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Philippians 3, verse 12.
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 Christ Jesus.
Rather than I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do.
Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I pressed for the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Let us therefore as many as be perfect, be thus minded, and if anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Nevertheless, virtue we have already attained. Let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walks. So would you have us for an example.
For many walk of whom I've told you often and now tell you even weeping.
But they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end of destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.
For our conversation is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who should 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.
These three little words in verse 12 I follow after.
Are the true position.
And come from the heart of a true disciple, if we would notice in Luke Chapter 9, the contrast in the little word very easy to understand. And it's such a little practical important lesson for all of us there in the end of Luke 9.
One says.
In verse 59, Lord, suffer me first, and then in the 61St verse the same thing. Lord, I will follow thee, but let me first. That's not a disciple. A true disciple says the first. Well, that was Paul.
And he had that blessed man in the glory before him.
And.
In his.
Love for Christ and in the beauty that he saw in Christ he says I follow after.
In Hebrews chapter 12 we have a like thought in verse two, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. That is the same obstacle.
Christ in glory, seated on the throne, but the course to be run.
Of faith for the disciple below, so I follow after is very simple.
Important instruction for every Christian.
That's what a disciple means, isn't it? A follower of Christ. And there are disciples and there are disciples. Indeed, as our brother's been mentioning, you find disciples who weren't real in John six. It's sort of nice to see the contrast. And John 6, the Lord brought out the six chapters, some very deep truths, and that's what separates.
Followers from reality in verse 66 of John 6. From that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. Those were not disciples. Indeed, there's a lot of them today who ostensibly unprofessionally are followers, but when the truth gets deep, they leave.
Now we have disciples indeed in John 8 verse 31.
And then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If he continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed? And he shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. That's what makes a disciple indeed, one who not only follows, but continues in his word. And then we have a nice portion on discipleship that our brother was bringing out.
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Matthew. I like this. Matthew 16 verse 24.
Matthew 1624 Then said Jesus unto his disciples.
If any man will come after me, that's the first thing following.
Let him deny himself, that's the second thing. Luke 9 it says daily. And take up his cross. That's the third thing. That's really the sufferings of Christ, the reproach and rejection in this world. Follow me.
You know, we take all kinds of titles saying children of God, brothers and sisters and the Lord and many other titles. They're precious. We don't often call ourselves disciples.
That's exercising disciples. We've had a little bit about that in our last meeting. To the young people having to take the low place to be a disciple, you have to get down into the dust and realize you're nothing, and then you can follow the Lord.
That's his example.
Well, it's nice to see these ideas. There are disciples today, the masses. When Jesus was here, the multitudes were always with him.
But they were the same multitude that said, not this man, but perhaps. And you have the multitudes following today too.
But brethren, let's have reality and be disciples indeed.
Perfection here in two ways, do we not in this chapter?
This verse, not as though I had already attained either, were already perfect. That is, I suppose that he's referring to the object that he has before him. He has not yet attained, and he's following after still, but he's not already perfect.
Perfection. There is the condition that all the Saints will be in in that coming day of glory.
There will be nothing but perfection. There's no perfection down here, but there will be up there.
But then you have another perfect.
In the 15th 1St let us therefore as many as be perfect.
Now that suggests more maturity, but along the lines that we have in our chapter here, it's a it's a sense of being mature in the soul as to the particular things that he's been bringing before us.
Because he's going to use that expression later as to walk. But in our verse, it has to do really with the end of the road and.
He speaks here of now following after it, that I may apprehend or lay hold of.
That for which I also am apprehended, or have been taken possession of, I think is the thought.
Christ has already taken possession of us, but we want to.
Have a complete possession in our souls quality is that the Spirit of God would open to us.
And in that coming day?
We're going to in his presence, we'll see him as he is. But now there's nothing perfect. We only know in part. And that's why reading meanings are so helpful, because no one brother knows very much.
And as the Spirit of God opens the scriptures through the different ones.
Why we got a little better glimpse of these precious things. We're dependent not only on the Spirit of God, but on one another for these things.
To help in the understanding and appreciation of the truth. Here in the 11Th verse, I don't think we mentioned that.
But when it speaks about the resurrection of the dead, it should read Resurrection out from among the dead.
Now that was a revelation that was given to the apostle Paul, that there would be that kind of a resurrection.
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Out from among the dead until that revelation was given.
And until the Lord said some words about it that are recorded in the New Testament, no one had an understanding that there would be anything but a general resurrection of everybody. But now it's distinguished here that there's a special resurrection out from among the dead. That's what we read about.
In the 15th chapter, First Corinthians, where we have.
The Apostle Paul stating that he had gotten this special revelation from the Lord about we shall not all sleep, but we there are some that are going to be raised from among the dead. There are many millions of dead that will remain in the earth.
When we are raised, if we have died.
When we were raised and caught up to be with the Lord in the air, all those that are Christ, we read in that 15th chapter First Corinthians. All that are Christ will be raised at that time, and that includes all those who had faith in Old Testament time.
And it includes all of this dispensation, all who have faith, faith in God, faith in the word of God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who are the true believers, they will be raised at that time, at that resurrection, and it will be out from among the dead. But later on you have the resurrection of the of the unjust.
