

[00:28:18] And Paul knew, if I don't focus on this, if I don't make this a focus of my life,

[00:28:24] I'm never really going to increase in Christlikeness.

[00:28:28] And Paul was that guy.

[00:28:29] I mean, every time you read about him and see his biographical data,

[00:28:35] it's like this guy was devoted, focused, thinking about pursuing Jesus.

[00:28:43] Now, another word that you could use instead of focus is the word intentionality.

[00:28:48] Intentionality in becoming more like Christ.

[00:28:51] And I find that at least for modern believers,

[00:28:53] I don't know if it's a California thing or not,

[00:28:55] but we don't really like that idea as much.

[00:28:58] The idea of being intentional about being developed more into the image of Jesus.

[00:29:06] We like to say things like, well, I want it to happen more naturally.

[00:29:10] You know, I want it to happen more relationally.

[00:29:14] I'd like it to be more of an organic thing, you know, that I become like Jesus.

[00:29:20] The picture that I'll give to you is the contrast between an organic farm,

[00:29:27] for you Californians, and then a forest.

[00:29:31] You could go into a forest and you probably could find something to eat.

[00:29:36] There might be some berries that are growing.

[00:29:39] There might be some mushrooms that are safe for you to eat.

[00:29:43] Like, you'll find out.

[00:29:50] But in a farm, there's intention and focus and planning and preparation and irrigation and steps that are taken.

[00:30:03] And because all that intentionality and focus occurs, there's great fruit that is born.

[00:30:09] There's more produce to consume.

[00:30:12] All right, so this is, I'm trying to build the case for a real intentional approach to pursuing Christlikeness.

[00:30:22] But in that intentionality, notice in verse 13, Paul said that he made a practice, not only of focusing on it,

[00:30:29] but as he focused on it, he forgot what lies behind.

[00:30:34] He says, I'm forgetting what lies behind.

[00:30:38] Now, it's important for us to remember the context of this statement.

[00:30:43] Because to be frank, I've heard this phrase, forgetting what lies behind.

[00:30:47] I've heard it misused often.

[00:30:51] What did Paul think and what does the context say about forgetting what lies behind?

[00:30:58] Okay, first of all, we know that it doesn't mean that he can't remember yesterday.

[00:31:05] Like we just read last week in the earlier parts of chapter three, he's telling his whole life story.

[00:31:11] He remembers what happens yesterday.

[00:31:13] He remembers his failures.

[00:31:14] He remembers his successes.

[00:31:16] He remembers all of those things.

[00:31:17] He's not saying, I don't remember what was yesterday.

[00:31:22] I also don't think that Paul is saying that the past or yesterday has no effect on him.

[00:31:29] I mean, his like very drive, he's using the word for persecution from his yesterday to describe how he's going to pursue Jesus today.

[00:31:40] I think it colored, his past colored the way that he approached Jesus right now.

[00:31:47] Nor, and this is where I think some people really misuse this statement from Paul, nor is he saying he has no responsibility for what happened yesterday.

[00:31:59] If you know anything about Paul, you probably know that the intense guilt that he felt for persecuting the church, it affected the way that he behaved today.

[00:32:11] All right, so, you know, some people it's like, well, I don't really, you know, I just don't even, I forget what happened yesterday.

[00:32:18] I'm moving on, you know, and I've heard some guys say that and it's like, well, hey, but your kids haven't.

[00:32:24] You know, they would like you to be thinking about that.

[00:32:27] They would like you to remedy things that you said or did.

[00:32:31] They would like you to pursue them.

[00:32:33] They would like you to make right that which is wrong.

[00:32:36] I don't think Paul is saying that he had no responsibility for the past.

[00:32:40] I think what he's saying is that if it's in the past, whether it's a success or a failure,

[00:32:48] if it's in the past, it really doesn't have bearing on whether you're going to become more like Jesus today.

[00:32:57] He's saying, I have a decision today.

[00:33:01] In my past, I was a Pharisee.

[00:33:04] Persecuting the church doesn't impact whether I'm going to pursue Christ today or not.

