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Other in that we take up Philippians chapter 3.
Read the whole chapter.
Philippians chapter 3, the beginning of verse one.
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you. To me indeed is not reason, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of confession. But we are the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit.
And rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though I might also have confidence in the flesh, if any other man thinketh that he has, where off he might trust in the flesh eye more circumcised the 8th day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, and Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law a Pharisee.
Concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless. But what things were gained to me? Those I counted laws for Christ, Yeah, doubtless. And I count all things but loss for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things. And do count them but dunk, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having my own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ.
The righteousness which is of God by faith, but I may know him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might obtain attained unto the resurrection of the dead, not as though I had already attained either were already perfect, but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also.
I am apprehended of Chrys Visas, brethren, I cannot myself to have apprehended but this one thing I do for getting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many be as be perfect.
Be thus minded, and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Brethren, be followers together of me, and market them which walk so as ye have us for an example for many walk, of whom I have told you often and now.
Tell you, even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, whose mind earthly things?
For our conversation is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working, whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.
We began the meeting with the.
Words by thee, O God, invited. We look unto the sun. And I trust that it is the desire of the heart of every one of us during this time of the meetings to have our focus, the focus of our hearts and our attention on the object of our souls for now and ever, the Lord Jesus Christ.
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It's God's central theme of his own heart, and he has brought us to himself that he might share with us that which is his joy and his Son. And so, my God, this morning we are invited to look onto the sun, to have our thoughts, our our hearts occupied with himself.
This chapter well back up for a moment.
Umm, from Genesis 11 to the last verse in Revelation 22, we can find that which would bring before us in one way or another something of the Lord Jesus, and we can be occupied with Him in that way. But there are particular scriptures which more definitely focus the thoughts of the mind and the heart on His person.
We find that in the Gospels, we find it in John particularly, but it's also in Hebrews chapter one, his person. In Colossians chapter one, his person is brought before us. That's not exactly Philippians 3 that we're reading and to meditate on this morning. It's rather the apostle Paul as a person who had put his heart and the object of his life on the Lord Jesus.
And he was encouraging in this chapter his brethren to do the same. And so hopefully in our hearts this morning, we'll hear the message that the apostle Paul was given by the Spirit to us to set.
Before our souls, the Lord Jesus, in a practical way, as the true daily object of our lives. To do that, He begins the chapter with some warnings.
Somewhat negative, and it's not really on my heart that we would spend a lot of time in the first 7 verses, but they are exhortation to us of things that will hinder us from setting our hearts and living with the Lord Jesus as an object. The center of the chapter brings before us why and how the Apostle Paul had set his heart on the Lord.
Particularly just to emphasize the beginning, he says in the end of verse eight that I may win Christ, and then in chapter verse 10, the beginning of that verse that I may know Him. And hopefully each one of us will have an increased desire in our souls as a result of what the Spirit of God may give to us to say I want to win Christ.
And I want to know Him even more than I do personally and individually in my heart. I wanna know Him. And then the end of the chapter ends with some further warnings of other things that tend to draw the heart away through other people from having Christ as the object of the soul and of the heart. And so we have to be warned, there are difficulties.
To practically realizing this truth in our arts and in our lives. And yet there is the positive drawing power of the Spirit of God in the chapter that each one of us would truly have the Lord Jesus Christ.
Without distraction.
As the primary and sole focus of our life.
And it's looked at as a race isn't in this chapter. So it's something that is in process of formation in it. Those desires that I may win Christ, that I may know him.
It is not something Paul says that he had attained, but that he was pursuing with all his energies. And I think that is a beautiful thing to keep in mind too. We have entertained brother. Here We are down here in this world, yes, struggling, but to have the right.
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Objective before the sole is what forms us, and if we can get that in before our souls, it's nothing.
Uh, of what we are so much as what is he is.
It's, uh, sometimes I say the Old Testament was more a focus of what man was, could he produce, and he failed miserably.
The New Testament is more a focus of what Christ is.
And it's leaving behind what we are to be occupied with, God's beloved Son. We live in a culture that is so man centered. And I really have to confess, brethren, that I have to say I have been severely affected by the culture I'm passing through. So much of our thinking is self-centered. What do I get out of this?
