Pastor Nate continues our study through the Bible in the book of Philippians.
[00:00:01] [SPEAKER_00]: You are listening to the Through the Bible Studio series with Pastor Nate Holdridge.
[00:00:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Join us as we continue our study through the New Testament book of Philippians.
[00:00:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Here's Nate.
[00:00:14] [SPEAKER_01]: It's, of course, fascinating that the Book of Philippians is one of the most joy-filled
[00:00:21] [SPEAKER_01]: epistles in the New Testament and books of the Bible because Paul is writing, of course,
[00:00:28] [SPEAKER_01]: from prison.
[00:00:30] [SPEAKER_01]: And he is just filled with such incredible joy as he writes to this beloved Philippian church,
[00:00:37] [SPEAKER_01]: so thankful to them for their graciousness in giving to him and supporting his ministry,
[00:00:45] [SPEAKER_01]: so thankful for the fact that they had sent Epaphroditus to minister to him and his needs
[00:00:50] [SPEAKER_01]: to report to him there in Rome and to take care of him.
[00:00:56] [SPEAKER_01]: And so Paul is now here in Philippians chapter 3 turning his attention and, you know, really
[00:01:03] [SPEAKER_01]: ministering to the church in Philippi.
[00:01:05] [SPEAKER_01]: And he wants to speak to them of this subject of joy.
[00:01:09] [SPEAKER_01]: And so he tells them in verse 1, he says, Finally my brothers, rejoice in the Lord.
[00:01:16] [SPEAKER_01]: To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
[00:01:22] [SPEAKER_01]: And so he begins to speak to them of rejoicing in the Lord.
[00:01:27] [SPEAKER_01]: I love first that in verse 1 he says, Finally.
[00:01:30] [SPEAKER_01]: And we have two full chapters left in front of us.
[00:01:34] [SPEAKER_01]: But in Paul's mind this is a concluding remark where he's going to talk to them
[00:01:39] [SPEAKER_01]: of the joy-filled life.
[00:01:42] [SPEAKER_01]: So let me question you before we get into this particular section of text.
[00:01:47] [SPEAKER_01]: Do you long to have a joy-filled life?
[00:01:52] [SPEAKER_01]: Well one of the ways to have that great joy is to first of all, as he says in verse 1,
[00:01:58] [SPEAKER_01]: rejoice in the Lord.
[00:02:01] [SPEAKER_01]: The joy, the gladness, the celebration that we find time and time again in this
[00:02:07] [SPEAKER_01]: little epistle written by this Roman prisoner.
[00:02:12] [SPEAKER_01]: This joy is found in a specific place.
[00:02:15] [SPEAKER_01]: He says rejoice in the Lord.
[00:02:18] [SPEAKER_01]: Our joy is attached to our life in Christ.
[00:02:23] [SPEAKER_01]: And I've found, at least in my own personal Christian life and experience,
[00:02:27] [SPEAKER_01]: that there is a constant battle for joy within the Christian life.
[00:02:33] [SPEAKER_01]: I remember years ago reading in Nehemiah chapter 8 where the people had this great revival.
[00:02:41] [SPEAKER_01]: They built a platform for Ezra and his
[00:02:44] [SPEAKER_01]: co-laborers to read the Word of God, to explain the Word of God to the people
[00:02:48] [SPEAKER_01]: throughout the length of an entire day.
[00:02:51] [SPEAKER_01]: And this great revival hit the nation of Israel. It was a wonderful restorative
[00:02:55] [SPEAKER_01]: moment for the nation.
[00:02:57] [SPEAKER_01]: And in Nehemiah chapter 8 verse 10 there's this little line where they say
[00:03:01] [SPEAKER_01]: the people begin to weep.
[00:03:03] [SPEAKER_01]: They begin to weep and be broken because of their realization that they had been
[00:03:09] [SPEAKER_01]: breaking the law of God as it was read to them, they saw their own guilt.
[00:03:13] [SPEAKER_01]: And the leaders responded and said, hey,
[00:03:17] [SPEAKER_01]: be sure the joy of the Lord is your strength. They're trying to lift their
[00:03:22] [SPEAKER_01]: spirits. They say the joy of the Lord
[00:03:24] [SPEAKER_01]: is your strength. And there is this in the midst of our own failures, in the
[00:03:29] [SPEAKER_01]: midst of our own shortcomings, in the gap between what we would love to see and
[00:03:36] [SPEAKER_01]: what we currently live in.