[00:33:09] And for the last 30 years, I've been effectively serving Jesus doesn't impact whether today I'll become more like Jesus or not.

[00:33:19] He's saying today I have that choice.

[00:33:22] I forget what is behind.

[00:33:26] I'm not going to dwell on what is past, my successes or my failures.

[00:33:31] I'm going to move forward.

[00:33:33] I love that from Paul.

[00:33:35] But also he said in verse 13, I strain forward to what lies ahead.

[00:33:44] That word strain, it's a word that is, it's a stressful word.

[00:33:51] I mean, it's an athletic word.

[00:33:53] It speaks of exertion, sweat, pain even.

[00:33:59] He's saying, I'm straining, I'm bending the neck to move forward in my pursuit of Jesus.

[00:34:08] Paul was like a runner who's saying, I can't look behind me.

[00:34:13] I've got to look ahead.

[00:34:15] I've got to see the crest of the hill or I've got to see the opponent in front of me.

[00:34:20] In fact, a friend of mine just recently won a small marathon.

[00:34:25] He's actually the pastor of Monterey Church, Josiah, new pastor in town.

[00:34:30] And he recently just won a marathon.

[00:34:34] And he said that what happened was he was kind of in the lead pack.

[00:34:38] And then he just started slowing down.

[00:34:41] Like his body just wouldn't keep up with the lead pack.

[00:34:45] And so he's slowing down and he just kind of figured in the last few miles of the race,

[00:34:49] like, well, you know, I did my best, but I can't win the race.

[00:34:53] But he just kept looking ahead.

[00:34:55] He kept looking ahead.

[00:34:57] He wasn't thinking about anybody pursuing him.

[00:34:59] He just kept looking ahead.

[00:35:00] And he started noticing the leader coming closer to him.

[00:35:04] He's like, okay, so he's hitting the wall also.

[00:35:08] And that gave him the juice that he needed.

[00:35:10] He stepped on the gas and he passed the guy in the last mile and won the race.

[00:35:14] That's Paul.

[00:35:15] He's saying, man, I'm going to keep looking forward

[00:35:20] to that vision of what it looks like to become more like Jesus for Paul.

[00:35:26] And I'm going to strain towards that goal.

[00:35:30] I love that from Paul.

[00:35:32] To me, it reminds us of what he said in 2, 12, and 13,

[00:35:37] which Pastor Matt shared with us about.

[00:35:40] You know, to work out, he says,

[00:35:41] work out your own salvation with fear and trembling

[00:35:43] for it's God who works in you to will and to do for his good pleasure.

[00:35:47] It's like Paul is saying, that's what I'm doing.

[00:35:49] I am working out my salvation.

[00:35:52] I am throwing my energy into this.

[00:35:55] And as I am, God's power and might is meeting me.

[00:36:03] So he's throwing himself into that goal.

[00:36:06] Recently, I had a fun little experience

[00:36:11] in that a few years ago, I decided to start,

[00:36:14] I got into weightlifting, weight training and lifting weights.

[00:36:19] And recently, I had Austin Cava, one of our youth guys.

[00:36:24] He was over with me and we were lifting weights together.

[00:36:29] And on this particular day, it was deadlift day.

[00:36:32] Deadlift is just a lift where the weight is all on the floor

[00:36:34] and you're basically picking it up and standing up straight.

[00:36:37] And so it's a real heavy lift.

[00:36:39] And on that particular day, I was going for my personal best,

[00:36:43] like my all-time best.

[00:36:45] And Austin knew it.

[00:36:46] Austin's a Marine and a football player

[00:36:49] and a very enthusiastic person in general.

[00:36:53] And so he's like, all right, man, I'm here for you.

[00:36:56] You know, so he's like, I'm there,

[00:36:58] I got the weight, you know, going.

[00:36:59] And he's just like, you got this, you got it.

[00:37:02] And he's just yelling and stuff and it's coming up.

[00:37:04] And he's just shouting at me and all that.

[00:37:07] And I got it.

[00:37:09] And then, you know, if you know anything about deadlifting,

[00:37:12] it's real loud.

[00:37:13] And so I drop it down on the ground, set it down.