What is my place? It's not that in Christianity, it's a focus on who Christ is to win Him, to be found in him to.
Know him that that's what Christianity really is.
It's not a high speed race, it's an endurance race.
And the blessed thing for every believer is that you're going to win it. Gold is into the soul of the of the journey is Christ. But God wants us to enjoy it now, so we want to get there too.
I've often wondered why is it that we don't run better in this race? I really believe it's because we haven't got sufficiently clear before our souls. The.
Goal verse 14, he says, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
You understand the price. Paul got a glimpse of the prize. He came back to this world and he was a ruined man as far as any earthly objectives were concerned, so that we would have more of a glimpse of the prize at the end. It would make us run with more endeavor.
Mm-hmm. The problem is our brother mentioned here, it warns us things that seems negative, but these are the hindrances our brothers speaking about as we're passing through the scene. We're affected by things we see by people we need. So here in verse two and three, it gives us some of the ideas of what could hinder us from enjoying our blessed Savior. In verse two, there is as beware of dogs, and then it says beware of evil workers.
And then it says, beware of concisions. And then it sets that about the flash. Now, you know, I'd rather mention nothing. We don't want to dwell too much on these evil, but just to mention it briefly, because we are all of these hindrances, uh, before us, the dogs, well, beware of dogs. I believe it speaks of these shameless evil when a society that there's so many things that is no longer shameful and we ourselves are getting so accustomed to it. We don't look at it as the way the word of God will look at it. We glance over things. We just look at them and say, well, everyone else is doing it, so not worry about it. The society have accepted certain things.
Well, do we have to shameless evil, we have to be careful that because it will hinder our walk here and then it said evil workers. Well, I believe here that it speaks of those false doctrines that we hear and that we see, you know, sometimes we hear people say don't worry about doctrines, doctrines divide and love will unite. How false that is. We need do we not close doctrines from the word of God. We need the word of God.
As our guide we need to follow.
Not men, but rather what God has for us. And then of course, the next thing is the conditions. Well, to put it simply, I believe it. It means spiritual pride. Do we have that? Do we think we're better than the other Christians? Or rather than be humble before the Lord, there are such thing as spiritual pride. In fact, sometimes I fear even watching young people, how some young people might say we have a selected group here, that we walk better than the others.
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Be very careful through spiritual pride can lead us down. And then of course, the flesh, the flesh often lead us perhaps into the moral, uh, sin that we shouldn't, uh, uh, uh, walk in that way. So we have to be aware of it and then be occupied with Christ instead of trying to find ways to overcome these problems. Enjoy the Lord as our brother mentioned. Look at what is ahead of us.
Look at that reward, being with our blessed Savior, being conforming to His image, knowing that it is only a little time left here, but we shall be with Him.
I've noticed that the again not to spend time on it, but I've noticed that the warnings are often particularly connected with the truth that is brought before us.
I know this is going over familiar ground, but won't hurt to repeat it. And that is that the 2nd chapter of Philippians is more Christ in mandate. It's more the graciousness of the Christian life. And so the warnings there have to do with the hindrances to that in US. Let nothing be done through strife or Vainglory. Let each steep other better than themselves and so on.
But in the third chapter, it's more Christ in glory that is there as an object as we've had brought before us. It's a risen Christ whom we pursue after, although morally, you might say, we're still in the wilderness in Philippians. And so the warnings here have to do with what hinders our enjoyment of our heavenly calling, with what hinders are running that race, with what hinders our getting hold of Christ.
Not so much in manhood down here, precious although it is, but a risen Christ in glory. And what has been the bane of the Church down through the ages in that way, what has been the hindrance? It has been the seeking to bring Christianity down to the level of this world. It has been the Judaizing of Christianity, the trying as has been brought out to pursue after something for man in the flesh.
Rather than seeing that God totally has finished with that and that now God has set His Son at His right hand in heaven and as an object for us. So the warnings here in a general way tend to have that flavor that they are perhaps more directed against that which hinders our enjoyment of Christ in that place where He is now and the reaching forward to Him in the race.
As a risen Christ in glory.