Of all those who died in their sins. But that's an important thing right here.
In connection with what the Apostle Paul is bringing before us.
What a joy it will be for us to be in that resurrection, the out from among the dead resurrection brought up to be with the Lord. And this is what Paul is looking forward to. And no doubt he's referring to that in verse 12, that he hasn't reached that yet.
But there was always that desire in the heart.
Of the Apostle Paul to go on.
And I believe that's why he wrote through the Jewish believers as he did in the book of Hebrews. Let us go on. And he's pointing them to Christ in glory in that book and.
Perfection is mentioned there in the book of Hebrews in connection with that, going on to perfection he occupied with Christ in glory. Those Jews were tempted to go back to the old order of things that they were used to the temple and all the things in the temple and all the rituals.
And all the ceremonies and all the sacrifices and the altars and all of that, the priesthood, they were tempted to go back to that because Christ had gone now and they were growing weary. And evidently some of them were going back because we read about their being babes and they have need of being taught again the 1St principles.
But he speaks of going on to perfection, looking often to Jesus.
Who's mentioned four times in the book of Hebrews as sitting at the right hand of God?
Now that truth was given to the apostle Paul that Christ is at the right hand of God.
And that is where he wants us to find him practically down here. And that is what we're looking forward to, seeing him up there in the glory and being with him forever. But he hadn't attained to that yet, and he wasn't perfect in that sense, and he was following after down here in a practical way.
This is where we have the opportunity of following him.
Are we making use of that opportunity, a blessed opportunity?
And an opportunity that gives us to follow on, that we might hear and say, Well done, thou good and faithful servant, do we covet.
That they will be able to hear at the end of our journey here.
That word of the Lord to us, well done.
Not anything in a material way, not anything that we can enjoy by the census, but still not well done, His word of approval.
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All to have the approval of the Lord Jesus Christ. What a thing to cover. This is what he was following after, to have his approval to please Him. Is there anything greater than that? To have a desire to please the Lord?
To honor him.
May the Lord give us grace to do that a little while. Let remain. The other resurrection you mentioned. Is that 1000 years later? Yeah, that's when they're raised to stand before the great white throne and be judged by the Lord seated, seated there.
In John's Gospel chapter 5, it is called the resurrection unto life.
Which in Revelation is called first Resurrection and the 2nd resurrection is unto judgment.
You know which picture I'm referring to.
55 Yes, the resurrection after life is at the rapture, and at least 1000 years later the 2nd resurrection when all the dead are raised. That's why this translation is not accurate. The resurrection of the dead. All the dead will be raised and standing before the Great White Throne to be judged.
In that resurrection, But blessed is he that has part in the first resurrection, because it is the resurrection of the life.
But the second is to be judged at the Great White Throne. But the two are brought together in John 5 because it's.
It's the subject is Christ is going to be the judge.
As the Father has life in himself, so I have to give him to the Son to have life in himself. And also he's given all the judgment to the Son, that all men might honor the Son even as they honor the Father. And so the Lord Jesus is the one who will be honored and publicly displayed as the one who has control of all things, but as a man.
Under the Father, as it were, by carrying out all the counsels of God in this person. And that's why the Lord Jesus became man and died, as we have in Hebrews.
Two, because he's the one who's going to fulfill all the counsels of God. He's begun by making atonement and delivering those who are out, living out from under Satan's power and death, and now to be the great high priest.
But the day is coming when, as the Son of Man, he's going to be over all things as man. And so in that chapter.
John, we have what has been generally accepted in the olden times, like Martha, you remember in the 11Th chapter John says I know that Lazarus must be raised in the last time. Well, the Lord said I'm the resurrection and the light.
She got something new there and then he said, believe us thou this. In other words, applying it to her conscience. But in John 5, the Lord Jesus does not explain the full.
Thought of resurrection because the church hasn't yet been formed and it's when the Saints in fourth chapter of First Thessalonians were concerned about the loved ones who were dying.
And wondering what would happen to them, that the Spirit of God gave Paul a revelation as to this and it was made known the details as to the resurrection and the rapture first.
Although that was referred to in a general way in John 14.
But not the full thing brought out as in connection with the church, because that was brought in Thessalonians.
The holiness doctrine that some hold.
Teaches that.
That we arrive at a state of sanctification where sin has been burned out and we no longer have any sin. These verses refute that, Paul says. Not as though I had already attained the prize, which is Christ in glory either. We're already perfected.
But I follow after, and he says in verse 13, Brethren, I count not myself to have.
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Gotten possession to have apprehended or gotten possession but he.
Fresh towards the mark and the new translation in verse 14 reads, I pursue looking towards the mark or the goal for the prize of the calling on high of God in Christ Jesus. So Paul says I haven't attained to it yet. I haven't reached that state of perfection yet where sin is all burned out and I'm all together like Christ and with him.
That's the prize, that's the goal ahead. But what is it that sanctifies us? What is? What is it? That's the power of sanctification down here. Sanctification merely meaning being more and more like Christ. It's Christ in glory as the object before our souls. And as we look at him and we pursue that goal, and we have Christ before our souls, we come out like him.