[00:37:16] It sounds like a car engine is like falling out of a car

[00:37:19] or something like that.

[00:37:20] And then, of course, because I'm me and all that,

[00:37:25] I let out this like, you know, guttural animal,

[00:37:28] just, you know, kind of cry.

[00:37:30] You know, I'm just pumped.

[00:37:31] And right as all that was happening,

[00:37:35] the UPS man was delivering a package to our front door.

[00:37:40] And normally, you know, he just like throws it down.

[00:37:43] He's like, hey, have a great day.

[00:37:44] But like to him, he's hearing someone dying in the garage.

[00:37:48] That's what he's hearing happen.

[00:37:50] Like someone is killing someone else, you know.

[00:37:53] And so he knocks on the door and he asked Christina,

[00:37:56] he's like, hey, do you hear that, right?

[00:38:00] You know, she's like, oh, it's just my husband.

[00:38:03] He's doing his thing.

[00:38:03] The neighbors love it, you know.

[00:38:07] Here's why I'm sharing this.

[00:38:09] I just wanted to brag about my personal best.

[00:38:11] No.

[00:38:12] I'm sharing this because what that was for me

[00:38:15] was saying a long time ago,

[00:38:21] here's a goal I want to hit,

[00:38:23] a number I want to reach.

[00:38:26] This is going to take a long time to get there,

[00:38:28] but I'm going to make a plan.

[00:38:29] I'm going to stick to it.

[00:38:30] And I'm thinking I'm going to get there.

[00:38:33] And that's what Paul is saying.

[00:38:34] He's saying you've got to have that image

[00:38:37] of what like a Jesus looking you is.

[00:38:42] And then you just keep building your life

[00:38:47] to come closer to that reality.

[00:38:51] In the book of Nehemiah,

[00:38:52] Nehemiah hears from a far away

[00:38:55] that Jerusalem is destroyed.

[00:38:58] He gets resources to rebuild it,

[00:39:00] but the first thing he does is he surveys the damage.

[00:39:04] And then he has this vision.

[00:39:06] He sees in his mind's eye where it's going.

[00:39:11] And he just starts working towards that goal.

[00:39:16] And as he did, guess who helped him?

[00:39:19] God helped him.

[00:39:19] The power of God met him

[00:39:21] and he was able to realize

[00:39:23] the thing that God had laid upon his heart.

[00:39:27] All right, let's wrap up with one last exhortation,

[00:39:30] though we will focus on it,

[00:39:33] but an advancing gospel community

[00:39:35] that craves Christ-likeness

[00:39:37] also confesses,

[00:39:39] we will follow others who pursue it.

[00:39:42] We will follow others who pursue it.

[00:39:45] In verse 17, Paul invites the Philippians

[00:39:50] to join in imitating him.

[00:39:53] He's like, you can copy me.

[00:39:55] And then he says,

[00:39:57] and you can copy not just me,

[00:39:59] but copy anyone who walks according to this example.

[00:40:04] I think he's probably thinking about Timothy,

[00:40:06] who he already wrote about.

[00:40:08] He's probably thinking about Epaphroditus,

[00:40:10] who he already wrote about,

[00:40:11] and who's bringing the letter to the Philippian church.

[00:40:13] He's thinking about everyone

[00:40:16] who is all in on pursuing Jesus.

[00:40:19] And he's saying,

[00:40:21] you can make people like that

[00:40:22] the example in your life.

[00:40:24] This is intensely practical from Paul.

[00:40:27] Because sometimes we have difficulty.

[00:40:29] We're like, okay,

[00:40:30] I'm like reading about Jesus.

[00:40:32] I'm thinking about Jesus.

[00:40:33] I'm meditating on who he is,

[00:40:35] what he's like.

[00:40:36] I'm trying to come up with

[00:40:38] like a Jesus-y version of myself

[00:40:42] that I'm envisioning,

[00:40:43] but I'm having a hard time doing that.

[00:40:46] You know, Jesus lived 2,000 years ago.

[00:40:48] His life is written in black and white.

[00:40:49] I know the spirit of God can help me,

[00:40:51] but I'm feeling limited

[00:40:53] as I develop that vision.

