Philippians 3:12-16 Press On By Faith In Christ!

Philippians 3:12-16  Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.  And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.  Only let us live up to what we have already attained. 

What have we already attained?  Through faith in Christ and his works, we have attained righteousness, peace, love; harmony with God.  No longer are we outside of God's plan of restoring humans to an intimate relationship with him, a closer bonding than walking and talking with him in the Garden.  His plan of creating children who abide eternally with him in the inner most part of his heart is our inheritance.  On the cross, Jesus paid the complete price for this close relationship.  Through his works alone, we have obtained salvation: right standing with God the Father.  We are no longer considered God's enemies, but his friends, his beloved children.  Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.  Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.  (Romans 5:1-2)  We have attained this privileged position because of God's grace and mercy.  He has fulfilled both sides of his covenant with mankind: his side and ours as humans through the works of Jesus Christ.  Jesus became human to fulfill our side.  We, in our flesh, fall short of perfection: sinlessness.  We are unable to keep his law of righteousness; we are lawbreakers, covenant breakers, our hearts without Christ are deceitfully wicked.   "We will do it," as the Children of Israel proclaimed when the law and its regulations were read, is often our proclamation to God, but we eventually discover that our wayward spirits will not do it.  Our basic nature is not conducive to following God's laws, his plans.  We cannot fulfill our part of the covenant of righteousness through our works.  Consequently, Paul exhilarating message is to leave the old ways of pleasing God through our works and let us live up to that which has already been attained through the work of the cross: God's mercy and grace, liberally poured out on all flesh through the work of his Son.

What goal are we pressing on to win?  What prize is there for us?  Paul says in verse 11, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.  Are we not living in the presence of God through faith in Christ's work?  Are we not new creatures, born again by the blood of the Lamb?  Paul realizes we have been given the genesis of a new creature.  From the throne of God, we have been given righteousness, justice, peace, love.  All of this and more is part of the nature of God, freely given to mankind if we will partake of what God freely offers.  As sure as God is real, not an imagination, so are these attributes of God.  They are not just good thoughts, psychological states, emotional ways of thinking.  No, they are as real as God himself.  They penetrate our hearts if we allow them to enter our domain of thinking and acting.  Paul is pressing on to allow God's attributes to become his total character, personality.  He is pressing on to allow God's nature to replace his nature in everything he does.  Paul desires his life to be moving heavenward, moving into the nature of an adopted son of God, which someday will culminate in full bloom at his own resurrection.  At that day, he will be fully known as a child of God.  We also have that inheritance before us.  We will be know as his children: his sons, his daughters when we pass onto the other side.  As we read in the Word: The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.  (Romans 8:16-17 KJV)  All of us who are mature in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and his works should understand our true nature as sons and daughters of the Most High.  If we have difficulty catching hold of our true nature in God, we should remember the works we have already attained.  

Now, let us consider the practicalities of living for Christ.  Even though, Jesus has given us right standing with God and his Spirit, we still live in a world of struggle and temptation.  We often fall short of displaying God and his attributes to the world.  Even though we have the nature of God in us: his righteousness, his peace, his joy, his justice, and so on, we many times fail to demonstrate HIS image to the world through our actions and reactions.  We claim to have his Spirit within; yet, at times we fail to reveal his grace and mercy to others.  Rather than behaving Christ-like, we become short tempered, judgmental, or even self-righteous.  In times when we are anxious, troubled, upset, or depressed, we can accentuate fleshly thinking rather than heavenly thinking.  When faith in God loses its preeminence, we tend to lose sight of God and his purposes, substituting the reactions of the flesh, which carry dire consequences.  Paul says, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  I press to know Jesus in my everyday life.  I strive to exercise his resurrection power that makes me new, a creature of heaven and not of this world.  I ignore things of this world that will drag me down to cringing, fearful actions and thoughts.  I will not let anger seduce me, to create in me hurt and devastation.  I will not be up one day and down the next day, violating the divine nature of God within me, his steadfastness.  God is the same yesterday, today, and  forever.  Of course, living for Jesus, putting on his nature, is a constant challenge for all of us.  We cannot say as the Israelites said so many centuries ago: "We will do it."  We will be good.  We will please you, God, at all times.  No, we cannot even come close to God's nature in our flesh, but what we can do through Bible reading, prayer, and meditation, is renew our minds daily.  We can display God by loving others, by being sensitive to God's words and his divine instruction inside of us.  We are his hands, we are his feet.  GOD LIVES, HE LIVES IN US.  HE LOVES THE WORLD.  WE ARE TO LOVE AS HE LOVES.  Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  This we will do by the power of the Holy Spirit.  As we know: Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.  (Zechariah 4:6)  

Philippians 3:7-11 Take Up the Cross, Follow Jesus!

Philippians 3:7-11  But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 

Paul lost everything in this world when he made the decision to sell out for Christ.  As we read in the previous breakfast, he had status in his religion, culture, and community: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.  (Philippians 3:5-6)  Paul's family and friends must have been very proud of him as he gained recognition, position, and reputation within the Jewish society.  Paul, as a young man, was on top of the world as far as success in this world was concerned, but now we see Paul after his conversion, happy that he has lost his position for the purpose of gaining Christ in his life.  Paul considered all that he previously had gained in the world as rubbish, as dung, as a manure pile in reference to knowing Christ and his righteousness.  He now has a righteousness, an acceptance with God, not of his own, but of the Son of God.  He now has favor with God the Father.  How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ.  Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.  His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.  And this gave him great pleasure.  (Ephesians 1:3-5)  Paul understood that faith in Christ and his works made him holy and without fault in his (God's) eyes.  The sacrifice Paul paid for following Jesus was nothing compared to the richness of God's love towards him.  He would gladly suffer all things to win Christ and God's approval.  He would endure all things to win eternal life, to be placed forever in the body of Christ.  Paul wanted to know Christ and the power of his resurrection.  He wanted Christ's resurrection power to flow through him, causing him no longer to be bound to this earth, but to eternity.  