That's that's the way of proper practical sanctification is having Christ, a man in the glory before our souls. But Paul disclaims having achieved it.
He says I haven't arrived at this state of perfection yet. We're all going to arrive there when the out resurrection from among the dead takes place and we're brought there and we're with him and like him, but until that moment we pursue, he says we press towards the mark. We continue with that object before us. So it's a process going on by the Spirit of God by which we are occupied with.
Christ in glory and we come out more like him. But as soon as we arrive at the point where we say we've made it, we've attained it, we've achieved perfection, then when we fail, we have to either ignore the failure. When we sin, we have to either not call it sin or not call it by its true name. But if we realize we haven't achieved it yet, we're on the way and Christ is before our soul that.
Gives us power if we do fail to say that was sin and to judge it and to forsake it and then press on towards the goal.
God has something to say about it and 1St John chapter 3.
Every mind verse three. And every man at this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. The exercise about that will go on until the Lord takes us home, and we need to be exercised about it. I don't know what leads people to believe that the old natures burnt out.
But there are many things that.
We have a tendency to believe to avoid the exercise that we need to go through.
And if they are using that as an excuse to avoid exercise about purifying themselves and living holy lives as Peter brings before us being holy for I am holy, the Lord says, then it's sad. We need to be an exercise about this all the time. And what helps us is.
To have this hope in him, waiting for the Lord to take us home.
To be with himself when we're going to be like him. Well, if we're going to be like him there, we want to be as much like him here as possible before we go. And so that means that there's a continual exercise going on in our souls about it. And we do need to be exercised about this. Sometimes we get a seared conscience and we don't pay attention to what our conscience is telling us.
And our conscience by itself is not enough.
But when the conscience is exercising our souls, we're exercising our conscience by means of the word of God.
That's real exercise, and that's why it's important for us to be over the word.
Because I have had the experience that as I'm reading the Word, there's something that comes out, pops out of it, and it speaks to me. I may have a conscience about something, but my conscience needs help. And the Word of God helps me and I become aware of this thing.
Someone has said that the conscience is.
Is a good policeman.
But it doesn't, it doesn't do the full job by itself because the policeman, he can't ferret out everything.
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But there's conscience by the word of God brings before us so many things that perhaps if we were left just to have conscience, we'd never see it. That's why it's important to read the Word of God. Read the word of God where the spirit of self judgment waiting for the Lord to come. And we're looking forward to being just like him when he comes. And we want to be as much like him down here as we can. And that's why.
Speaks about pressing on. Well, when he's saying that, I don't suppose he's just saying, well I'm just waiting for the Lord to come.
That word pressing on indicates energy being expended while you're on the way. It's like the racer, every step that runner takes.
He's using energy, he's exerting energy to get there and that's what we should be exercised about. Where do we get our energy?
We have nothing in ourselves, it's in Christ we look to Him for grace and mercy to help us in our time of need. Every time we meet up with something that needs energy, we need to look to the Lord and so often we fail in doing that. But that's what that brings before me, pressing down toward the goal when he says in verse 13.
This one thing I do that's really the single eye, he has it and nothing else can get into his mind or heart.
What? It's got two prongs to it. It's one thing, but here's what it is. Forgetting those things which are behind and then reaching forth under those things which are before. In that way, he presses on towards that mark or the prize of the high calling. I was thinking that's important for us. If you look at Chapter 9 of Luke.
Nine of Luke, verse 62. Nine of Luke, verse 62.
The Lord Jesus said unto the man who wanted to go back and do things before he followed Jesus. No man having put his hand to the plow, looking back his 5th for the Kingdom of God. Oh brethren, that's what Paul's saying here. We forget those things which are behind before we were saved. We forget them. They're not important.
They become weights in a sense here, reaching forth, one of those things which are ahead or before I press toward the mark that brings in the race.
We are all in this race, every Christian. It's an endurance race. It isn't any Sprint, it's an endurance race. But I was thinking it's not just forgetting those things that are behind. Just the thought there in Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 6 verse 23. I think this is precious where Deuteronomy 623.
He brought us out for such mercy.
That He might bring us in. That's great to give us. That's the whole thought, brethren, we've been brought out of this world.
This President evil world, but that isn't all. He brought us out so he can bring us in a large place, a blessed family, heavenly. That's the thought here and there's purpose in it. So we not only forget those things. If he brought you out, don't look back and go back.
That's a problem. You don't want to go back. It's a narrow path, necessarily so, but oh, what a wide place it is. What a grand family we're in. That's the thought there now, he says, reaching. I press toward the mark, Hebrews 12, just for a thought here, because this is important. We're all in this race, and it's endurance.
At the middle of verse one, let us lay aside every weight.
And sin, which thou so easily beset us. And let us run the race with patience, with patience. The race that set before us. How do you do that? Looking steadfastly off under Jesus, that's how. That's what we got in a in, in, in Philippians. Looking steadfastly off unto Jesus. What about the ways?