[00:40:55] This is why Paul is saying,

[00:40:57] but you can also look around

[00:40:59] at other people

[00:41:01] who have made Christ their pursuit,

[00:41:03] and they can kind of fill in

[00:41:06] the blanks for you.

[00:41:08] They can help you

[00:41:09] as you're developing that vision

[00:41:11] for what the Father wants you to become.

[00:41:16] Paul knew that we needed those examples.

[00:41:20] He also knew that there were people

[00:41:22] that we should not follow.

[00:41:24] I mean, look at what he says in verse 18.

[00:41:26] He says, I'm crying as I write this.

[00:41:29] I'm saying this with tears.

[00:41:31] There are those who are enemies

[00:41:32] of the cross of Christ.

[00:41:35] He's like, these are not the people

[00:41:36] to be your examples.

[00:41:37] These are not the people

[00:41:38] for you to follow.

[00:41:39] So the question, of course,

[00:41:41] that we want to ask is,

[00:41:42] well, who are the enemies

[00:41:42] of the cross of Christ?

[00:41:43] Like, who is Paul thinking of?

[00:41:45] You might think that what he's saying is,

[00:41:47] well, enemies of the cross of Christ

[00:41:49] are just people that are,

[00:41:50] they don't like the gospel message.

[00:41:52] They don't like the cross.

[00:41:53] They're enemies of it.

[00:41:55] So they're not believers

[00:41:57] in any way, shape, or form.

[00:41:58] Don't listen to them.

[00:41:59] He might say that kind of thing elsewhere.

[00:42:03] But I think he's saying

[00:42:04] something different here.

[00:42:05] And for this,

[00:42:07] I want you to remember

[00:42:08] two pillar purposes

[00:42:11] of the cross of Christ.

[00:42:13] Pillar one

[00:42:14] is that the cross

[00:42:15] is the way

[00:42:16] that we receive

[00:42:18] forgiveness and acceptance

[00:42:20] before a perfect

[00:42:21] and altogether holy

[00:42:22] and beautiful

[00:42:23] and majestic God.

[00:42:24] He's just different

[00:42:25] from you and me.

[00:42:26] How can we become

[00:42:29] enough

[00:42:30] to be able to have him,

[00:42:32] to engage with him?

[00:42:33] How can that happen?

[00:42:34] It happens through the cross.

[00:42:36] Jesus lived a perfect life

[00:42:37] that you would never live.

[00:42:38] He died the death

[00:42:39] that you should have died.

[00:42:40] He rose from the dead

[00:42:41] so that if you believe in him,

[00:42:44] trust in him,

[00:42:45] lean upon him

[00:42:45] rather than yourself,

[00:42:47] your own merit,

[00:42:48] who you are,

[00:42:49] you lean upon Jesus,

[00:42:50] throw your weight upon Jesus,

[00:42:52] you'll be cleansed,

[00:42:53] forgiven,

[00:42:54] washed,

[00:42:54] and made right

[00:42:55] in the sight

[00:42:56] of that God

[00:42:56] who made you.

[00:42:57] Right?

[00:42:58] So that's pillar one.

[00:42:59] Pillar two

[00:43:01] is that the cross

[00:43:03] also informs us

[00:43:05] of what discipleship

[00:43:08] looks like.

[00:43:10] Okay?

[00:43:11] This is the part

[00:43:12] that sometimes

[00:43:12] is neglected

[00:43:13] in modern

[00:43:14] Christian churches.

[00:43:16] But this is

[00:43:17] a very important pillar.

[00:43:18] Jesus said,

[00:43:19] take up your cross,

[00:43:20] die to yourself,

[00:43:21] deny yourself,

[00:43:22] and follow after me.

[00:43:24] The cross,

[00:43:25] not only does it

[00:43:26] make us right

[00:43:26] in the sight of God,

[00:43:27] but it provides for us

[00:43:28] the example,

[00:43:29] the guidance,

[00:43:30] the template

[00:43:31] for the kind of life

[00:43:33] that we want to live

[00:43:35] now as Christians.

[00:43:36] Some call it

[00:43:37] the cruciform life.