You can't help but think of Sister Fran Harrison. She, I think she's still in the body.
And, uh, I'm just gonna read you her favorite verse. It's in Genesis 45, verse 20. Also, regard Not your stuff for the good of all. The land of Egypt is yours. She used to say that so many times regarding Not your stuff. That's our greatest problem in the United States of America. We have too much stuff, too much things that keep us occupied with earthly things.
And not with Christ.
I I remember when I was lying in the hospital.
On a bed could move and I had the sweetest times of cooking.
Communion with the Lord. I didn't regard my stuff at all, meant nothing to me, but he meant everything. The good of all the land of Egypt, the good of all the glory.
That is before us. That's what we should be occupied with. And we think of these poor people in Africa and other parts of the world, they don't have much stuff at all. And if they get saved, they don't have the hindrance that we have because they don't have those things. And they they can just be occupied with the Lord. And it's not easy. It's not easy for, for us in this land to do that.
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I think that's why in verse one, brethren, before he gives warnings in verse two and three.
Is that exhortation rejoice in the Lord? It is what we have so often in this epistle back in chapter 4, verse four is well known verse rejoice in the Lord.
Always. Did you get it? He says. I'm going to say it again.
Rejoice. You know, you can't rejoice often in our circumstances, but we can always rejoice in the Lord, and that's to be our portion to have Him before our soul. We've been called into the fellowship of God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is a portion which will never change.
Then we give that sufficiently before the soul, the injunctions of verse two and three.
The warnings have real focus, real meaning. Like to add to that a little.
Everybody in this room, especially if you're beyond a little baby.
Probably today sits here with some sorrow in your soul.
It is part of your life. What you are finding this morning is something that is pressing upon your spirit.
Might be different than it is for me, but each one of us in this room at this moment is going through some burden of thought that is sorrowful to us.
And I think it's very important to see how the apostle Paul brings that out so that we ourselves can go on with a focus on the Lord Jesus.
And recognize that sorrow at the same time that is in US. In the previous chapter, Paul, just before he starts this chapter, in verse 25, he talks about an individual, Epaphroditus, a brother. In verse 26, he says he was full of heaviness that you'd heard he'd been sick. And verse 27, he says for Paul, for me also, lest I should have sorrow.
Upon sorrow.
And.
He refers to that sorrow, and then he goes. But in the beginning of this chapter he says, finally, my brethren, rejoice.
Now the scripture presents to us that our lives are going to be all the time a mixture of both.
But our focus on the Lord Jesus tends to be pulled away.
And we become occupied with that which is producing sorrow in us to the extent that we lose sight of the Lord Jesus in a way that we don't rejoice, even though as Bob just presented to us the exhortation to do it.
But it's well for us to reflect on the Lord Jesus every day of his life. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He didn't go through a day where he didn't have that, can I say, deal with. But at the same time, his life was a constant delight.
For God and for Himself.
Because he said, I delight to do thy will, Oh my God. And every single day of his life he found a constant enjoyment.
In doing the will of his father.
And he rejoiced in everything that the Father did for his own glory.
And so the cause of the theme is to be true of us, as Scripture says, as sorrowful.
Yes, always rejoicing, and if I can't rejoice, there is something missing in my heart at that moment that is not of God. There are many reasons for that, one of which one of the most important of which is unbelief in the goodness that's in God's heart. That's the single biggest thing that hinders us from enjoying God all the time.
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And rejoicing always is because there has been allowed in us something that says.
God shouldn't be doing what he's doing and allowing this or that in my life or the life of someone I love. And if only God would change it, then I could be happy.
And very often our prayers are connected with removing a person from the circumstances that are producing sorrow to them and sorrow to us.
And very often that's not the will of God nor his purpose, which is always eternal and for our good. So if we see in this chapter, just to mention that it's a hindrance to the soul from having Christ as the object and gain on a practical basis because we have allowed something to come in that has and sorrow is specifically what's before me at the moment.
To be that which is drawing us away from the enjoyment of His love. And nothing is to come between our souls and His love. And if it does, then we get out of balance and we can't go on as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.
How thankful we can be.
For what God does allow in our lives.
We would not choose everything that he chooses.