Anything that gets in the way is a weight. Anything that takes your mind off of Jesus becomes a way. That's the thought and you can name it yourself in your life. We all have them. Get rid of them. It hinders you in the race. It hinders you in going on and laying hold like Paul wants to do. He wants to lay hold fully of Christ.
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Because he's laid hold of Paul, and for good and forever. That's the thought here.
Just a thought on the race. It's nice turn to Second Timothy. I think. One more thought, Second Timothy, I'll be quick. I believe it's chapter 2.
Second Timothy, chapter 2.
Verse five if any man strive for masteries, yet he's not crowned except he strive lawfully, we have rules. We don't have the law, we have rules.
Principles and when you're in this race you don't just get rid of the weights that hinder you and by the way, if you let a weight continue and you keep it it becomes sin. Let's say it sin that so easily besides us a weight maybe not sin at the beginning, but if you let it continue and you go on with it it becomes that follow. Well, we go according to the rules and one last thing first Corinthians I believe it's.
Find one Corinthians 9 because it's important in this race.
Verse 24.
Know ye not that they which run in a race run off one receives a surprise, so run that you be obtained. And every man that striveth for mastery is tempered in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crowd. We at incorruptible. I therefore so run not as uncertainly, so finite, not as one that beat us the air.
What an expression.
You're not going on.
According to the rules, you're as one that just beateth the air. You wasted your time.
Let's drive lawfully. We're getting the rules today. You get the rules every time we look into the Word of God. You get the principles for this race. But all the weights are so important to get rid of. And that's what Paul says. How else could he press towards the mark of the prize, of the high quality? He forgot it all. He forgot it all. He had everything ahead.
Would you not agree, Brother Bauman, that forgetting the things that are behind, certainly the things connected with a sinful life, have to be forgotten?
But we might also have to forget the things that we might if we become overly occupied. My glory in even our successes. They do not assure strength and guidance for today.
We find with David that.
He had to one day follow this direction and the next day it was exactly the opposite. So I believe that there is perhaps more of a snare for us as Christians.
To dwell and be occupied with victories that the Lord has given to us, and we forget that we are dependent for wisdom from Him for every step. And we see how Elijah after the greatest victory.
Fled because he got his eyes off the Lord and the woman said that she would make him like one of those prophets. He started running for his life and it says literally when he saw that.
As if it already had taken place. You know he ran. So I believe we can take encouragement from the Lord giving us grace and difficulties in the past, but they can also become a snare and hinder us in the path of dependence. I'm sure we can apply all of these things to it. However, I believe the thought in this chapter is particularly a religious thing.
The apostle has been telling us about all that he had been engaged in beforehand, and each one of us have some kind of a religious background.
And it has to do with gaining favor with God on the ground of.
A legal stand that we can do something to like. People speak of keeping the.
Keeping the 10 commandments or the Golden Rule and that sort of thing. But the apostle had been one who was fully engaged in religious things. Now he's going to forget all that.
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He wants to forget it all. He doesn't want to have anything more to do that would hinder his gaining this particular object that he has in view in a religious way. And so it's in that sense particularly, although I'm sure these other applications are good.
That he wants to.
Forget all that's behind in that sense. And then it says.
Reaching forth and pressing on.
Under those things which are before those spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus that are before. I think that's that's what we have really here in this chapter. And the one thing of course is Christ.
There Christ came in and overshadowed all of these things that he was really glad to leave behind and forget them. And now he had Christ. All the rest of it was trash and rubbish.
And now he has Christ. What more could he want? He's found the price.
And he wants to reach that praise as quickly as possible. He wants to go to glory. Christ is the prize, isn't he? Paul had been arrested. And I believe that's what he's referring to in the end of verse 12, the last time we get this word apprehended that could be arrested.
And that was when he was stopped on the way to Damascus. He was arrested by the Lord Jesus.
He says so I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which I am also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus right there. He was stopped, he was apprehended, and from that point backward he wants to forget all the.
The righteousness that he had in a certain sense, under the law, those good things of the religion.
Which was now done away with in Christ, and he had been stopped by Christ there. Now he says, I follow after looking to that Christ in glory, but for to apprehend in himself why Christ had stopped him.
This morning it was referred to in.
Acts 9.
Just look at that, because right there Ananias was told something of why the Lord Jesus had arrested him.
And in the 15th verse that we had, the Lord says unto Ananias, Go thy way, that's the pole, or he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles. What a new thing that is, what a new thought.
And kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how great things he must suffer.
For my name's sake. Well, all this Paul had to get into his own.
Knowledge to know why Christ had stopped him. And of course he got it. He saw Christ in glory. He got the revelation.
Directly from the Lord in glory, and he sends it to us, all this wonderful church truth so.
These all this is in Paul's mind as he think of being stopped there on the way to Damascus, and given all this from a risen Christ to minister.
And to tell us about that bull before the soul. So now he is really homesick to get there. And this one thing I do and the goal explains. I believe the second time we get the word perfect in verse 15. Let us therefore as many as be perfect. It's already been pretty well explained. It's those who have Christ as their object.
That he looks at as being perfect.
They have that, just that one thing that he had before him to reach that place. That's the kind of perfection he talking about, the single eye that sees only Christ. It was referred to this morning too, by our brother London. As to the race. Those who are running, they look towards the goal if they're running well, instead of looking over at somebody else that's running.