[00:43:39] It is allowing

[00:43:40] the cross of Jesus

[00:43:41] to impact

[00:43:43] our attitudes,

[00:43:44] our perspectives.

[00:43:45] Anytime you hear

[00:43:46] like arrogance,

[00:43:46] boasting,

[00:43:47] all that kind of stuff,

[00:43:49] you're hearing something

[00:43:49] that is contrary

[00:43:51] to the cruciform life.

[00:43:52] The Christian says,

[00:43:54] what I want?

[00:43:54] I want to have my life

[00:43:56] colored by the cross.

[00:43:58] So when Paul says

[00:43:59] that these are enemies

[00:44:01] of the cross of Christ,

[00:44:03] I think what he's saying is

[00:44:05] these are people

[00:44:07] who they liked

[00:44:09] pillar one,

[00:44:11] they maybe even

[00:44:12] preached pillar one,

[00:44:14] but they didn't believe

[00:44:16] in pillar two.

[00:44:17] They thought

[00:44:19] God came

[00:44:20] to forgive,

[00:44:22] cleanse,

[00:44:22] make right,

[00:44:23] make pure,

[00:44:24] all that stuff,

[00:44:26] and then

[00:44:28] he's got nothing

[00:44:29] to do with my life.

[00:44:31] The cross

[00:44:32] does not change,

[00:44:33] transform,

[00:44:34] empower,

[00:44:35] move me forward

[00:44:35] in any way,

[00:44:36] shape,

[00:44:37] or form.

[00:44:39] What Paul said

[00:44:40] is that

[00:44:41] their end

[00:44:41] in verse 19

[00:44:42] is destruction.

[00:44:44] He's sad for them.

[00:44:46] He's like,

[00:44:47] my lowly body,

[00:44:48] the lowly bodies

[00:44:48] of me and my friends,

[00:44:50] our lowly bodies

[00:44:51] pursuing Jesus,

[00:44:52] our lowly bodies,

[00:44:53] we're going to one day

[00:44:54] get what we've been wanting.

[00:44:55] We're going to become

[00:44:56] like Jesus.

[00:44:58] But he says,

[00:44:59] not this group.

[00:45:00] Not this group,

[00:45:01] but this false

[00:45:02] or half gospel.

[00:45:03] Paul said in verse 19,

[00:45:05] he said,

[00:45:05] their God

[00:45:05] is their belly.

[00:45:07] What does that mean?

[00:45:08] That means

[00:45:09] that they focused

[00:45:10] on their physical

[00:45:11] desires

[00:45:12] and impulses

[00:45:13] more than

[00:45:14] on Jesus' will

[00:45:16] for their lives.

[00:45:17] Paul said

[00:45:18] in Romans 16,

[00:45:19] verse 18,

[00:45:20] that such persons

[00:45:20] do not serve

[00:45:21] our Lord Christ,

[00:45:23] but their own appetites.

[00:45:25] In other words,

[00:45:26] who is Lord

[00:45:27] in this person's life?

[00:45:28] It's their appetites

[00:45:30] and drives

[00:45:30] and desires,

[00:45:31] not Jesus.

[00:45:32] This is part of why

[00:45:33] I think Paul said

[00:45:34] in 1 Corinthians

[00:45:35] chapter 12,

[00:45:36] verse 3,

[00:45:36] that no one can say

[00:45:38] Jesus is Lord

[00:45:39] except by the Spirit of God.

[00:45:40] Like,

[00:45:41] that's God working

[00:45:41] in your life.

[00:45:42] When you come

[00:45:43] to that place

[00:45:43] where you're like,

[00:45:44] whatever Jesus says,

[00:45:45] I want to be about that.

[00:45:46] Even if what he says

[00:45:48] contradicts my feelings,

[00:45:49] drives,

[00:45:49] desires,

[00:45:50] I want that.

[00:45:51] That's a Jesus is Lord

[00:45:53] kind of statement.

[00:45:54] But to say,

[00:45:55] my drives,

[00:45:56] desires,

[00:45:56] and appetites,

[00:45:57] that's what must be pursued.