Paul also wanted to know the fellowship of sharing in his (Christ's) sufferings, becoming like him in his death.  Jesus died to this world.  This world had nothing in him.  He did not live to gain the world but to save the world.  Jesus knew salvation would come through his suffering, his death, not his great accomplishments or his miracles and success in the world.  He held no throne, no position of honor in this world; yet through his suffering and death, He brought life to "whosoever will."  We who are IN CHRIST are the "whosoever will."  Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.  For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  (Mark 8:34-37, KJV)  Jesus wants us to live for the Kingdom of God and not this world.  As we deny ourselves the things of this world, take up the cross of Christ, we become his followers, people of the Way.  If we live for his kingdom, we will bring life and light to the world; but if we live for our kingdom, we will benefit only ourselves in this dark and desperate world.  To attain to the resurrection from the dead, Paul had to commit his life totally to Christ; anything less would fall far short of God's purposes for his life.  This is the life we embrace as believers, a life totally committed to the One we love.  When Peter told the church that they might suffer for righteousness sake, he also said concerning Christ, He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.  For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.  (1 Peter 2:24-25)

We who live in the twenty-first century have the same obligation upon us as Paul.  We have been crucified with Christ and raised in newness of life by the Holy Spirit within us.  We are to be one-hundred percent in for the cause of Christ.  Anything less will not be acceptable to God.  Jesus told the disciples He must go away to send the Holy Spirit to teach them and to convict the world of righteousness.  Jesus also said, when the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.  (John 16:13)  We can walk in the truth, doing God's will as the Holy Spirit leads us.  As Paul told the church at Ephesus, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.  (Ephesians 2:10)  If for fleshly reasons, we fail to produce good works, we are failing God's purposes for our lives.  We cannot be half in and half out.  We cannot have sweet and bitter water coming from the same container.  We cannot be a chameleon, changing our allegiance whenever it pleases us.  One day we are in the world completely; the next day we are sold out for Christ.  We cannot partake from the containers of violence and sin; then supposedly drink heartily at the fountain of living water.  We cannot complete the race of Christ by running half-heartedly.  We should be passionate about serving the Lord, fully committed.  Our minds should constantly commune with God.  Our lips should express faith and praise in words and songs.  If we are not zealous for God, this world is too much with us.  If we do not want to deny ourselves of any of the "goodies" of this world, we must wonder what Jesus meant when He asked us to deny ourselves and to take up the cross.  Paul says, Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.  The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God.  It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.  Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.  (Romans 8:5-8)  Dear ones, let us please God in word and deed.  Let us yield to the Holy Spirit, allowing him to shape and mold us into the image of our dear Lord. 

Philippians 3:1-6 Rejoice By Faith!

Philippians 3:1-6  Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord!  It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.  Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh.  For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh — though I myself have reasons for such confidence.  If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. 

Paul concludes his instructions and admonitions from chapter 2 with the statement: Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord!  He says to the church at Philippi, regardless of how successfully you have been serving the Lord, rejoice in the work of Christ purely because He is your propitiation for sin.  He is the creator of the new life in you, and we glory in Christ Jesus, putting our trust in his sacrifice for our sins.  Even though the Philippians might be circumcised and legalistically righteous by their obedience to the law and its tenets, Paul tells them to give Jesus the glory, for He alone has made them completely righteous before God.  The Bible says, whatsoever is not of faith is sin.  (Romans 14:23)  In our everyday lives, there are many instances when we do not live by faith.  There are times when we are filled with anxiety or fear because of what might happen in difficult situations, such as a sickness, a financial collapse, a job lost, and so on.  In these situations, our faith often subsides and our fears or anxieties mount.  We allow our assurance in God to fall to the wayside as we think of all the terrible possibilities ahead of us.  In those moments of faithlessness, we are telling God that He is not enough for our lives.  We wrestle back the control of our lives from him when we need him most. These are times when we are living outside of complete faith in God and his love.  All of us go through these times.  Yet we must remember what we read in God's Word: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.   How can we live to please God, if our basic feelings, honest feelings, can be viewed as outside of God's will for us?  SOLUTION: WE TRUST IN CHRIST'S RIGHTEOUSNESS AND NOT OUR OWN!  WE TRUST IN GOD'S GOODNESS AND NOT OUR OWN.  WE TRUST IN GOD'S FAITHFULNESS AND NOT OUR OWN.  All of us who believe in Christ by faith will be in that position of trust when we breathe our last breath.  We will of necessity have to trust completely in his righteousness, goodness, and faithfulness; for we will not be able to help ourselves any longer.  This of course is the faith that spans eternity; this is the faith we lay at God's feet, when we are on the brink of death.  Not our own life, but his life.  Only faith in Jesus takes us to the other side.  

In chapter 2, we hear Paul speak about Jesus becoming a servant to all and how Christ humbled himself and became obedient to death.  (Philippians 2:8)  We too are to humble ourselves, to take on the role of a servant to all.  We are not to take our place of equality among our brethren as being necessary, but to become nothing for the service of God.  But all of this can just become a process of good works, doing good because God expects us to be good, to be like him.  To be perfect!  But Paul says at the beginning of this chapter: rejoice in the Lord!  The lifestyle of a servant is good, helpful, and Christ-like.  Yes, serving is the Christian thing to do; yes, it reaps wonderful results; yes, it changes the lives of everyone around you, including your family; but all of these admonitions and instructions fail to make us as God is, even though the scriptures say, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 2:5)  This kind of mind in us, through the flesh's efforts, mirrors God; but nothing can change the true nature of man into God's nature other than the miraculous work of Jesus Christ on the cross.  His work alone perfects us.  His work alone makes us children of God.  Nothing else will change our basic nature, accommodate the eternal presence of God.  We will sometimes fail to do the right thing, to have the wrong attitude in us, our self-willed mind; but God's work in us through Christ identifies us as his own.  Our souls' DNA has been changed permanently.  We have been changed from sinner to saint, from alien to friend, from orphan to family.  We are no longer alone in the universe: we are his children.  Therefore, Paul says emphatically: rejoice in the Lord!  We have a tremendous hope, as Paul wrote: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.  (Galatians 2:20)