He chose us before the foundation of the world to be conformed to the image of His Son. We would never have chosen Christ. Romans 3 says that there is none that understand it. There is none that seeketh after God.
Naturally, we are not seekers of God.
Of his own will.
Begahias.
By His spirit and what He allows in our lives is a display of the love of God for me personally, for my family, as a family.
But nationalist grace it is that allows.
Unpleasant things at times that I would never have chosen.
I once had three elderly grown and elderly sisters in my home.
In 30 days, they were all three in heaven.
Uh, and it's one of the greatest blessings in my life. Uh, even though I lost my wife, her mother and her sister.
Uh, her mother's sister, but, uh, these things were all for blessing to, to display to me the loving hand of God.
And, uh, over and over.
If we will retrace our big problems, we will find what blessings came out of them all in the end.
And thank you for it. That's a blessing.
And and disguise. There's some verses in Psalm 43 I'd like to read, brethren, because it seems to connect with what we have here.
That our joy cannot be in circumstances that we pass through.
00:30:02
We learn to have our joy in the Lord.
But here David says in verse 2, for thou art the God of my strength and then he he puts a question why does thou cast me off? Why go I mourning. There's the sorrow that done was talking about because of the oppression of the enemy and now notice verse 30 send out thy light and thy truth. Let them lead me. We need to be careful to let our thoughts be born by the word of God, not our own impression.
Let them bring me into thy holy hill, and to thy Tabernacle. Then notice verse four. I think it's so beautiful. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God.
My exceeding joy isn't that beautiful, God?
My exceeding joy, Oh brethren, we have been brought to know God in a fuller sense than any other people's whole history of this world.
And it is our joy to know him.
There's Romans chapter 5. We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ and know Him. What a privilege that brings us down to what Don is wanting to focus on.
To look at the.
End of the.
Eighth verse That I may win Christ. That's one thing.
In Him, and then the tenderers to know Him. You brought those things before us when in Christ. When will that be for us?
Go ahead, you tell us for the Clem, I'm listening real good.
When we're in heaven with him.
On the other side of death.
Were positionally there now, but the practical realization of it that Paul was seeking.
Was to be with the glorified man Christ, where he was in the same condition and position that he was in, which is on the other side of death and on the positive side of resurrection.
So he says, I count not myself to have obtained, but I press toward that mark, which was to have Christ for himself in the glory where Christ is.
I'd like to back up for a moment and address the young people.
By May young people, please.
Give us a moment.
I'm gonna make an application of the first verse to you. Paul says to write the same things to you is safe.
We live in a restless world.
And some of you and some of us.
Whether young or old, exhibit a restless spirit.
Why?
Because God has so formed us that there is only one object of our hearts that will satisfy eternally, and that's His Son. And if our hearts are set on anything else, then the Lord Jesus, we are going to be restless in our spirits. The world is restless because it is constantly seeking.
And it's not able to find something that will satisfy it, and consequently it's constantly changing for some new thing and an attempt to satisfy the thirst of the human spirit for satisfaction.
And the speed of change is greater with the present technology that's available to man throughout the world.
And he is constantly seeking something to satisfy, but it doesn't. Or if it does temporarily, he has to have it in greater measure and then greater measure still. And so television, as an example, started out with certain things that satisfied and the amount of violence per 30 minutes had to constantly increase and so on in order to give a stimulus.
00:35:24
To man that didn't bore him.
And we are to some degree tend to be affected by that style. Little thing like style and clothing and this and that is constantly changing.
Partially to sell it, but also to satisfy man and so everything that he does.
He changes to something else and then tells you you're not satisfied with what he just you had last year. You need a new car, you need a new this, you need a new that. You need a new game. You need something to satisfy you. That's the characteristic of a restless world. But dear young people and older ones, you can waste your life.
Use that word again. You can waste your life trying to be stimulated.
Buy something that won't bore you.
God presents to your soul and mind His own Son and nothing, absolutely nothing else, The way He created you is going to give you any lasting satisfaction outside of that person. If He's not the satisfying object of your heart and your life, to some degree, you are restless and you'll remain so. Consequently, the apostle Paul said, I wrote the same thing to you before, brethren.