[00:45:59] That's a,

[00:45:59] those,

[00:46:00] that's my Lord.

[00:46:01] And so he's just saying,

[00:46:03] he's saying their God

[00:46:03] is their belly

[00:46:04] and verse 19,

[00:46:05] they glory in their shame.

[00:46:08] He's saying,

[00:46:08] things that they should

[00:46:09] be embarrassed by,

[00:46:10] they're proud of.

[00:46:13] Now,

[00:46:14] Paul said this

[00:46:14] in the,

[00:46:15] of the unbelieving world

[00:46:16] in Romans chapter 1,

[00:46:18] verse 28 and 32,

[00:46:19] when he said

[00:46:20] the persistent resistance

[00:46:21] of God's revealed will

[00:46:24] in nature and scripture

[00:46:25] will lead to a,

[00:46:26] here's where the quote begins,

[00:46:27] a debased mind

[00:46:28] to do what ought

[00:46:29] not to be done,

[00:46:31] leading people

[00:46:32] not only to do,

[00:46:34] but give approval

[00:46:35] to those who practice

[00:46:37] such things.

[00:46:39] And then finally,

[00:46:40] Paul said,

[00:46:41] their,

[00:46:41] their minds are set

[00:46:42] on earthly things.

[00:46:43] They're just thinking

[00:46:44] about earthly affairs.

[00:46:46] They're not allowing God

[00:46:47] to inform or affect

[00:46:48] or be part

[00:46:49] of those earthly affairs.

[00:46:51] So Paul said,

[00:46:52] that's not us.

[00:46:53] We have a citizenship

[00:46:55] in heaven

[00:46:55] and those are the kind

[00:46:56] of people we need

[00:46:57] to look to.

[00:46:58] People who realize

[00:46:58] their eternal future destiny

[00:47:00] and they live backwards.

[00:47:01] They reverse engineer

[00:47:02] their lives

[00:47:03] from that heavenly reality

[00:47:04] all the way back

[00:47:06] to our modern time.

[00:47:07] All this to say,

[00:47:09] we need

[00:47:11] biblical guidance,

[00:47:15] spiritual counselors,

[00:47:16] and shining examples

[00:47:18] to illuminate the path

[00:47:19] in front of us.

[00:47:20] Like we know that, right?

[00:47:22] You'd never see

[00:47:23] a really great musician

[00:47:24] like all these musicians

[00:47:25] that were playing up here

[00:47:26] earlier today.

[00:47:27] You know,

[00:47:28] you just know,

[00:47:29] every one of them

[00:47:30] had a teacher.

[00:47:32] Every one of them

[00:47:32] had a mentor,

[00:47:33] someone that they learned from.

[00:47:35] Every one of them

[00:47:35] had that.

[00:47:36] Every great athlete

[00:47:37] you've ever seen,

[00:47:38] you just know instinctively

[00:47:40] they did not just play,

[00:47:42] learn that game

[00:47:43] or that sport

[00:47:44] all on their own.

[00:47:47] Even sports

[00:47:48] that are very singular.

[00:47:51] You know,

[00:47:51] a golfer

[00:47:52] or a sprinter,

[00:47:53] they're going up

[00:47:55] against competition

[00:47:56] time and time again

[00:47:57] to push themselves

[00:47:58] to become more

[00:47:59] than they would be

[00:47:59] by themselves.

[00:48:00] Any person

[00:48:01] who's got a great career,

[00:48:03] who's been successful

[00:48:04] in business,

[00:48:06] you just kind of

[00:48:06] instinctively know.

[00:48:08] Somebody showed them the way.

[00:48:10] Somebody taught them.

[00:48:11] They had good mentors.

[00:48:12] They learned good truths.

[00:48:14] They saw how to do this.

[00:48:16] And one does not

[00:48:17] become Christ-like

[00:48:18] without being exposed

[00:48:20] to others

[00:48:21] who have pursued

[00:48:22] that same path.

[00:48:24] So,

[00:48:24] for those who have

[00:48:26] served that way

[00:48:27] in your life,

[00:48:28] thank them this week.