Now, Paul understood how easily people rejoice in their own exploits, experiences, knowledge, and wisdom.  He understood how easily men and women justify their lives before God, relying on their religiosity and works rather than Christ's finished work at the cross and his continuing work in every believer.  Paul put no confidence in the flesh, though I myself have reasons for such confidence.  If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.  He lists his qualifications not as a way of bragging but to show that he is faultless in fulfilling the tenets of the law.  Before he came to Christ, he was as other Pharisees: meticulous in following the law, even to tithing one-tenth of their spices to God.  He undoubtedly received much praise for his zeal to God from the people surrounding him.  The leaders of the Jewish religious elite favored him by giving him the heavy responsibility of destroying any apostasy within the Judaic religion, thus the persecution of the Jewish Christians.  But he counted all his favors and elevation within the Jewish community as dung.  He counted all of his previous religious and life experiences as worthless that he might win Christ.  He knew that nothing, even a circumspect life, could win God's favor, eternal life; only Christ's work could win God's approval.  He wrote to his spiritual son, Timothy: Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst.  But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.  (1 Timothy 1:15-16)  Therefore, nothing could distract Paul from putting his trust totally in Jesus Christ and his righteousness.  Dear breakfast companions, Christ's work and his work alone has made us acceptable to God.  Rest in that knowledge!  Work for him!  Live for him!  The Creator of all things has brought new life to us, eternal life!  He is our Grace!  Praise him, children of the MOST HIGH.  

Philippians 2:25-30 Live For Jesus, Not the World!

Philippians 2:25-30  But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.  For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill.  Indeed he was ill, and almost died.  But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.  Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety.  Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me. 

Epaphroditus, a servant of the Lord, faithfully served Paul in Rome.  The Philippian church had sent him to take care of Paul's needs.  During his stay in Rome he became ill primarily due to the work of Christ, maybe due to toiling excessively hard for the work of the cross.  No one really knows the details, but Paul says this dear brother almost died, and he was risking his life to make up for the help you (the Philippians) could not give me.  Whatever happened to him, he was sick unto death, but God intervened, sparing him from death at that time, causing Paul to rejoice for Epaphroditus was much loved by him.  Paul seemingly was concerned that Epaphroditus might die away from his homeland and loved ones: Paul states: God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.  Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety.  Because of God's mercy, Epaphroditus journeyed back to the Philippians with a letter from Paul.  He was spared from death to fulfill the mission God had for him.  This is our life as believers in a nutshell: we are to journey where God has asked us to journey; we are to live each day to fulfill God's will in our lives, serving where He calls us to serve.  The script for each person's life has been written in blood, the blood of Jesus Christ.  We no longer live for ourselves, but for Christ; HE lives in us and we in HIM.  As Paul wrote to the church in Galatia, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  (Galatians 2:20)  THIS IS THE GLORIOUS LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN!    

We often clutter our lives with the noise, activities, and countless diversions of this world that distract us from completing the mission God sets before us.  We miss God's purposes by eating and drinking our way through life.  We are not literally eating and drinking, but we ignore our reason for living by entangling our lives so deeply in the world that we cannot hear anything but the voice of others and the concerns of the world.  In today's electronic age, we hear about all the world's problems in nanoseconds: every bombing, shooting, disruption, and exhilaration.  We also learn of every difficulty or excitement our acquaintances experience.  We learn all of this immediately by the gadgets we hold in our hands.  This is where many of us live out our lives.  In doing so, God's will for us has been put aside, definitely placed in a secondary position in our purposes for living.  Jesus said: The eye is the lamp of the body.  So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness.  If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!  No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other.  (Matthew 6:22-24)  When we become so involved with this side of eternity, we forget the main goal of life: to love God with all your heart, mind, strength, and soul.  Consequently, we neglect the activities important to the Spirit within us: to love and serve others.  Instead, we substitute electronic communication for intimate interactions.  We express our concerns for others from a distance, rejecting any tangible involvement.  Yes, we tend to clutter our lives with everything but God and his ways.  Likewise when we lose sight of our real purpose in life, we teach our children to clutter their lives with activities, always pressing on to the next idea, adventure, or thrill.  With no time to rest, we continue eating, drinking, and being merry.  The journey God desires is eaten up by gluttonous desires and selfish pursuits.  We become lost in this finite world of darkness when we exclusively follow this path through a wasteland.  With no oasis near, no rest for our souls, no time to think about God or the purpose of life, is it any wonder people become tired and weary?  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, eight percent of the population twelve and over are depressed with the highest rates among individuals aged forty to fifty-nine.  If we added the statistics for drug and alcohol abuse, we would see we are not providing a peaceful and happy life for many in our country with all its allurements.  Many lack comfort and healing, a safe harbor.

There will be a day, just as Paul assessed Epaphroditus' life, when God will assess our lives.  There will be a day that our lives will be opened up like a book.  Then God will investigate our lives in a loving, intimate way.  He will investigate whether we heard his voice as we journeyed.  Did we follow him to green pastures, where still waters exist?  Did we hear his voice restoring our souls, helping us to navigate this life, providing a sure avenue through the shadow of death?  Did we accept his words of comfort, stamping out the fears of life, providing hope when we faced confusion?  Did we read in his Word that we are righteous, and He will never leave us nor forsake us, or let the enemy of our souls defeat us?  Did we know assuredly that the oil of the Spirit has anointed us completely?  Were we sensitive to hear his words that goodness and love will follow us every day of our lives, and we will dwell in the house of the LORD forever?  Breakfast companions, do not clutter your lives with the constant noise and activities of this world.  God's still, small voice is beseeching us to live his life in this dark world.  Let us cease from listening to the constant haranguing clamor of the world that keeps us from hearing his quiet voice.  Faith is needed to listen: we must believe God is speaking and desires to communicate with us. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.  (Hebrews 11:6)  If we fail to realize that God is alive and is willing to help us through life, we will be as people on an endless merry-go-round, never stopping, but never going anyplace either.  The noise eventually will become shallow, even maddening, certainly meaningless.  We will begin to understand the activity of the ride is but a facade, all of it covering up the real journey of life, to know God and his love.  Dear friends, do not fall into depression and unbelief by following the activities and sounds of the carnival of life.  You will never find peace or satisfaction in this life if you follow that canard, that deception.  Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.  (Isaiah 55:6)  Seek the Lord, for his voice is always active, and He wants you to know his voice today.  