[00:03:38] [SPEAKER_01]: There is this joy that can come through
[00:03:43] [SPEAKER_01]: focusing on and refreshing our relationship with Jesus Christ.
[00:03:50] [SPEAKER_01]: And so he says rejoice in the Lord.
[00:03:54] [SPEAKER_01]: Now he's going to come back to this subject but he gives a little bit of a
[00:03:58] [SPEAKER_01]: warning about this rejoicing and specifically in an area where our joy
[00:04:03] [SPEAKER_01]: can be stolen, where he says in verse 2,
[00:04:07] [SPEAKER_01]: look out for the dogs, look out for the evil doers,
[00:04:11] [SPEAKER_01]: look out for those who mutilate the flesh.
[00:04:14] [SPEAKER_01]: Now in Paul's time there were these people that we commonly refer to as
[00:04:18] [SPEAKER_01]: Judaizers who went around and followed his ministry.
[00:04:23] [SPEAKER_01]: They despised the grace of God and the pure message of the Gospel.
[00:04:30] [SPEAKER_01]: And so they would come alongside of or behind a man like Paul and they would
[00:04:35] [SPEAKER_01]: teach people that faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross is not
[00:04:41] [SPEAKER_01]: enough for salvation but that there is a keeping of the law that is necessary.
[00:04:48] [SPEAKER_01]: And Paul refers to these legalists, these Judaizers in 2 Corinthians 11-13 as
[00:04:57] [SPEAKER_01]: deceitful workers.
[00:05:00] [SPEAKER_01]: And here he has a few different titles for them.
[00:05:03] [SPEAKER_01]: Number one, he calls them dogs which is filled with irony because
[00:05:08] [SPEAKER_01]: these Jewish legalists would call the Gentiles dogs but Paul refers to
[00:05:14] [SPEAKER_01]: them as dogs. This is Paul unvarnished just laying it out there putting a
[00:05:22] [SPEAKER_01]: hugely demeaning title upon these men. He also calls them evil doers or evil
[00:05:29] [SPEAKER_01]: workers, men who were working for their salvation trying to do in order to earn
[00:05:35] [SPEAKER_01]: salvation and this was evil in Paul's mind.
[00:05:38] [SPEAKER_01]: He also calls them mutilators of the flesh, those who mutilate the flesh.
[00:05:46] [SPEAKER_01]: And one of the infatuations for these Judaizers was the subject of
[00:05:52] [SPEAKER_01]: circumcision. Paul had gone around telling Gentile men who believed that
[00:05:57] [SPEAKER_01]: they did not need to be circumcised in order to follow the Lord.
[00:06:04] [SPEAKER_01]: And these Judaizers would come behind whispering in their ear saying,
[00:06:09] [SPEAKER_01]: no now it's time for you to adopt the law. It's time for you to become
[00:06:15] [SPEAKER_01]: circumcised and through this only will your salvation become complete.
[00:06:22] [SPEAKER_01]: And of course this circumcision back in the Old Testament era was simply an
[00:06:27] [SPEAKER_01]: evidence of the internal reality but it had come over time to be an external
[00:06:35] [SPEAKER_01]: thing that had no internal presence in it whatsoever. And even God had looked
[00:06:40] [SPEAKER_01]: forward to the day when there would be a circumcision of heart. Deuteronomy 30 verse
[00:06:46] [SPEAKER_01]: 6, the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your
[00:06:51] [SPEAKER_01]: descendants to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
[00:06:54] [SPEAKER_01]: your soul that you may live. And so these Judaizers did not understand the
[00:07:00] [SPEAKER_01]: wonderful internal work of God by his spirit. It was all external to them and
[00:07:06] [SPEAKER_01]: so Paul calls them men who love to mutilate the flesh. Then Paul goes on
[00:07:12] [SPEAKER_01]: to define his camp. Verse 3 he says for we are the circumcision. We are
[00:07:20] [SPEAKER_01]: the real believers really internally dealt with and that's a wonderful word
[00:07:26] [SPEAKER_01]: to use to describe what we who are in Christ love to see the Lord do in our
[00:07:32] [SPEAKER_01]: lives. To deal with our sin, to cut out our flesh and to you know cut away
[00:07:40] [SPEAKER_01]: that which is unnecessary, to cut away that which is you know in need of
[00:07:48] [SPEAKER_01]: purification. And so he says we are the circumcision those who worship by the
[00:07:55] [SPEAKER_01]: Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.