[00:48:29] Reach out to them

[00:48:30] and rejoice

[00:48:31] at what God

[00:48:32] has given to you.

[00:48:34] All right?

[00:48:34] We will follow

[00:48:35] others who pursue it.

[00:48:37] I want to wrap up today

[00:48:39] by pointing your attention

[00:48:40] back to the book

[00:48:41] of Genesis.

[00:48:42] There's this story

[00:48:44] where Jacob

[00:48:46] is coming back

[00:48:47] to his homeland.

[00:48:49] He's the grandson

[00:48:50] of Abraham.

[00:48:51] He's coming back

[00:48:52] to his homeland

[00:48:52] and on his way

[00:48:54] he meets a figure.

[00:48:56] It's obvious

[00:48:56] that this figure,

[00:48:57] this person

[00:48:58] is divine

[00:48:59] or angelic

[00:49:00] in some way.

[00:49:01] They meet in the middle

[00:49:02] of the night

[00:49:03] and I love it.

[00:49:04] They start having

[00:49:06] a wrestling match.

[00:49:08] It's like

[00:49:09] he's literally

[00:49:10] wrestling with God.

[00:49:11] You ever say that?

[00:49:11] Like,

[00:49:11] I'm wrestling with God.

[00:49:12] He was literally

[00:49:13] wrestling with God.

[00:49:14] And he's having

[00:49:15] this wrestling match.

[00:49:16] He can't win.

[00:49:17] He just can't win.

[00:49:18] It's going on

[00:49:18] all night.

[00:49:19] He can't win

[00:49:20] this fight.

[00:49:23] And finally

[00:49:24] he comes to a place

[00:49:25] where he realizes

[00:49:27] he can't win

[00:49:27] but he won't give up

[00:49:29] and he says this line.

[00:49:30] He says,

[00:49:30] I will not let you go

[00:49:32] unless you bless me.

[00:49:35] And the man

[00:49:36] or this figure

[00:49:38] does bless him,

[00:49:39] changes his name

[00:49:40] to Israel,

[00:49:40] all that kind of stuff.

[00:49:41] Also touches his hip

[00:49:43] so that it goes out

[00:49:45] of joint

[00:49:45] so he can pin him

[00:49:47] and defeat him.

[00:49:48] And Jacob walks around

[00:49:49] with a limp

[00:49:50] the rest of his life

[00:49:51] so as to remind him

[00:49:52] stop wrestling

[00:49:53] with God.

[00:49:54] It was kind of like

[00:49:55] the theme of his life.

[00:49:57] He just wrestled with God,

[00:49:58] fought against God's

[00:49:59] revealed will

[00:49:59] over and over again.

[00:50:00] That night was a microcosm

[00:50:02] of his whole life.

[00:50:04] But that line,

[00:50:05] I will not let you go

[00:50:06] unless you bless me.

[00:50:08] It reminds me

[00:50:08] of that Mark 5 woman

[00:50:11] with the flow of blood.

[00:50:13] I'm going to pursue him.

[00:50:16] I'm going to touch his garment.

[00:50:18] I'm going to feel

[00:50:19] the release of his power

[00:50:21] so that my life

[00:50:22] is changed

[00:50:24] and transformed.

[00:50:25] That was Paul's attitude.

[00:50:27] And of course,

[00:50:28] today,

[00:50:29] I think I'm just saying

[00:50:30] let's let that be

[00:50:31] our attitude

[00:50:31] as well.

[00:50:33] Amen?

[00:50:33] That we would say

[00:50:34] we want to be like Jesus

[00:50:36] more than anything else.

[00:50:38] It's the one thing

[00:50:40] we pursue.

[00:50:41] Thank you for listening.

[00:50:45] If you would like

[00:50:46] more teachings

[00:50:47] and information

[00:50:48] about Calvary Monterey,

[00:50:49] please visit calvary.com.

[00:50:51] You can also find books,

[00:50:53] teachings through the Bible,

[00:50:54] and articles

[00:50:55] from our lead pastor

[00:50:56] at nateholdridge.com.

[00:50:59] Thanks again for tuning in.

[00:51:00] We'll see you next week.