Philippians 2:19-24 Finish the Race!

Philippians 2:19-24  I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you.  I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.  For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.  But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.  I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me.  And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.

I have no one else like him (Timothy), who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.  For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.  This is a message that should challenge today's church.  Paul realized that most of the Christians around him were so involved with their own concerns that they could not or would not look beyond their own interests to the concerns of Jesus Christ.  But Timothy, as a good son, would choose to look after the interests and concerns of his spiritual father, Paul.  Paul could count on this from Timothy because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.  Paul's concerns, in his role as an apostle, revolved around the welfare of the churches he founded.  The Philippian church was one of them.  Timothy was sent to the Philippians to gather information for Paul on the health and welfare of the church in Philippi.  Paul said he sought this good report so that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you.  Timothy also gave them the latest information on Paul's situation in Rome.  Timothy was a trusted brother in the Lord to Paul, so close to Paul, that Paul considered him his spiritual son.  Paul knew Timothy would reflect his love and his concern for the wellbeing of the Philippians.  He knew Timothy would sacrifice his own physical and emotional needs for the furtherance of the gospel in Philippi.  As his true son in the faith, Paul could count on Timothy lifting up Jesus Christ in his visit to this nascent church.  (1 Timothy 1:2)  He trusted Timothy to follow the admonition he had already given the Philippians: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  (Philippians 2:3)

Paul set an example as a servant, and he trusted Timothy to do likewise.  Some of you reading this breakfast have received ministry from believers who put their own needs aside to bless or to encourage others, people who considered the interests of Jesus Christ as more important than their own interests.  Mom had such a friend, and she was a tremendous blessing in her life.  During a period when Mom was suffering greatly from the effects of lupus and fibro myalgia, this wonderful friend seemed to sense when she was needed.  Mom was still working as a writing consultant for different school districts, and part of her job included conducting workshops.  This dear friend, Carol, would accompany her to the school and help carry in the materials, arranging them, handing them out, and doing anything she could to ease the workload.  Most important, at the end of the day, she loaded the car, took Mom's arm, helped her to the car, and drove her home.  Many times, she would give Mom a massage to help soothe her aching joints and muscles.  She would call on days that seemed impossible and tell Mom,  "Now, I want you to tell me how you really are, so I can pray."  When she heard about the pain or the lack of sleep or the brain fog, she would simply say, "I know, I know."  Then she would offer encouragement.  Her words overflowed with the comfort of the Lord.  She sent scriptures and spiritual songs.  Once she called and said, "I hear you saying, 'I think I can.  I think I can.'  The Lord wants you to say, I know I can.  I know I can.  You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength right now."  Our son, Dan, summed up Carol's love and care for his mother when he said, "You know, Mom, Carol is such a great friend because she gives more than she takes."  Dad said, "That is a friend who loves like Jesus."  We should all love with that kind of love.  Carol said she was a Titus because Paul told the church in Corinth, Titus was a fellow worker sent from God to labor with him.  She believed that was her role in Mom's life.  When Carol went to be with the Lord it was very difficult, and Mom misses her loving friendship greatly.  But Carol's life influenced many for Jesus.

If you have been blessed with a Carol in your life or if God has called you to be a Carol to others in your sphere of influence, then praise God!  Either role is ordained of God and mapped out by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus said,  I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  (John 10:10)  To minister under the leading of the Holy Spirit or to be ministered to by another is life changing.  In these grace-filled moments, we connect with the Creator, the giver of eternal life.  Yes, life can be difficult at times; we often experience hardships and extreme pain.  Our dear Carol died a painful death from cancer.  She expected God to heal her up to the very end of her life here on Earth.  Shortly before her passing, Mom told her, "I know it is not what you wanted, but you are going to receive your healing in heaven.  You are going to have that big party with Jesus and those who have gone before, and I will see you again."  She did not want to hear that.  None of us wants a "No" when we sought a "Yes."  But we know Carol arrived in heaven with inexpressible joy!  When Carol took her last breath on this side of heaven, she knew where she was headed.  Jesus had a place for her prepared ahead of time.  With Paul, she could say, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.  (2 Timothy 4:7-8)   She did not run in vain, and neither do we when we run the race for the cause of Christ.  We have a couple of grandchildren who run races.  They run fast!  When Ethan or Julia run a race, they are all in: nothing distracts them or keeps them from the finish line.  When they finish, they have used all their strength and they have done their best.  This is how every believer must run for the Master.  You must: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.   And as Jesus added, you must: Love your neighbor as yourself.  (Mark 12:30-31)  Paul and Timothy loved like that, Carol loved like that, and so can we as we serve in the work of the gospel. 

 

Philippians 2:12-17 Shine Like A Star

Philippians 2:12-17  Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.  Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life — in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.  But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 

In these verses, we see Paul developing the theme of being like-minded with Christ.  Even though Jesus Christ was equal to God in his position and authority, He made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  (vs 7)  Jesus took on the body and nature of man to serve man.  He did this in complete humbleness, considering others better than himself, even though He was God.  We are human, equal to each other in our humanness.  To follow Jesus' example, we are to take our role of equality with others and consider it nothing.  As Christ did, we are to humble ourselves to serve others in love even though we have equality with them.  This is the message Paul asks us to work out with fear and trembling.  John wrote: God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.  (1 John 4 16-17)  God loves without reciprocation or acceptance from others.  As Paul wrote to the church at Rome, But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  (Romans 5:8)  Jesus said that we should love our enemies or place ourselves below them to reveal the love of God to them.  This is difficult for us to understand because this love has little to do with the love we define here on earth.  We expect acknowledgement, reciprocation, and respect from those we love.  We lose interest in love that is not returned.  We have many reasons to love, but loving our enemies is not counted among those reasons.  Instead we justify despising, hurting, and in extreme cases even killing them.  We do not easily internalize the idea of loving our enemies.  Yet God says, if we love them as He loves them we will fulfill his will; and just as He has done with Jesus, someday He will lift us up into heavenly places and put the crown of righteousness on our heads.  He has made us sons and daughters in his family, and He has called us to a higher calling than the Earthly realm, a position that no person in his earthly state can understand or appreciate. 