[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_01]: He's saying first of all we are the ones who are worshiping by the Spirit of
[00:08:08] [SPEAKER_01]: God. All of our religious activity, all of our worship is fueled, empowered,
[00:08:15] [SPEAKER_01]: motivated by the Spirit of God. And then he says we are those who glory in Christ
[00:08:22] [SPEAKER_01]: Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. These religionists were boasting
[00:08:27] [SPEAKER_01]: about what they were accomplishing and what they could do. They were the
[00:08:32] [SPEAKER_01]: kind of person that today would say well I'm a good person and I believe
[00:08:36] [SPEAKER_01]: that because I'm a good person God will accept me. Well Paul is saying no in
[00:08:42] [SPEAKER_01]: our camp we don't boast even in the slightest in our flesh. Our boast is
[00:08:49] [SPEAKER_01]: completely in what Jesus Christ has done for us. As Paul said in Romans chapter
[00:08:54] [SPEAKER_01]: 3 verse 27 he said where is boasting then? It is excluded by what law of works
[00:09:02] [SPEAKER_01]: no but by the law of faith. And so we are a people who boast completely in the
[00:09:09] [SPEAKER_01]: Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And you know for all of eternity
[00:09:13] [SPEAKER_01]: we will be singing songs to Jesus. We will be celebrating his great work
[00:09:18] [SPEAKER_01]: for us and we will not be singing songs about our faithfulness, about our
[00:09:24] [SPEAKER_01]: works, about our consecration and we will definitely not be singing or
[00:09:32] [SPEAKER_01]: rejoicing that we had somehow earned our spot in heaven. No, we will glory
[00:09:37] [SPEAKER_01]: in Christ alone and put no confidence in the flesh as these religious
[00:09:43] [SPEAKER_01]: Judaizers had done. Paul goes on in verse 4 and begins to recount his own past,
[00:09:51] [SPEAKER_01]: a time when he had put confidence in the flesh. And keep in mind this is all
[00:09:57] [SPEAKER_01]: based and all saturated with the theme of a lack of joy. Paul is saying
[00:10:04] [SPEAKER_01]: listen if you want joy in your life boast in Christ, if you want to have your
[00:10:10] [SPEAKER_01]: joy zapped then be a person who boasts in the flesh. And Paul had experienced
[00:10:17] [SPEAKER_01]: that life so he describes that previous joyless existence. He says verse 4
[00:10:23] [SPEAKER_01]: though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone
[00:10:28] [SPEAKER_01]: else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh I have more. And then
[00:10:33] [SPEAKER_01]: he lists his resume from a fleshly Jewish perspective circumcised on the
[00:10:41] [SPEAKER_01]: eighth day of the people of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of
[00:10:47] [SPEAKER_01]: Hebrews as to the law of Pharisee as to zeal a persecutor of the church as
[00:10:55] [SPEAKER_01]: to righteousness under the law blameless. And so he runs down his list,
[00:11:01] [SPEAKER_01]: you know circumcised on the eighth day according to Genesis 1712. He had fit
[00:11:08] [SPEAKER_01]: that requirement even from birth. He was nationally of Israel. His tribe was
[00:11:13] [SPEAKER_01]: of Benjamin. He was a Hebrew meaning it was pure. He was a Pharisee of
[00:11:18] [SPEAKER_01]: Pharisees. We learn in Acts 22 that he was taught by Gamaliel himself.
[00:11:23] [SPEAKER_01]: He was involved in verse 6, persecuting the church. We know that
[00:11:29] [SPEAKER_01]: he was there holding the garments of those who were stoning Stephen, the
[00:11:34] [SPEAKER_01]: first martyr in the church. And from that point onward until his
[00:11:38] [SPEAKER_01]: conversion Paul was involved in persecuting the body of Christ. And
[00:11:43] [SPEAKER_01]: he tells us there that he as to righteousness under the law. He was
[00:11:49] [SPEAKER_01]: blameless. He says in Galatians 1 verse 14 that he was advanced in
[00:11:54] [SPEAKER_01]: Judaism beyond many of his contemporaries in his own nation being more
[00:11:59] [SPEAKER_01]: exceedingly zealous for the traditions of his fathers. And so he was
[00:12:05] [SPEAKER_01]: sincere in his desire to work for salvation, but he was wrong in
[00:12:10] [SPEAKER_01]: trying to work for a salvation at the very same time. Salvation has
[00:12:14] [SPEAKER_01]: always been by faith. Abraham Genesis 15 verse 6 believed God and
[00:12:21] [SPEAKER_01]: God accounted it to him for righteousness. And this is the common
[00:12:27] [SPEAKER_01]: denominator boiling it all down issue within mankind. Mankind in
[00:12:36] [SPEAKER_01]: the pride of his heart thinks that he should be able to and can work
[00:12:42] [SPEAKER_01]: for his salvation by being good enough, kind enough, gentle enough
[00:12:47] [SPEAKER_01]: or in some cases just not bad enough. I just wasn't too evil that
[00:12:55] [SPEAKER_01]: somehow that will God owes salvation to them based on their works.