Well, that's really the thought too. It's the same thing. Those who have priced as their object have a perfect object and then going on finally we will reach that absolute perfection that's spoken of.
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Earlier.
He doesn't want to reach the end of the race alone.
And so he's writing this to the Philippians, and since it's my inspiration, it's to all of us, we're going to be in company with the Apostle Paul at the end of the race. He wants us all to be in that state because.
Because he says that let us therefore as many as be perfect, be dust minded.
He wants everyone of us to be of that one mind.
Of running the race together and to obtain the price at the end of the road. He doesn't want it just for himself.
Apostle Paul was really stirred up about this, and his heart was so changed that where he'd been persecuting the dear Saints of God, the members of the body of Christ, he was reversed, turned completely around.
And he wanted the very best for them. That's what we have in these epistles. We find out that the writer of these epistles not only is writing for himself, but he is writing for us. And the God, the Spirit inspired him to write these things for the sake of all of us.
That we might in reading these things together, meditating upon them together.
Might have the same mind about that.
And it just would remind us of a great big race course.
Where everybody has his eye on that one goal and they're running down the race course. Maybe it's a long course, but they can see the goal at the end, the price, and we're all running together.
Oh, that, that's what it seems to me. That is his desire here. And of course what he writes is the desire of God by the Spirit.
That verse that you referred to in First John, I think we should look at it First John 32 and 3:00.
11 Now are we the sons of God, and does not yet appear or be manifested what we shall be, but when we we know that when He shall appear or be manifested, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is, and every man that hath this hope in him that is to be manifested as the thought.
And so I believe that the IT reaches us on not only to know Christ.
Now in heaven, but the one who is to be manifested, and that's when He is manifested or when he appears, we're going to be like Him because we're going to see Him as He is. It isn't only that we know Him now, it's in the heavens, but it's at that time when everything will be fulfilled is what the hope is. That's the full hope.
Complete, and that's the state of perfection.
We have AI believe.
A very helpful part of this character. And if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. That fits in with the thoughts that were before us as to grow we have to realize that as we need to go on together.
Of God and there are people at different stages in their spiritual development and it's a very gracious way how the apostle Paul deals with the subject. He counts on the law that God would reveal them wherever they were still lacking understanding and I believe this is where we can benefit now of course there is such a thing as the.
Willfully refusing to accept truth.
Here is strictly that there were those who in their spiritual growth had not developed.
To have her reach that state of maturity. And he wasn't pressing them. Now come on, grow up. But he counted on God that he would make them to understand things that they didn't understand. But then he also says, now listen what you have learned of God and through the ministry of others, you better cling to that. Don't let go.
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Because that is possible and how sad that is.
When Juan notices that people give up, but they at one time have understood, then how sad that is. When the Lord says in the gospel, if the light that is within thee becomes darkness, how great is that darkness? So I believe we need on the one hand to be admonished to be gracious and count on the Lord that He will give understanding to those who do not have it, where the Lord in grace has given us understanding. But then also beware.
Blessed be would give up, but he has taught us that if we don't walk in it and practice it, we'll lose it. As to growth, I think of that illustration in the 12Th chapter of Luke.
Where the Lord speaks of the fact that you and I can't make one hair white or black, and then he says, consider the lilies.
Solomon and all his glory were not raid like one of these, and yet that was just the grass of the field.
So we have to learn from this that you and I cannot do one thing in regard to our growth.
Except to have the right object for our soul, then the Lord will take care of the growth. But if the if the fire shatters into it, the law only be some more religion. That's all man made religion. But the growth comes by feeding on Christ. We have some of that today. Feeding on Christ is what makes the growth. Nothing in the efforts of the flesh.
There is a tendency for every one of us.
To have some religion of our own.
Some little things that we have before us that we think will make us better Christians.
Some little rule to follow.
Some little law, some standard we set up for ourselves. That's just religion. This is what the apostle Paul saw was all wrong, and he gave it up.
It's only Christ and I believe he's continues to refer to this when he says.
God shall reveal even this unto you, if there's any tendency in us in that way to be occupied with our own things, what we can do in a religious way.
If we really want to go on.
If we want to be thus minded, 1 minded with the apostle Paul, God will reveal this to us. He'll show it to us. There has to be real exercise about this, and only a word like this that we have in this chapter can exercise us.
Then he says, nevertheless, where do we have it already attained? Let us walk by the same rules. Let us find the same thing with what's he referring to this same thing Christ.
Seeing that everything else is rubbish, when we have Christ, when we get Christ and he's before everything else is done, there's nothing to it. And so He keeps on in this way. Let us walk by the same rule. Let us mind the same thing. What is that rule? What is that same thing? Isn't it right?
He's deprived. He's the rule. He's.
He's the same thing. He's the one, the one object.
It's so easy for us to get away from that.
The enemy is busy drawing us away from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is basically keeping souls from being saved, seeing that they're sinners and in the need of Christ. And that's fine if they accept Christ as their savior, they have all they need as a savior. But it isn't long. Like the Galatians. There were some that came along and said that Christ wasn't enough. You have to keep the law in order to be saved.