We are blessed because we have the Holy Spirit to teach us to act according to his good purpose.  Paul tells us to do everything without complaining or arguing.  Stop complaining to others about serving people you do not like.  Stop arguing about why you are justified in treating them as enemies rather than people to love.  Stop complaining and arguing to God about this role of a loving servant of all.  Instead, be obedient to the words and nature of God.  If we put aside this obstinate nature, this nature of disobedience to God, and take on the nature of Christ, we will become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation.  We will shine like stars in the universe.  We will generate light rather than darkness to people who need to see light. The world will see our good works and marvel at the quality of the works.  As they look upon our lives, they will know that something in our lives is substantially different from the way they live their lives.  Jesus said, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.  (Matthew 5:16 )  Of course, this is the treasure of living that has escaped the world's awareness and that is the word of life.  Jesus Christ is the Word; Jesus Christ is the life; He alone brings eternal life to every person who will put their trust in him and believe in him for eternal life.  Christ alone can give eternal life with God; He alone can change this humanness to God's nature, projecting us into the future as sons and daughters of the Most High, co-heirs with Jesus to the blessings of God forever.  How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  (1 John 3:1)  Paul was poured out as a drink offering.  He was consumed by the will of God, living a difficult life, full of pain and rejection, so others would know Christ.  He ran the race, seeing the joy set before him, knowing if he labored diligently that eternal transformation would come to those who heard and heeded his words.  He knew they would become his brothers and sisters IN CHRIST.  Along the way, he found many enemies to the cross, who wanted to discourage him from finishing the course, but he ran strong regardless of the pain.  

We, too, should run the race with endurance, passion, and power.  We should become faithful servants, loving the world as God loves the world.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.  (2 Peter 3:9)  We are to work out God's plan of salvation by serving others.  When we find ourselves in difficult situations as we serve, we must bring God's light to that arena.  If we rebel toward living as a servant: not loving our neighbors, not serving others, not caring for our enemies, we are living contrary to God's will for our lives.  When we bemoan our present situation or our difficulties, we minimize God's will in us and what He is doing in the world through us.  We are called just as the disciples were called to bring others to the cross of Christ.  Paul wrote, For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.  (1 Corinthians 1:17-18)  Christ died on the cross that we might find salvation and share the Good News.  We must die to ourselves so others might be saved, might see the love of God.  When we struggle in our homes, in our workplace, in our community, we must remember the joy that God has prepared for believers who remain faithful to his will and his love.  His love manifested on Earth will save your children, your mates, your friends, your co-workers, your acquaintances.  We must run the race of life with perseverance and patience.  Much prayer, much faith is needed.  Every time you go to church you express faith; every time you humble yourself before the Lord, saying, not my will but yours, you express faith.  Pray and expect an answer, live for others, and shine for Jesus.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  (Hebrews 12:2)  

Philippians 2:5-11 Become A Servant Of All!

Philippians 2:5-11  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus is THE SERVANT of all time.  He could have come to Earth enwrapped with all the glory of heaven; He could have come with ten thousand angels, escorting him to his rightful throne in Jerusalem.  He could have come with his magnificent titles of Creator and King of All; instead, He came in human likeness with the sentence of death on his life because of being human and because of the course set before him.  He became obedient to death — even death on a cross!  In doing this, He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.  And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.  (Colossians 2:13-15)   Jesus, the man of humble birth, a servant of all, eventually will be known by all men as THE LORD, for every tongue (will) confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  All people shall bow at his feet; every human that has ever existed will someday bow before him.  Some will bow before him in reverence, knowing him as the Giver of Life Eternal; others will bow before him in fear, knowing that they will be judged by the works in their lives.  The former will be judged according to Jesus Christ and his works; the latter will be judged according to their works.  All will know that God will not accept any unrighteousness into his kingdom.  BE YE PERFECT is God's measuring stick for eternal life.  All but Jesus are imperfect; therefore, perfection or righteousness comes through the name of Jesus.  All who put their trust in Jesus' name will be saved or found perfect before God; all others will face the wrath of God for imperfection, or as we know it, sin.

Therefore, how should we live?  Yes, we are righteous because of our faith in Christ, but how should we live as believers?  Our attitude in life should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.  He came to serve, we are to serve.  Paul told the church in Galatia: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  (Galatians 2:20)  If Christ lives in us and we have the Holy Spirit within us, we will go about doing the deeds Jesus would do.  Jesus made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, and we see his servant nature during his ministry through his final offering of himself on the cross.  When the disciples argued about who would be the greatest, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.  (Mark 9:35)  Soon after Jesus uttered these words, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, asked Jesus if He would do whatever they asked.  They seemed to have missed his point about serving others.  When they asked if they could sit on his right and his lefthand, He did not give the answer they sought.  “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”  They said they could, but Jesus went on to say, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant.  These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”  Finally, when the ten are indignant at James and John, Jesus comes back to the point He made earlier: “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,  and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  (Mark 9:38-40, 42-45)  His disciples had difficulty understanding what many Christians do not understand today: Jesus came as a servant and calls us to follow him.