[00:13:01] [SPEAKER_01]: But that's a joyless existence according to Paul and he said
[00:13:05] [SPEAKER_01]: that's how he used to be. But he says verse 7, but whatever gain
[00:13:09] [SPEAKER_01]: I had I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count
[00:13:15] [SPEAKER_01]: everything as a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing
[00:13:19] [SPEAKER_01]: Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I've suffered the loss of all
[00:13:25] [SPEAKER_01]: things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ
[00:13:30] [SPEAKER_01]: and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that
[00:13:35] [SPEAKER_01]: comes from the law but that which comes through faith in Christ
[00:13:39] [SPEAKER_01]: the righteousness from God that depends on faith.
[00:13:45] [SPEAKER_01]: Now Paul tells us in Romans chapter 7 that there was a moment of
[00:13:50] [SPEAKER_01]: revelation in his life. He tells us in Romans 7 that when he
[00:13:56] [SPEAKER_01]: considered the command thou shall not covet it really began to
[00:14:00] [SPEAKER_01]: penetrate his heart. He realized that there was no external thing
[00:14:05] [SPEAKER_01]: that he could do to keep his heart from being covetous that
[00:14:09] [SPEAKER_01]: there was this thing inside of him that was drawn to sin.
[00:14:14] [SPEAKER_01]: And it was at that moment that he realized a great need for
[00:14:18] [SPEAKER_01]: internal redemption as well. And so Paul says listen I counted
[00:14:23] [SPEAKER_01]: all of this as loss. It would do nothing for me as far as being
[00:14:29] [SPEAKER_01]: a redeemed individual finding salvation or everlasting life
[00:14:35] [SPEAKER_01]: being of the tribe of Benjamin or a Hebrew of Hebrews or a
[00:14:38] [SPEAKER_01]: Pharisee keeping the ceremonial law. None of it would do me
[00:14:43] [SPEAKER_01]: a thing. And so he says I counted all of it as loss and
[00:14:48] [SPEAKER_01]: not just loss but he says verse 8 I count it as rubbish in
[00:14:53] [SPEAKER_01]: order that I may gain Christ and have a relationship with
[00:14:58] [SPEAKER_01]: him. He considered all of that all of those things on his
[00:15:03] [SPEAKER_01]: resume as refuse as garbage as dung and so we as a people must
[00:15:09] [SPEAKER_01]: refuse to bring our good works to God as a way to earn a righteous
[00:15:15] [SPEAKER_01]: standing in his sight. We must be a people who lean wholly upon
[00:15:21] [SPEAKER_01]: the name of Jesus Christ.
[00:15:24] [SPEAKER_01]: Now Paul understood this of course is a place of great
[00:15:28] [SPEAKER_01]: rejoicing and so he said in verse 9 his whole goal was to be
[00:15:32] [SPEAKER_01]: found in Jesus and not having a righteousness that he had
[00:15:36] [SPEAKER_01]: created that came from the law but that which comes through
[00:15:39] [SPEAKER_01]: faith in Christ. The righteousness from God that
[00:15:43] [SPEAKER_01]: depends on faith. He was tired of his old Pharisee
[00:15:46] [SPEAKER_01]: version of righteousness. It was so weak, so fleshy, so
[00:15:50] [SPEAKER_01]: human. He wanted the righteousness that came from God that
[00:15:54] [SPEAKER_01]: depended on his faith in Christ Jesus. Now verse 10 Paul
[00:16:00] [SPEAKER_01]: as he speaks of this rejoicing and speaks of counting all of
[00:16:04] [SPEAKER_01]: these things as loss and rubbish. He says in verse 10
[00:16:07] [SPEAKER_01]: he says listen I wanted to gain Christ so that verse
[00:16:11] [SPEAKER_01]: 10 I may know him and the power of his resurrection
[00:16:16] [SPEAKER_01]: and may share his sufferings becoming like him in his death
[00:16:21] [SPEAKER_01]: that by any means possible I may attain to the resurrection
[00:16:26] [SPEAKER_01]: from the dead. Notice the heartbeat of this man.