Well, that's adding something to Christ. It's not Christ, and it's Christ only.
For salvation, it's Christ only for the center of gathering. It's Christ only for the Lord of our lives as the object of our lives and the one that we're pressing on to be with in the glory. But we were tempted by Satan and we're so easily LED astray, and we surely need to ask the Lord for grace to help us.
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What we want is revelation then, instead of religion.
Revelation comes from God. That's what it is here. Most of the religion is from man, but it's wonderful to have the word of God and learn what he has revealed to us in it.
Minding the same thing takes us back to the the 2nd chapter in the first chapter even because there it's repeated that word same. You get it over again and again and Paul even speaks of the same conflict, the same spirit, the same mind. Now this is what characterizes.
A normal Christian assembly, and that's our subject here in in Philippians.
Not only normal Christianity, but a normal Christian assembly is what's before us in this epistle. And it isn't so much the teachings that we have in in Ephesians and so on, but it's more the practice of it. And even in our chapter we should remember that it's the practical side.
An application of that truth that we get another places that's before us.
The application of these truths that we hold so precious. We speak of them as high truths, and they are. But now in this epistle we have the practical application of them. And how is it well?
The two sisters that are in question in the 4th chapter.
They didn't have the same mind.
Now what mind were they to have?
Notice in that chapter.
That they be of the same mind, the Lord. Now, if you and I are walking together.
With the Lord as the object, and it's really so with us, we'll have the same mind in the assembly. And the reason there are differences of mind, we might as well put it very practically, is because either I or you are not walking with the Lord, one of the two.
For both of us, probably so.
The principle that prevails today in Christendom of union by mutual concession is refuted by verses 15 and 16. Let's look at them very carefully, he says. Let us therefore as many as be perfect. Be thus minded here as we've been commenting the perfect mind.
Is the one that's achieved maturity? Is the one that has Christ as his object?
And so he says, Let us therefore these two verses give us the principle of how we can walk together.
To to be thus minded, and if in anything he'd be otherwise minded. Should we then agree to agree on a level, something less than the truth of God? No, not a bit of it. God shall reveal even this unto you. So the one that hasn't attained to the mind of God.
In any point he gets it because God reveals it to him, and then he's elevated to that place where he enters into the thoughts of God. No such thought as agreement by mutual concession. Well, we don't know who's right on this point, so we'll agree to walk together on the ground of compromise. That's not what we have here at all. It's the revelation of God making known to us.
And when we enter into that, then we can walk together in that. So he says, nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule or walk in the same steps. And so it's a walk together not on the principle of mutual concession, which is really a very wicked principle, the principle of reunion.
It it says that the truth of God is at my disposal to do with as I like, in order to come to an agreement with my brother that we might walk together.
Now that the the principle we get here is that God reveals his standard to us, which is always Christ, and it's on that ground that we walk together. And if in any measure I haven't attained to those thoughts and I haven't come into the thought of God, God reveals it to me and lifts me up to it. But it's not one who is in the thought of God.
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Lowering himself to meet someone that hasn't arrived at that point.
But there's the room for growth, and we've had that before us here. But there's no such thought as agreement by mutual concession. That's really a carnal worldly principle, and it's what is out there in Kussendam, and it's what's going to end up as the great apostasy, Babylon the great. So how important it is that it's the standard of truth that we have in Christ. He is the truth.
And we have him before our souls.
That standard is never to be lowered. If we haven't achieved to the thought of God in some measure, the Scripture says God reveals it to us. And in whatever measure you and I see God's thought, we can walk together that truth. And if in any measure I haven't arrived at it and you have, you wait on God to reveal it to me. And then once revealed to my soul, then again we can walk together in happy fellowship.
That's the principle that we have here in Philippians 3.
That's right, isn't it, Chuck what you get in Romans 14 him that is weak in the faith receive ye but not to doubtful disputation. Such are to be received, but they can't put.
Their own thoughts upon others. They can't bring in those doubtful disputations. We have the word of God as the rule in Christ as the object and.
Such you haven't learned many things yet. They're weak in the faith and be received, but they can't compromise the truth at all.
In the next verse, it doesn't necessarily refer to the Saints in that assembly.
It's a general principle that the apostles putting out.
It says, rather than be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as you have us for an example, for many walk of whom I have told you often, and I'll tell you even weeping. They are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is their shame.
Who mind earthly things. Now there were the apostles giving general principles here. He's not accusing this assembly of of this sort of thing necessarily, but still leaving it for the conscience of those who may be walking only occupied with earthly things which are directly in contrast with the truth we've had before us.
And so if if this is the object.
If we're only bearing a religious.
Outside and our hearts are set. Like Lot's wife who looked back, her heart was set upon what was in Sodom and though she took the the path outside, her heart was set. It became a pillar of salt as an example for any who who would play the double game of having the heart set on the world and still make it profession of Christianity.
Well, the end of this is destruction, and their God is their belly, that is.
The things that apply to and characterize the natural man and all his desires.
That's what would be the earthly things in the Book of Revelation and also in Isaiah you have the expression earth dwellers.