People in our day seem to want first place in life, and we do not hear a lot about serving others.  This self-centerness leads to a society that exalts personal success and greed.  We lift up people who are aggressive and take advantage of others to make it to the top.  These people are our heroes more often than those who give their lives to helping the needy and to finding ways to improve conditions for the poor.  When Jesus called his disciples, He said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."  (Matthew 4:19)  He did not say, "Follow me, and I will make you a highly successful world mover and shaker with many people meeting your needs and serving you."  Jesus told his followers, “No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money.  Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  (Matthew 6:24-25)  A servant is not overly concerned about daily needs.  A servant serves the master, for he is bound to the master.  As Christians, we have a loving Master, One who has given his all for us, and One who is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  (Romans 8:34)  As we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, we go forth, serving the Lord with joy and gladness, sharing the Good News with the lost and the hurting.  We must ask the Holy Spirit to show us where He has called us to serve, to reveal to us the mission field where we are to reap a harvest by the Spirit with our trust placed firmly in the Lord.  As we read in the Word, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  (Hebrews 12:1-2)  This message is for you, brothers and sisters in Christ.  You are called to serve with all your might.  You are told to love you neighbor as yourself.  Refresh yourself in the Holy Spirit today, and He will bless you.  

Philippians 2:1-4 Love Your Neighbor

Philippians 2:1-4  If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

If the Spirit of God has transformed you in any way, if He has encouraged you in any way, if you have been given the privilege of communicating with him, if you have found his nature of tenderness and compassion as part of your life, if you have experienced a deeper love for others because of him, then be like-minded as you function in this world.  Encourage, help, and love others as the image of God in this world.  We are to prefer others above ourselves, looking after the needs of others, not just our own.  As Paul told the church in Rome, Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.  Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with God’s people who are in need.  Practice hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.  Do not repay anyone evil for evil.  (Romans  12:10-17)  This is how God wants us to move through the world.  In today's passage, Paul expresses the essence or purpose of a Christian life.  Our goal is not to be all we can be for ourselves, but to be all that we can be for others.  Our greatest example of this is Jesus Christ himself who was the epitome of one poured out for others.  His actions revealed a God that the world did not know or understand.  To the world, their gods were gods of power and authority, not gods of servanthood.  They would have thought the Christian God would be weak while their gods were gods of strength and deliverance.  They believed their powerful gods could deliver whole nations from their adversaries; make them wealthy; provide them with many children; could do a sundry of things: bringing security, abundance, and prestige to all that served them.  But one must serve them with total allegiance, even to the sacrificing of their own children, for they are the gods of this world, the gods of the devil.

When Jesus came to Earth, He came as a baby, from a poor family, without the trappings of authority or position.  He was a carpenter, working anonymously for the necessities of this world: food and shelter.  His rise to recognition did not come through the usual ways of the world.  We do not see him as a young boy being stronger than all the other children around him.  As a young man we don't see him as a natural leader with a gang of followers.  We just see him as a young man, a carpenter, maybe a loner until the time appointed.  He was not from a place of distinction.  In fact, when Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote — Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph,”  Nathanael says, “Nazareth!  Can anything good come from there?”  (John 1:45-46)  Then at the river of Jordan, we see a man called John the Baptist, baptizing people who are repenting of their worldly ways.  There, Jesus asks John to baptize him also.  John knew by the Spirit's revelation that this man Jesus did not need to be baptized for his sins, for he was without sin; but John baptized him anyway, even though John knew he was the sinner in this situation, not Jesus.  But on that day Jesus, literally made a show of pushing off the ways of the world and taking on the way of the Spirit.  The Spirit came and rested on him.  As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.  At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”  (Matthew 3:16-17)  From that day, Jesus was full of power and authority, never more to live just according to the ways of the world.  From that day, he had no home: he depended on others to help him survive with the food and shelter He needed.  Hence forth, Jesus was bonded to the voice of God, to do the will of God.  We see him praying to God in a sustained manner for many hours.  We also know He followed the Spirit of God within him in everything He did.  

This man, Jesus Christ, is our Lord, the Son of God.  He alone is our God; his nature is to be our nature.  The Spirit that fell upon him is the same Spirit that resides in us after we accept Christ as our Savior.  Jesus went away that we might have the Comforter, our Teacher and our Guide.  The Spirit helps us to do the will of God.  Jesus lived his whole life for others, and He told us: Love your neighbor as yourself.  (Matthew 22:39)  How are we living our lives for the benefit of others?  If we do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, we will shine for Jesus in a world that is contaminated by selfishness and vanity.  Oftentimes we are driven exclusively by our desire to please ourselves or to get ahead, to be the winner in every situation.  This is the spirit of the age, but it is not the spirit of the family of God.  How often are we discouraged when people will not follow our lead or listen to our wisdom?   How often do we desire to control the environment around us?  Maybe too often.  But Paul says that you should in humility consider others better than yourselves.  This does not sound like a God that humans want to follow.  Outside of Christ, this is the question one would naturally ask: What is in it for me?  This Christian thing does not seem to pay off very well.  For the secular "me first" world, Paul really drives his point home with a hammer by saying Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  He expands our world beyond just ourselves: a Christian will look out for the needs and welfare of others.  This is what Jesus did as He walked this earth.  He served and loved the world so much that He gave his life for all: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  (Romans 5:8)  Paul asks us to live as Jesus lived in a sinful world.  We should be like-minded with Christ, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.  We should be as only true God, a lover of his creation, of those who need his love.  We are to display his love that He lavished so abundantly upon the world.     

Philippians 1:27-30 Conduct Yourself Worthy of the Gospel

Philippians 1:27-30  Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.  Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.  This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved — and that by God.  For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. 

Paul knew the Philippians were in danger of facing the same persecution and threats he had experienced.  Paul was in prison at this time in Rome, some say house arrest.  Regardless, he experienced incarceration because of his testimony that Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God and Savior of all who call upon his name.  Of course, neither the Romans nor the Jews wanted to hear these claims, for they had killed Jesus in Jerusalem.  For the Jews and the Romans, Paul's pronouncements, his preaching and teaching, could destabilize their authority in the region if Paul's message was accepted by the majority of the people.  Paul was preaching, Jesus is Lord, and IN HIM ALONE is eternal life.  Of course, Caesar was God to the Romans, and the Law established the authority and hierarchy in the Jewish community.  Consequently, Paul was not only a threat to the Jewish world, but also a threat to the secular world.  Under this stress, Paul has already indicated his dichotomous feelings about life and its value: For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me.  Yet what shall I choose?  I do not know!  I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.  (Chapter 1:21-24)  In today's scripture, he tells the Philippians that this message you have heard and have accepted will also bring you trouble.  For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.  He tells them, Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.  He is encouraging them as their spiritual father.