[00:16:30] [SPEAKER_01]: He wanted to know Jesus. This was his goal within his
[00:16:35] [SPEAKER_01]: heart that I may know him to personally, experientially
[00:16:41] [SPEAKER_01]: have a knowledge of Jesus Christ. He wanted a depth with
[00:16:46] [SPEAKER_01]: Jesus and abiding relationship with Jesus a fellowship
[00:16:51] [SPEAKER_01]: with Jesus. He wanted to know Jesus in any and every
[00:16:56] [SPEAKER_01]: single way. This is the man that had said for me to
[00:16:59] [SPEAKER_01]: live is Christ and to die is game life itself would
[00:17:05] [SPEAKER_01]: be Christ for him. It would be found in Christ. He
[00:17:09] [SPEAKER_01]: would abide in Christ. He just wanted to know Jesus. He
[00:17:12] [SPEAKER_01]: wanted to experience more of Christ and you know here
[00:17:18] [SPEAKER_01]: he is 30 years down the line from that acts nine
[00:17:23] [SPEAKER_01]: experience and encounter when he was knocked to the
[00:17:26] [SPEAKER_01]: ground with the bright and shining light by Jesus
[00:17:28] [SPEAKER_01]: Christ and converted within his heart 30 years later
[00:17:32] [SPEAKER_01]: Paul is saying I still want to know him more intimately
[00:17:36] [SPEAKER_01]: than I've ever known him and he wanted more of Jesus
[00:17:41] [SPEAKER_01]: and the thing about knowing Christ and experiencing
[00:17:44] [SPEAKER_01]: him. It's the most satisfying thing in the world, but it
[00:17:49] [SPEAKER_01]: also creates a deep hunger within you for more of
[00:17:53] [SPEAKER_01]: Jesus. No relationship on earth can compare to
[00:17:57] [SPEAKER_01]: knowing Christ and he also wanted to know the power
[00:18:01] [SPEAKER_01]: of his resurrection to experience the resurrection
[00:18:05] [SPEAKER_01]: power of Jesus Christ to be able to say I've been
[00:18:08] [SPEAKER_01]: crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live but
[00:18:11] [SPEAKER_01]: Christ who lives in me and I'd say that Paul lived
[00:18:16] [SPEAKER_01]: a powerful life even in Philippi as he had cast the
[00:18:21] [SPEAKER_01]: demon out of the slave girl and and experienced
[00:18:23] [SPEAKER_01]: the earthquake in the middle of the night which
[00:18:26] [SPEAKER_01]: had loosed his bonds and say him free from prison
[00:18:31] [SPEAKER_01]: as he had raised you to kiss from the dead. He had
[00:18:35] [SPEAKER_01]: experienced a powerful, powerful life but he wanted
[00:18:39] [SPEAKER_01]: to experience more of the power of Jesus's
[00:18:42] [SPEAKER_01]: resurrection but notice this as well. He wanted
[00:18:45] [SPEAKER_01]: to experience and to share in his sufferings. As
[00:18:49] [SPEAKER_01]: I've said before this is the one time in our
[00:18:52] [SPEAKER_01]: life the long span of our eternal lives if we're
[00:18:55] [SPEAKER_01]: in Christ that we have a chance to suffer with
[00:18:58] [SPEAKER_01]: Jesus to partake of what the new King James version
[00:19:03] [SPEAKER_01]: refers to as the fellowship of his sufferings. Paul
[00:19:06] [SPEAKER_01]: said I want to share in his sufferings and there's
[00:19:09] [SPEAKER_01]: a fellowship with Jesus that you only are exposed
[00:19:14] [SPEAKER_01]: to and only enter into as you suffer for his
[00:19:19] [SPEAKER_01]: namesake not suffering as a result of your own
[00:19:23] [SPEAKER_01]: sin but suffering in trial but also and more
[00:19:29] [SPEAKER_01]: purely suffering for the cause of Christ and
[00:19:33] [SPEAKER_01]: laboring hard and seeing the difficulty and all
[00:19:36] [SPEAKER_01]: of that to get close to Jesus by partaking of
[00:19:41] [SPEAKER_01]: his sufferings. Now of course we will not
[00:19:44] [SPEAKER_01]: suffer in a substitutionary death kind of way
