Having spoken of our Lord Jesus Christ in His humiliation in chapter 2, the Apostle Paul next presents Him as our blessed object in the glory. Paul had seen Christ up there, and his one goal was to be more like Him down here. This gave energy to his Christian life and made him give the proper value -worthless - to everything of earth and this world.
1. In presenting such a glorious object to us, the Apostle recognizes that there are things that hinder us in pursuing this goal. One of these enemies is our sinful flesh (vs. 3). How are we to reckon ourselves, in view of the sin that is in us, so that we might not have any confidence in the flesh? Romans 6:___
2. Paul had an impressive list of credentials and honors in which he might have boasted (vss. 4-6). However, when he weighed their value against the excellence of knowing his Lord better and deeper, he found that they were worthless (vss. 7-8). They not only didn’t help; they were a positive hindrance, and so he gave them up completely in order that he might wholeheartedly pursue his goal. When addressing the Ephesian elders, what else did he say was not dear to him, because his objective was far more valuable? Acts 20:___
3. So completely did the Apostle desire to know Christ and be like Him that he even wanted to be like Him in death (vs. 10). Then he would experience resurrection from among the dead, as Christ had when He was raised. Who else will experience this resurrection when the Lord Himself comes from heaven with a shout? 1 Thessalonians 4:___
4. Paul recognizes that we don’t all grow at the same rate (vs. 15). He encourages the Philippian saints, and ourselves also, to follow those whose lives show that they have the same object as the Apostle Paul. Why could he tell believers to follow himself? 1 Corinthians 11:___
5. Our bodies are subject to weakness and decay. We are part of the creation that groans in pain together. But at the coming of the Lord, these bodies will be changed to be just like His resurrection body of glory (vss. 20-21). What will we experience when we are delivered from this bondage of corruption?
Romans 8:___