How do we conduct ourselves so that we are worthy of the gospel of Christ?  What does Jesus say about his message when He is preparing to leave this earth?  My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  (John 15:12-13)  If you hate your brother, you are a murderer.  If you do not love, you remain in death.  God is not in you if you do not love others.  We know we are alive in Christ, that we have eternal life, when we are loving mankind as God loves his creation.  What is the epitome of love, the apex of love: to lay our lives down for others?  This is what Jesus did for us.  He revealed God's love to us, a sacrificial love, one that is absolute and eternal.  We in the flesh fall far short of this kind of love.  We normally focus our lives around our needs and wants.  We have a difficult time putting other people's needs before ours.  This is why we are not like God; this is why we have trouble understanding who God is and exemplifying his likeness, for we are not like him.  Our lives tread around our interests, not the needs of others.  But IN CHRIST, we are known as the children of God, learning his interests, not ours, becoming as He is, not as we are in the natural.  He is changing us by the indwelling Holy Spirit little by little, step by step.  How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!  The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.  (1 John 3:1-2)  Someday we will be completely like him, clothed in his complete cloak of love.  His visage will be our visage, his likeness, our likeness, God in us and loving through us.  We are called to be his servants.  We are free in Christ, free from the sinful nature through faith in him.  Paul told the church in Galatia, For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  (Galatians 5:13)

Despite their glorious freedom in the Lord, the Philippians and all generations since have experienced some kind of persecution, isolation, and threats because of God's ministry of love to the world: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  How nonsensical is it to resist such a message.  Jesus predicted the rejection Christians would face: If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.  That is why the world hates you.  (John 15:18-19)  His message was and is unacceptable in this world of self-interest, and self-engrandisement.  The world has rejected this message of love and peace in favor of violence and mayhem.  In Noah's time, as it has always been since the Fall, this earth has been filled with turmoil and upheaval.  Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence.  God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.  So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them.  (Genesis 6:11-13)  Christ came to bring a new way of living, a final solution to this marred, sinful creation.  He came to establish peace, hope, and love in the hearts of men.  We are his peacemakers, the children of God.  We reveal Christ to the world.  We do not obfuscate this message by giving in to our fleshly desires or fears.  Even in our closest relationships, our lives are based on love and servitude.  Paul knew Christ's message would be rejected by fleshly men and the demonic spirits of this world.  The self says my way or the highway: it is my authority, my uniqueness, and so on.  The word "I" will always be preeminent in the spirits of men who are led by fleshly desires.  But Paul's words to the Philippians remind us that regardless of the threats, fears, disappointments, and persecutions, we should conduct ourselves as Christ conducted himself as He went to the cross.  We should love all people: treat them as we would want to be treated, a command we often ignore in our lives.  We have read: Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  (Galatians 5:25)  Christian companions at this table, gather yourself together more often as you see this world fall apart.  All of us need help to stand boldly for Christ, to be strengthened in our innermost selves, to love as God loves.  We need each other to accomplish our god-given tasks on this earth.    

Philippians 1:18-26 To Live is Christ!

Philippians 1:18-26  Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.  I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me.  Yet what shall I choose?  I do not know!  I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.  Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.  Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.  I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.  For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me.  Yet what shall I choose?  I do not know!  I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.  Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me. 

All of us has a row to hoe and plant in God's garden.  We are given a certain amount of time to live.  When that row ends and our time of planting is complete, our lives of productivity are over.  Some are given a long row, many years; others are given a very short row.  In the field God has prepared for us, we should be profitable, using the time and resources God has given us.  The wages are the same whether we have a long row or a short row: eternal life.  If we fail to understand that we have work to do, that life is not just about us, but about others, we will stand in the middle of the field without any work or effort on our part.  In today's verses from Philippians, Paul indicates as long as he is alive, he has work to do; and he says, as long as he lives, his life in the body will mean fruitful labor for me.  His work was fruitful for it was a life meant to reveal Jesus Christ to those that God had given to him, regardless of his circumstances.  For him, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  For Paul and every Christian, there is no other life than the one God wants us to live.  We cannot stop halfway down the row because of the vicissitudes or the cares of life: we persevere to the end.  Jesus said, But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.  (Matthew 24:13 KJV)  We should look out for the welfare of others, bringing joy to those who have no joy, means to those who have no means, life to those who are dead in trespasses and sin.  As believers, we reveal the image of God to those who seek him and to the lost.  We should tend diligently to our row of responsibilities in life by faith in our Lord.  Paul said at this present time he was to remain on this earth for the purpose of God, and that purpose was so that the progress and joy in the faith of the church would overflow because of his ministry.  Paul was committed to his calling.  As he once told Timothy: And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.  That is why I am suffering as I am.  Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.  (2 Timothy 1:11-12) 

What is your purpose and calling from God in life?  How many seeds of joy or support or encouragement are you planting?  How are you furthering the plans of God in other people's lives?  Or is your life wrapped around self: your will, your desires, your life?  We are all susceptible to the life of self-fullfillment as our primary purpose for living.  We can protect the self, indulge and cater to ourselves, but the product of such a self-oriented life is usually disappointment, bewilderment, and depression.  The cardinal question is not answered: Why am I here?  We have climbed high mountains, we have explored beautiful countries, we have intwined ourselves with nature, we have drunk deeply of every exotic experience we could find, but still the nagging question exists: Why are we here?  What is this explosion of biological energy that we call life?  Are we just a surge of energy like the flash of a camera's lightbulb, then nothingness, a dissipated life, gone forever without of a trace?  Is that the meaning of existence?  Many people find this reality comforting, believing inert elements became full of life, an awareness.  They live a life, trying to get the most from this nanosecond flash.  At the end of such emptiness, we all say: Bring in the clowns; there ought to be clowns.  Life is no more than a split second awareness, a lightning bolt.  But this is not scriptural; it is not Christian.  The Bible indicates that our lives are not our own; we were meant to live them for our Lord.  The depth of awareness that you feel right now as you read this breakfast is a breakthrough that will go on forever in the Spirit, for God has given you eternal life.  As we walk this earth, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit and the constant power of his presence.  As Jesus said, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.  (Acts 1:7)  This is our calling, our reason to live. 