There will be those who have made the profession of Christianity that are left behind when the Lord comes, will form the company that will fill up that great apostasy of Christendom. Their earth dwellers. They aren't heathen, they're those who've had the truth.
And they minded earthly things. Now another verse in Thessalonians, Second Thessalonians 2.
Where it refers there to those who will be left behind.
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At the Rapture, it speaks of those who receive not the love of the truth. They may have had the truth.
Esther Doctrine. But they have never received the love of the truth.
Dear friends, be careful that you have not merely received Christianity as a doctrine.
Because unless.
Unless we walk at it, it doesn't belong to us at all. It's only profession. And I believe we have that practical line of truth here and the awful, awful destruction of those who have had the most truth.
Is before us here. Now, it's possible that a Christian, of course, could be occupied with, and I suppose that some of us have to confess at least that there's a great deal of earthly things in our lives.
But that's not the point. The point is, what is the object in our lives? That's the point. Are we pressing on feebly as we are? Are we pressing on? That's the point. Do we have one pure object before us? We may fail along the way. That's not the point. The point is, do we have this pure object before us? I believe.
You're correct in that that God by his Spirit brings this before us.
So that those who are the Lord.
Are warned here that they should not walk in this kind of a path because the path leads to destruction. And to be careless and indifferent and even wanting to walk that kind of path, we must be reminded that that path leads to destruction. Do we want to be on a path like that? That's really what the Spirit of God is saying. Do I want to be on a path like that?
I love God is faithful to us. He lays it out as it's going to happen through the one that is not real, but do you want to be on that path?
Or what a challenge God gives us here.
Heaven and earth here. Remarkable that not one person can voluntarily stay on the earth. They may think they would like to, but voluntarily can't do it. There's not one person that can voluntarily go to heaven either. You have to have somebody to take you there. Well, that's heaven and earth. Which is it? Which is the core? Very searching, isn't it?
We look.
Or the Savior, Paul can't get away from that. He keeps on looking, looking up there, looking for the Savior. And our conversation, our citizenship or manner of life is in heaven. We're heavenly citizen. Yes. Do we? Do we walk like heavenly citizen?
Do we have our eye on that heavenly country where strangers and pilgrims down here?
We're on our way to glory like Abraham was a Pilgrim and he was on his way to the land of Canaan. We're on the way to glory. Let's not forget that, that we're heavenly citizens and we're on the way to glory and we're looking for a Savior for the Lord Jesus Christ, John 14, he says.
I am the Way, the Truth, and the life. No man cometh under the Father but by.
Me Then in Hebrews 2 it says it became Him for whom are all things and by whom are all things. In bringing many sons to glory, He has undertaken to bring many sons to glory. That's the only way we're going to get there. We're going to be brought there by the Lord.
Body, soul and spirit. And the body comes in here, the complete redemption. There's nothing more comforting than these verses.
We wonder about dear Saints of God who died at sea.
Have already been placed on a board.
And the board has been lifted up on the railing and it's all wrapped up, of course, in the body inside. And as the board goes up, it slides down and that body goes down into the sea. What happens to it there? I don't know.
But you can think of a fish eating that that body, and perhaps the smaller fish being eaten by larger fish, and so on. Where are all the elements of that believer's body?
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I don't know but who is going to bring them all together? Who is going to raise that body of that believer, the one that it says here He is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Those 3 words settle everything. He is able.
He is able.
For the Lord is the Creator.
He put the whole universe together. He put our bodies together in the first place.
He is able to bring all the elements of our body together at resurrection.
And what a moment that will be when our bodies are raised. I believe they'll be raised, changed, like under His body of glory and fit for heaven pit for the glory, pit for the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. We should be like Him, for we shall see Him.
As he is.
Had the cross of Christ before us, and that we have in this expression enemies of the cross of Christ, I don't believe a real believer could be an enemy of the cross of Christ.
But I believe the cross of Christ speaks of rejection here, and I believe sometimes many of us have when we could have been a testimony because of weakness.
We, as it were, took that side of those who were enemies of the cross of Christ. The moment you know.
It isn't so much that we need to pray that we might be a channel of blessing today.
Be better if we prayed that we would be in a state of soul, so when the test came, we'd be ready for it.
Because there's no lack of opportunities to be a witness for Christ.
And what hinders it is our state of soul, and the result is that we will not stand out and confess Christ when we should. I think at least I found that to be true in my life, that when the opportunity came, I was not ready because I was not in the right state of soul to be a witness in a testimony. I believe that's our difficulty perhaps, rather than.
As people speak of always living a victorious life and being ready for everything, well, that's all right, that's all right. But to to be before the Lord in communion so that when the test comes, we're ready for it. We're ready to speak one word, perhaps at the right time.
To be willing to identify ourselves with the cross of Christ.
It's interesting to notice that this chapter begins with the 1St 3 verses, which is all plural, he says. Finally, my brethren.
For verse three says, we are the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. And then he changes to the singular. He talks about his own state of soul and his own exercises, though I might also have confidence in the flesh.
And it's all I all the way through to verse 14 or he ends by saying I press towards the mark or I pursue looking towards the goal for the prize of the calling on high of God in Christ Jesus. And having said that, and all the exercises through which he went, he then says, let us therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded.