[00:19:47] [SPEAKER_01]: as Jesus had done only Jesus could suffer in
[00:19:50] [SPEAKER_01]: that way only Jesus could say it is finished
[00:19:53] [SPEAKER_01]: but Paul was longing for this closer fellowship
[00:19:57] [SPEAKER_01]: with Christ. Every labor every stripe every
[00:20:01] [SPEAKER_01]: death the experiences he was beaten and stoned
[00:20:04] [SPEAKER_01]: and shipwrecked and abandoned in the deep
[00:20:07] [SPEAKER_01]: and on many journeys and perils of waters and
[00:20:10] [SPEAKER_01]: robbers and Jews and Gentiles and city
[00:20:12] [SPEAKER_01]: and wilderness and sea false brethren
[00:20:14] [SPEAKER_01]: weariness and toil sleeplessness
[00:20:17] [SPEAKER_01]: hunger and thirst fastings cold and nakedness
[00:20:21] [SPEAKER_01]: his deep concern for the church and all of
[00:20:24] [SPEAKER_01]: it that he listed there in 2 Corinthians
[00:20:26] [SPEAKER_01]: chapter 11 Paul was enjoying a deep
[00:20:30] [SPEAKER_01]: fellowship with Jesus and I never want
[00:20:35] [SPEAKER_01]: and desire personally the trials that
[00:20:40] [SPEAKER_01]: come my way through serving him and
[00:20:44] [SPEAKER_01]: embracing and partaking in some small
[00:20:46] [SPEAKER_01]: way the fellowship of Jesus's suffering
[00:20:49] [SPEAKER_01]: sharing in his sufferings I would never
[00:20:51] [SPEAKER_01]: vote for them or ask for them specifically
[00:20:55] [SPEAKER_01]: but in my heart of hearts I know that
[00:20:58] [SPEAKER_01]: those times are so sweet because there's
[00:21:01] [SPEAKER_01]: a depth with Christ that I can go to a
[00:21:05] [SPEAKER_01]: level I can go to with Jesus that is
[00:21:07] [SPEAKER_01]: not possible without a little bit of that
[00:21:10] [SPEAKER_01]: difficulty without a little bit of that
[00:21:12] [SPEAKER_01]: death becoming like him to a greater
[00:21:14] [SPEAKER_01]: degree that by any means possible as
[00:21:17] [SPEAKER_01]: Paul said I may attain to the resurrection
[00:21:21] [SPEAKER_01]: from the dead now Paul moves on here and
[00:21:27] [SPEAKER_01]: he begins to show the Philippians his
[00:21:30] [SPEAKER_01]: philosophy of life remember the joy that
[00:21:33] [SPEAKER_01]: he'd spoken of back in verse 1 rejoice
[00:21:35] [SPEAKER_01]: in the Lord well here is a joy filled
[00:21:39] [SPEAKER_01]: life let me ask you if this sounds
[00:21:41] [SPEAKER_01]: like a joyful man he says in verse 12
[00:21:43] [SPEAKER_01]: first of all not that I have already
[00:21:46] [SPEAKER_01]: obtained this or am already perfect but
[00:21:51] [SPEAKER_01]: I press on to make it my own because
[00:21:54] [SPEAKER_01]: Christ Jesus has made me his own this is
[00:21:59] [SPEAKER_01]: by the way the greatest motivation for
[00:22:05] [SPEAKER_01]: just having a perspective that you
[00:22:09] [SPEAKER_01]: have not already attained I mean Paul had
[00:22:12] [SPEAKER_01]: this low view of himself Matthew 5 verse
[00:22:15] [SPEAKER_01]: 3 Jesus said blessed are the poor in
[00:22:17] [SPEAKER_01]: spirit for theirs is the kingdom of
[00:22:19] [SPEAKER_01]: heaven and after 30 years of walking
[00:22:21] [SPEAKER_01]: with Christ very fruitfully Paul said I
[00:22:26] [SPEAKER_01]: have not already attained and I have
[00:22:28] [SPEAKER_01]: not already been made perfect and he
[00:22:32] [SPEAKER_01]: explains to them you know I'm
[00:22:34] [SPEAKER_01]: pressing on to make these things my
[00:22:37] [SPEAKER_01]: own that fellowship with Christ that
[00:22:40] [SPEAKER_01]: that knowledge of him that power of his
[00:22:42] [SPEAKER_01]: resurrection that sharing in his
[00:22:44] [SPEAKER_01]: sufferings becoming like him in his
[00:22:46] [SPEAKER_01]: death I am pressing on towards that for
[00:22:50] [SPEAKER_01]: a simple reason Christ has made me his