This pure light of heaven that is radiating from you right now should brighten the world, for Jesus is the light of the world.  The brightness from your life should expose the darkness and deadness of sin in the world.  We are the light of the world.  Jesus made this clear as He walked with his disciples: You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.  (Matthew 5:14-16  As we walk through life, we should be as farmers in the field.  We should be providing good soil, planting, watering, even weeding.  We should make our part of the garden as productive and beautiful as we can for the glory of God.  Christians should be gardening with hope, joy, peace, kindness, love, support, and all that is within us. The Spirit of God and his likeness should be seen in us, in our actions and demeanor.  We should be planting gladness in a difficult world full of violence, hurt, and pain.   As flesh, we have the same concerns and foibles as everyone else.  But as we read in Paul's letter to the church in Galatia: Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  (Galatians 5:24-25)  The Spirit desires to plant, to bring many to the knowledge of Jesus Christ and his righteousness.  Paul knew his life's mission was to reveal Christ to a sick and dying world.  Our mission is the same.  God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  (1 John 4:16)  Let us bring God and his wonderful love to the world as we progress down our row of life, planting seeds of righteousness.         

Philippians 1:12-18 Rejoice, Christ Is Preached!

Philippians 1:12-18  Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.  As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.  Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.  It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.  The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.  The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.  But what does it matter?  The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached.  And because of this I rejoice.

We see in the above scripture that Paul rejoiced even though some in the church said and did things that were diametrically against him, his ministry, and his authority as the spiritual father of many churches.  Paul rejoiced, for regardless of the motives whether false or true, Christ is preached.  Paul had the same faith as Jesus when Jesus told John not to stop a man who was driving out demons in Jesus' name, but he was not one of their group.  Jesus accepted this man's work, saying, whoever is not against us is for us.   (See Mark 9:39-40)  Paul knew the purity of the message was that Jesus saves, heals, restores, rescues, provides, and loves.  He knew as John knew: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.  (John 5:11-12)  Paul was not just fighting flesh with the Word, he was fighting the principalities of the air, even Satan himself.  He knew these spirits, demons, did not want the name of Jesus spread throughout the world.  But the name of Jesus is greater than the world.  The wonderful name of Jesus heals, restores, rescues, provides, and loves.  This powerful name above all names brings fear into all the principalities of the kingdom of darkness because the name of Jesus means their kingdom will eventually end.  The name of Jesus reveals that judgment, and a concomitant eternal punishment awaits them.  The demons of the world that encourage hatred, arguments, conflicts, wars, and all that is evil would be eliminated from man's existence because of the name of Jesus.  Paul knew this fact about the Son of God's power.  For Jesus is the light, and the darkness does not want light, for it knows its reign will disappear.  John wrote: This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  (John 3:19)

How often do we in the flesh forget the primary message of God: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  (John 3:16)  We say these words, but in all situations, we are not guided and governed by them.  This message was always in the hearts of Jesus' apostles.  They risked their lives for this message.  They left their families to spread this message; instead, we oftentimes make this message all about ourselves, focusing upon making our lives more comfortable and happy.  When Paul talks about those who stirred up trouble for him and his ministry, he talks about their motivations: they were those who would preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, and selfish ambition.  Their focus was earthly, not heavenly.  They were trying to win the world: their affections and goals were still bound by the principalities of the air.  They were still under the authority of the dark kingdom.  Why?  Because these kinds of attacks are just the opposite of the fruit of the Spirit.  The troublemakers actions hurt the purity of the gospel and the call of Christ.  Such behaviors strayed from God's plans and the name of Jesus to fleshly exploits, ambitions, and power.  But Paul says, regardless, the name of Jesus is still more powerful than their selfish intentions.  He knew Jesus, he talked to Jesus.  Jesus directed Paul to Damascus when He called him:  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.  “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.  “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”  (Acts 9:4-6)  Paul became a mighty force for the kingdom of light.  He understood that eternal life exists for all people who put their trust in the powerful name of Jesus.  As we read in God's Word: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’”  (Romans 14:11)  Through Christ alone comes eternal life.  There are no other avenues to life forever except through Jesus Christ and his shed blood.  We sing: What can take away my sin?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus.  This is gospel truth, God's truth! 

Fellow breakfast members, is eternal life through Jesus Christ your focus, or do your eyes stray to the fascinations and cares of this world and how they affect you personally?  Are you thinking more often of the ups and downs of life, human relationships, attainments, and desires that elude your grasp.  Paul was in prison, yet he wrote the book of Philippians, a book about joy and rejoicing in the Lord, a theme he repeats throughout this letter to the Philippians.  When he says that Christ is preached regardless of people's motivations, he says, And because of this I rejoice.  Even though he was attacked outwardly by being in prison and inwardly by leaders in the church, he still rejoices in all things.  His life was focused on eternal life, not on temporal setbacks or personal suffering.  He knew, as other followers of Christ knew, that this life is temporary, a wisp of smoke, soon to dissipate.  James wrote: What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  (James 4:14)  Similarly, we hear from Peter: “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.”  (1 Peter 1:24-25)  The grave will hold our earthly remains, but our spirits will be with God if we endure to the end, claiming the name of Jesus.  For his power has broken the chains of the grave, of death.  We who are alive IN CHRIST ARE ETERNAL BEINGS SET APART FOREVER.  This world is not our home.  Therefore, we should live so that Christ is preached through our lives.  As Paul rejoiced because even his enemies were preaching Christ, let us rejoice that our lives are preaching the message of eternal life.  We are equipped to be his witnesses: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  (Acts 1:8)  Today, may each of us at this breakfast table refocus our attention on the Light of the world, the Light of our lives, and may we follow the words of our Lord: In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.  (Matthew 5:16)