And down at the end.
Our conversation, it's all plural now. Those that are perfect even as he was, that had no other object but Christ, now can look forward to the Lord's coming, which will affect that change when we will be brought into the final state of perfection and be altogether like Him, even according to the power.
Whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself. Well, that's what's before us.
That word conversation is really our way of life, isn't it? And as believers, as heavenly people, it should be seen. We have a language all our own, and let's don't give that up either. It's family language and we have it. And let's use those words that become Saints and children of God. But we have a walk too. That's what he's Speaking of here. The walk. And our way of life is in heaven. Our whole life is there and.
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Should be seen before they were called Christian Saints were called them in that way Paul was out searching any in that way. It's a way of life that they were after they they walked Christ walking believers here. It's lovely. Now the word Christian means a lot of things in the world would that we were called them in that way again.
But would that individually they'd see that we our way of life is such.
That we belong up there. We don't belong here. That includes everything, doesn't it? Everything. The way of life is heavenly.
A little pamphlet A little pamphlet has been printed, just recently reprinted.
Taking up the subject that our brother Hendricks brought up about.
Mutual decision by mutual concession and it's available at the Bible Truth and it's called the Unity of the Spirit. Just been a reprint. I think that would be nice if all would read it. Very important.
Our citizenship, we could read that verse 20 that would do away with entering into politics of this world, wouldn't it? We don't belong here. We don't have any rights down here. Our fatherland is heaven.
If I go to Europe.
And I'm a citizen of this country.
I can't vote over there. Why? Why can't I vote over there? I'm a stranger.
I'm an alien.
I'm not a citizen of that country.
Well, if you apply that to heaven being our country, we're citizens of heaven and are being down here in a strange country.
How can we vote here? We belong up there. Our citizenship is up there.
And so we're not, not we can't legally vote here, rightfully vote.
Well, we don't find the Lord entering into politics.
He could have been a great politician.
But the very thought of that is a dreadful thought.
And perhaps they wondered why he didn't enter into politics. No, he was a stranger here. He was a citizen of heaven. He belonged to heaven. He came from heaven.
And this, this was a strange place to him. And they treated him in a strange way. And we know what they did to him. They refused him, they denied him, they respect, they crucified him.
Where we are identified with Him, that's what makes us heavenly. He's our head up there. We're united to Him by the Holy Spirit who came down on the day of Pentecost to unite all believers to the Lord Jesus Christ. Perform the one body of the Church and everyone who is saved receives the Holy Spirit, having believed you were sealed without Holy Spirit of promise.
We're united to him.
We belong to him, He belongs to heaven. We belong to heaven too.
He had no rights here. He was denied his rights. And how can we expect to have any rights here or title to do anything as part of the government here? No, we don't. We don't demand our rights. We pray for the powers that be. That's our privilege and we should pray for the powers that be. But to act?
In the capacity of being part of the powers that be, that's not our role at all.
We are citizens of heaven and we are alien. We are strangers. Here is another important point here. I believe that our wild body or body of humiliation is what every one of us presently has. It's not just that body that has gone into the grave and has decayed. And what a comfort that is to know that this body which is subject to sickness as a result of.
Thin and decay.
That this is not going to be the final thing, but how encouraging too, that we are not waiting for the undertaker.
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We're waiting for the upper taker. You know. We don't wait for that. Our hope is that we will go through a change without going through death. That's our hope. You love it, isn't it? I believe that we can even be a testimony in not making preparations for death because we're waiting for the Lord to come.
AG Bell It makes a wonderful little statement I think about.
This world in which we live, the way he said it is this, that.
This earth is a swinging sepulchre containing much dust, precious to God. You see, he's up there and thought God's thoughts, looking down at this little orb swinging around in space. And he buried Moses. He knew where that body was when he wanted to bring Moses there to the Mount of Transfiguration.
He knows all from Abel, even perhaps well. Abel was the first one to die.
Right on down who have died in faith and here's the one who has the power to bring them forward and the Lord Jesus, it's expressed of him in Revelation one. Well, he says it. I am he that liveth and was dead and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen and have the keys of hell.
And of death, or you might say, Hades, the peace of departed spirits.
And the tomb 2 keys belong to a man. Now that's what we have here.
Him who is able, He is able to subdue all things unto himself in his own time. He will unlock the place of the departed spirits and the tomb of everyone and bring them together. Now that's what resurrection is. Resurrection. I'll make this statement. I believe it'll be understood here. Is not the imparting of life.
Life is quickening and we get that when we hear that gospel and believe.
To get that link, death is spoken of in James as the body without the spirit is dead. Well, that's the separation of the two. Here's the man who has the power to bring them together. Well, God looks down at this fear swinging around in space and every one of those bodies, he knows where it is. And here's the man that will bring them out. And that's what they're looking for, The one who.
Also the change of our bodies.
These bodies will be changed. We don't expect that, but we will get the fruit of the resurrection in the new body. It'll be this body that's changed. It'll be Moses, same body that he's raised in it whole same body of the blessed Lord has that power.