[00:22:53] [SPEAKER_01]: own he understood that he was bought
[00:22:56] [SPEAKER_01]: with the price he was a blood-bought
[00:22:58] [SPEAKER_01]: man and this was his inward and
[00:23:02] [SPEAKER_01]: internal motivation it's not enough
[00:23:04] [SPEAKER_01]: to have a motivation to be a
[00:23:06] [SPEAKER_01]: blessing to the people around you and
[00:23:08] [SPEAKER_01]: to get some measure of self-control in
[00:23:11] [SPEAKER_01]: your life or self-betterment or
[00:23:12] [SPEAKER_01]: anything like that your motivation
[00:23:14] [SPEAKER_01]: ultimately has to be because Christ
[00:23:16] [SPEAKER_01]: Jesus has made me his own who am I under
[00:23:20] [SPEAKER_01]: this new ownership where crisis paid a
[00:23:24] [SPEAKER_01]: steep price for me whom I to act as if
[00:23:27] [SPEAKER_01]: I am my own and under my own
[00:23:32] [SPEAKER_01]: management no I belong to Jesus
[00:23:34] [SPEAKER_01]: brothers verse 13 I do not consider
[00:23:37] [SPEAKER_01]: that I have made it my own but one
[00:23:41] [SPEAKER_01]: thing I do forgetting what lies behind
[00:23:44] [SPEAKER_01]: and straining forward to what lies ahead
[00:23:47] [SPEAKER_01]: I press on toward the goal for the
[00:23:51] [SPEAKER_01]: prize of the upward call of God in
[00:23:54] [SPEAKER_01]: Christ Jesus so Paul gives his
[00:23:58] [SPEAKER_01]: philosophy of life his perspective in
[00:24:00] [SPEAKER_01]: so many ways when he says listen this
[00:24:03] [SPEAKER_01]: is what I do first of all I forget
[00:24:06] [SPEAKER_01]: what lies behind you know there is a
[00:24:10] [SPEAKER_01]: spirit inspired forgetfulness that can
[00:24:13] [SPEAKER_01]: be so healthy for God's children to
[00:24:18] [SPEAKER_01]: forget about the former days to forget
[00:24:22] [SPEAKER_01]: about the progress even that you
[00:24:24] [SPEAKER_01]: potentially made even the father prunes
[00:24:27] [SPEAKER_01]: the branches that are attached to the
[00:24:30] [SPEAKER_01]: vine and the branches that are
[00:24:31] [SPEAKER_01]: attached to the vine are things that
[00:24:35] [SPEAKER_01]: have grown out of relationship with the
[00:24:37] [SPEAKER_01]: vine but the father doesn't give
[00:24:40] [SPEAKER_01]: credence to the historical work of
[00:24:43] [SPEAKER_01]: Christ in our lives he's doing a work
[00:24:47] [SPEAKER_01]: right now and Paul himself says listen
[00:24:50] [SPEAKER_01]: I forget about what I've done before
[00:24:54] [SPEAKER_01]: and I move on he says I'm straining
[00:24:58] [SPEAKER_01]: forward to what lies ahead he was
[00:25:01] [SPEAKER_01]: always looking ahead of him down the
[00:25:03] [SPEAKER_01]: road thinking about the next part of
[00:25:06] [SPEAKER_01]: his race he said I press on toward the
[00:25:09] [SPEAKER_01]: goal for the prize of the upward call
[00:25:12] [SPEAKER_01]: of God in Christ Jesus Paul was a man
[00:25:15] [SPEAKER_01]: who was consumed with the eternal
[00:25:19] [SPEAKER_01]: reward that he would receive he told
[00:25:21] [SPEAKER_01]: the Corinthian church that he longed
[00:25:24] [SPEAKER_01]: for his works when he reported for his
[00:25:28] [SPEAKER_01]: life and gave an account for his life
[00:25:30] [SPEAKER_01]: before the Lord he wanted his works
[00:25:32] [SPEAKER_01]: to not be wood hay and stubble but to
[00:25:34] [SPEAKER_01]: be gold and silver and precious stones
[00:25:37] [SPEAKER_01]: things that would last and endure in the
[00:25:39] [SPEAKER_01]: fire he always spoke of the crown that
[00:25:43] [SPEAKER_01]: he was pursuing running his race to win
[00:25:47] [SPEAKER_01]: the race putting his body into
[00:25:50] [SPEAKER_01]: subjection so that he could receive that