And I'm writing to you again the same thing. If you've been to conferences like this, what's being said to you this morning isn't going to be different than it was last year and the year before and the year before that. The Lord Jesus is the only thing that can be presented to you.
That has the capacity to satisfy your heart so.
Take it if you will, run with it. Get in the race and say I want to know him better. That's what God has given to satisfy my soul.
It reminds me of what Eric Smith used to say to us, and these things are easy to remember.
In Christ we have here.
But you go to 2nd Corinthians 517. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. That's when you're born of God.
You get that verse right for the gospel in Christ.
Our dear brother who have separated going from us, occasionally we can say are with Christ, but they're not yet like Christ. We'll get that all at the same time. Won't we do blood Christ? I don't, I don't catch everything.
Like to say in connection with that you are bringing out Don in uh, versus UH-45 and six fall list things of which he could glory in the flesh when his focus was on what he was. And it seems that off times the Lord allows in our experience for us to be occupied with those things so that we learn.
How they they are, How empty they are.
Then when he meets up with the Lord, then he says in verse seven, what things were again to me, those I counted lost for Christ. You're mentioning the stuff, Chuck the stuff, and it's true. We've got gods of stuff in this culture, but once we get before.
Our souls.
The Supreme.
Gain of having Christ before our soul is going to be forever, Brennan.
Why the stuff we will be able to stay just like Paul did. It's a lot not only lost, but he seemed to grow in his apprehension of those things. In verse eight he says yeah, doubtless, and I count all things that last for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and to count them but dumb where she at.
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What do you do with dumb? You keep it in the house somewhere. You get it out of there. You remove it as far as possible because it's hindering the things you really want to enjoy. Oh brother, the Lord give us to have the right.
Appreciation of things that God has set before our souls, and the things that this enemy.
Of ours presents to us to distract us from what really counts in life.
And I suppose, too, we should be clear, just so that no one gets the wrong impression. It is not the stuff itself that is the problem, isn't it? It's where my heart is and how I use it. I have been in the homes of dear brethren in North America, and in some cases they had a lot of stuff, but it was if we could use the expression stuff that they use.
In their service for the Lord and in seeking to be a help to others. And I hope I've got some stuff in my own house that is good for that, too. I have a lot more stuff in my home than many of our dear brethren have in India. But they are very, very thankful to have the benefit of some of that stuff when we go over to visit them because it can be a help to them.
So there is a danger, and I believe it's presented here in this chapter of having too much stuff. But on the other hand, let's remember the stuff itself is not the problem, but what am I doing with it? And when I acquire something, do I ask myself the question, is this something that will help me in running the race? Or is it simply something for self that ultimately will be a hindrance?
Would you agree with that, Bob? Yes, definitely. Good balance. That's what the verse and Luke says. Make yourselves friends.
With the amendment of unrighteousness, that when it failed he may be received into everlasting abolish. We can use some of that stuff to send a reward on the head, but don't let it get in the way of your enjoyment of the real object of life. That's what we're talking about here.
There was a young man in Daniel who.
Was tempted. He was just a young man. I believe he was a teenager when he was taken captive.
He had no control of where he was, but he trusted in God that he would look after it. Now when he and his friends were taken into the into the palace of the court. It tells us in the first chapter of Daniel that the king wanted children whom was no blemish, well favored, skillful in all wisdom, cunning and knowledge, and understanding science and such as that ability of them.
And whom they might teach the learning in the tongue of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed them a daily provision of the King's meat, and of the wine which he drank so nourishing them. Three years. It seems to me that the enemy was very skillful here in saying, I just want them for three years. But Daniel, even though he was a very young man, that tells us that he purposed in his heart that he would not suffile himself.
And then the three friends, the same thing. So when the crisis came and, uh, the test, which they proposed to the, to the, uh, one in charge. So give us a chance to let, let us keep the pulse and so on. And when the test came, it tells us in the second chapter that, uh, he was courageous.
The uh King had said. I want all these fellows destroyed because they can't give me an answer.
But instead of Daniel that he was, he said, why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Antioch made the thing known to Daniel, when Daniel went in and desired the king, that he would be given to give him time, that he would show the king the interpretation, and then here's his rejoicing. Then Daniel went, or Daniel went to his house.