[00:25:52] [SPEAKER_01]: goal that prize that upward call of
[00:25:56] [SPEAKER_01]: God in Christ Jesus let those verse
[00:25:58] [SPEAKER_01]: 15 of us who are mature think this
[00:26:01] [SPEAKER_01]: way and if in anything you think
[00:26:03] [SPEAKER_01]: otherwise God will reveal that also to
[00:26:06] [SPEAKER_01]: you only let us hold true to what we
[00:26:10] [SPEAKER_01]: have attained and so Paul in rebuking
[00:26:13] [SPEAKER_01]: this legalistic mindset and in longing
[00:26:17] [SPEAKER_01]: for us to experience joy says have this
[00:26:21] [SPEAKER_01]: mindset within you think this way and
[00:26:24] [SPEAKER_01]: the mind and what we set our minds
[00:26:27] [SPEAKER_01]: upon the way we think is all important
[00:26:30] [SPEAKER_01]: in bringing us joy brothers verse 17
[00:26:34] [SPEAKER_01]: join in imitating me and keep your eyes
[00:26:37] [SPEAKER_01]: on those who walk according to the
[00:26:39] [SPEAKER_01]: example you have in us Paul was unafraid
[00:26:42] [SPEAKER_01]: to say imitate me to the Corinthians
[00:26:45] [SPEAKER_01]: he would say imitate me as I imitate
[00:26:47] [SPEAKER_01]: Christ that was no scapegoat for Paul
[00:26:51] [SPEAKER_01]: it was no no you know asterisk kind of
[00:26:56] [SPEAKER_01]: statement is in saying hey as long as
[00:26:58] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm obeying the Lord follow me but there
[00:27:01] [SPEAKER_01]: will be some things you don't want to
[00:27:03] [SPEAKER_01]: imitate no he was confident that his life
[00:27:06] [SPEAKER_01]: was moving in the right direction
[00:27:09] [SPEAKER_01]: imitate me he would say for many of whom
[00:27:11] [SPEAKER_01]: verse 18 I have often told you and now
[00:27:14] [SPEAKER_01]: tell you even with tears walk his
[00:27:17] [SPEAKER_01]: enemies of the cross of Christ their
[00:27:20] [SPEAKER_01]: end is destruction their God is their
[00:27:23] [SPEAKER_01]: belly and they glory and their shame
[00:27:26] [SPEAKER_01]: with mindset on earthly things so he's
[00:27:30] [SPEAKER_01]: very clear about these folks their end
[00:27:32] [SPEAKER_01]: is an everlasting destruction they are
[00:27:35] [SPEAKER_01]: worshippers of their own belly and they
[00:27:38] [SPEAKER_01]: glory and shameful things they boast
[00:27:41] [SPEAKER_01]: about things you should not boast about
[00:27:43] [SPEAKER_01]: but Paul says but our citizenship is in
[00:27:47] [SPEAKER_01]: heaven and from it we await a savior
[00:27:50] [SPEAKER_01]: the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform
[00:27:52] [SPEAKER_01]: our lowly body to be like his glorious
[00:27:56] [SPEAKER_01]: body by the power that enables him even
[00:28:00] [SPEAKER_01]: to subject all things to himself
[00:28:03] [SPEAKER_01]: Paul explains to these Philippians who
[00:28:07] [SPEAKER_01]: would have been so proud of their
[00:28:08] [SPEAKER_01]: Philippian citizenship Philippi was a
[00:28:11] [SPEAKER_01]: great city a honorable city but Paul says
[00:28:17] [SPEAKER_01]: listen Philippians are citizenship it is
[00:28:20] [SPEAKER_01]: in heaven set your mind on heavenly
[00:28:23] [SPEAKER_01]: things not like these enemies of the
[00:28:26] [SPEAKER_01]: cross who set them on earthly things
[00:28:28] [SPEAKER_01]: and Christ will transform your lowly
[00:28:32] [SPEAKER_01]: body someday to be like his glorious
[00:28:35] [SPEAKER_01]: body set your mind and your heart on
[00:28:39] [SPEAKER_01]: that and you will have great joy God
[00:28:43] [SPEAKER_01]: bless you and amen
[00:28:46] [SPEAKER_00]: thank you for listening for additional
[00:28:49] [SPEAKER_00]: resources and teachings or to contact us
[00:28:52] [SPEAKER_00]: please visit us at Nate Holdridge.com