00:45:25
And made a thing known that Ananiah, Mishael and Azariah his companion, that they would desire mercy of God, the God of Heaven, concerning this secret.
That's where their rejoicing was. There was every reason for him to be concerned because his life was at stake. Here was a young man, very early teens, and he stood up and then he was able to go into the presence of the king and tell him what the dream was and the interpretation thereof.
Well, it tells us in the end that the king gave him many gifts and so on, but it says of Daniel, he requested of the king and he sent Sadrag Nisek and abandoned. Go over here, there's the province of Babylon. But Daniel sat in the gates of the king. I don't see any evidence that he was wrongly affected by all the intensity, God and the knowledge which he had in giving the interpretation. He gave all the credit to the Lord.
No, other than that, they're rejoicing in the Lord. I don't believe Daniel was laughing in that sense of rejoicing. He was very serious, but he knew where to go for the answers. And in the end, we find at the end of the chapter of Daniel, you see a man that was subdued, an older man, and he was still waiting for the Lord to show him. That's what that is. What comes to end. Well, we know the Lord didn't give him the knowledge of what was going to happen, but he gave him the power to interpret. Why was that?
He established a firm relationship with the Lord and did not allow the king distraction to take him down the course which it is so easy to call in the world in which we live. All the attractions, all the desire for those that are young and intelligent to be used because the enemy wants you. But it's really good that they have a purpose. Firm in the Lord and then rejoice to the end of Daniel.
There are many successful people in the history of man, successful in their own eyes at least, and successful in the eyes of their fellow men.
There are people in the world right now that have dedicated their whole life, they're totally focused on one object or less, and that is to be the fastest person in the world.
There are other people who are focused in their life on being president of the United States, and they have directed all their energy and all their attention to reaching that object that is before their before them and many of those who are so focused.
Do accomplish the purpose that they have before them. Others try and don't make it because they're competing against others who have the same objective.
It's important to everyone of us to have a sense in our soul of what is our own or what is the controlling objective or motivation or purpose of our own lives. We live in a world that is extremely complex and seems to be getting more complex.
But I would suggest to you there's another side of it, and that is in one sense life can be extremely simple.
Yes, the complexity will always be there and have to be dealt with.
But we make it more complex than it needs to be because we don't have a proper focus in our hearts and in our lives. I suggest to you that the Lord Jesus.
Went through this world with a single primary focus to his life, just one that totally sets the path and purpose and activities of his life and everything either contributed to it or it had no place in his life. And it was this. I delight to do thy will. Oh my God, if he made a priority list.
As people do. He wouldn't have needed a page to do it. He wouldn't have needed I would like to do this in my life and I would like to do that and I would like to have the other.
00:50:04
His priority list could be reduced down to one simple statement. I delight to do thy will, Oh my God. And when he came to the end of his life, he could say, I have finished the work.
Which thou gavest me to do.
In other words, his life had not been distracted into other avenues so that the end of his life was a regret.
I wish that he had spent it in some other way, as man often does, but he could end up with a life that had perfectly fulfilled what was before his soul, but most importantly was God's will. And he could say, I have finished. I suggest that in this chapter. The apostle Paul similarly could say, I have one objective in my life.
And so my life is focused with one single thing before it.
I wanna have priced for my game and anything that doesn't contribute to that is not important to me. In fact, it's a hindrance to me and I wanna set it aside because it will hinder me from satisfying the goal, the objective of my life, which is to have Christ for my game.
One little extra comment in connection with this is you set your objective on what you value.
OK. And if you want something, be it stuff, be it honor, be it knowledge, be it power, whatever it is, what you set your heart on is a statement of what you value.
And the apostle Paul is given of God to us in this chapter.
To tell us what we ought to value. It doesn't really explain why he values it here. He does elsewhere, but in this chapter he says Christ is number 123410. Whatever he is, there's only one. And that's what I value and that's what I'm going after. And we're our lives show what we value. They show what our hearts, where our hearts are. And we don't need to look at somebody else's life about it.
We need to just be with the Lord, be with God about our own lives and and ask, check ourselves up and say, what's my priority list and is Christ number one or the conflict? The complexity is you might say, well, Christ is number one, but I've got a number two and a number three and a #4 and #5 and that's where the difficulty comes. We might say, I want Christ.
And then the minute you add an end, there's problems because I want Christ. Yes, of course. And I want this while I'm here, and I want that while I'm here, and so on. And that takes our heart, our minds, and makes everything complicated because we come to decisions in daily life. And when we have and in our priority list, sometimes the number 234 objects at that moment become number one as we choose them.
And we lose something that we would also want for ourselves. Let me read what you just said in Paul's words, verse 7.
But what things were gained to me? Those I counted lost for Christ they doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.
For whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them. But done that I may win Christ, or have Christ as my gain you.
Adding all this, when I finish this course, he says I have finished my course, he said. I have kept the faith.
May we be able to say that the face, the face once delivered to the Saints?
I think this is right, John. Then there's the mention of sin isn't in this epistle, is that right? Thank you for telling me. I didn't rejoicing. Isn't it all at all over and over again?
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See the apostles, sort of the apostles give us a contrast, really what we just talked about. We see how in the previous versus verse five and six there to lift the progression of things that he desired because of what his flesh wants. And then further down the chapter he lists the progression of things of what the new man wants. That's what we read about winning Christ. If I may, I'd just like to look at it very briefly. Let's look at verse five. If we look at this carefully, we should see.
Some under perhaps eight things in there. That was his desire as a man.
From his flesh and I believe when we talk about the stuff is not always just the material stuff. There is those intellectual stuffs that we can be filled with. So let's take a look at the possible verse five. He he, he was proud if you notice of everything he said here because it seems from human standpoint he got better and better and they go higher and higher from the Jewish system. So we start off by seeing circumcised.
The 8th day, wow, wow, what a good Jew. He was circumcised according to the Lord, according to the law on the eighth day. And then he said not only that, the stock of Israel. So he may say, well, I was circumcised too, but no, he why not? He went up on you. Now he said he's up the stock of Israel. Ah, he goes further than that. But small trivia says of the tribe of Benjamin any better than that? Well, yet he go further and Hebrew of Hebrews.
And then, as if it's not enough, he says, touching the law.
Now you wanna talk about how good it was is that it was a Pharisee. In another place we meet up, a Pharisee of the Pharisees. Now here says, now you wanna compare with me? Still said concerning zeal, how many of us have real zeal? Well, he said, persecuting the church in other places, that he was injurious to the church. Well here, as if still not enough, now we go on touching righteousness, he says.
Blameless. Oh, how many of us can argue from the human standpoint?
To be as good and upright as righteousness men are. But then what did he say after that? That's when he said, but what things were doing? I rather mention about Daniel. You know, we see that with today's world, especially with young people. You know, you can't get a job these days without a degree. That's what they tell you. So you spend three or four years to get a degree and you'll find that there are many other people with a degree. So you've got to go on and get a second and a third degree.
So that you can have those fancy titles behind you. Now I'm not saying that's wrong, but I'm saying here that we've got to be careful. We can build and build but the apostles that but what things were getting to me those I counted laws for Christ those things that from the world standpoint it was a great man. He said I gave it all up and then he changed. Now he draw the other side of things in verse eight he said, yeah, doubtless I count all things but laws for the Excellency.
Of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, can we say that Can we can we truly say that from our heart for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and you count them, but don't necessarily win Christ. Now we commented on that already. So let's move on to the next verse. What did he see? So first thing he said is he said I want to be found that I may win Christ. And then as if that's not enough, but now these are the desires that we should have.
Be found in him. So we thought of that. Did he found in him?
We talked about righteousness early on. Now he says not having my own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is to the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Oh what a changed man and then that's not enough. We need to know more Adobe verse 10 that I may know him that enough No know him and then the power.
Of his resurrection.
The fellowship of the sufferings and then he made conformable under his death. And I believe there's one more than six that we listed in verse 12 further down there. He says that I follow after.
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I guess we're gonna have to continue next meeting.
Time left.
I want all the thought that I shall know the man and.
65 Thank you.
65.