Date:Unknown
Church:Grace Fellowship
Time:Unknown
Title:Phillippians 3 / Guarantees For Growth
Speaker:Bob Yandian
Notes:
If you have arrived, why you here, the rest of us know we have a way to go. Paul at this time has been 2 years in Cesera. He went to Jerusalem when he thought he was supposed to, but he was not. You do not have to be a somebody to win some bodies to the Lord (i.e. drug addicts, etc.). Paul went to Jerusalem when he was told not to. Acts 20 he said he was going to go. He was out of God's will at that point. From that point on he had nothing but problems. He is now realizing that he is back where God wants him to be. He lost some time in the ministry that God wanted him to be.
Philipians 3
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:...
He does not think he has arrived.
... but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,...
Paul had a lot of things to forget. How do we fulfill this verse if we can not forget things in the natural. We see people and remember what was done to us or by us.
... and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect,...
How many are perfect?
... be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an example.
18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Paul has had 5 years of discipline, out of fellowship with God and getting back to it.
Let's look at how God chasens us.
Hebrews 12
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
God chasens every child He accepts. The greek means to "skin alive with a whip". There is no way around what that means. But remember God does not take punishment lightly, He does it tough. So how does He discipline us. Sickness is not a disipline from God. Out of fellowship, yes Satan can do what he wants, but Jesus took our sins and sickness to the cross, so God will not use that to discipline us. Nor will He use catastraphies either. God does not abuse his children. Would you put sickness on your kid to train him, well why would He. So how does He?
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
Key verse, 9. Flesh fathers discipline our flesh, spiritual father discipline us in our spirit.
2 Timothy 3
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
inspiration= God Breathed
reproof and correction stand out as what is done to us.
perfect = mature
The word of God is used to correct us.
Just like you are not responsible when your child goes past the boundary, when you get sick when you go past the boundary, why do you blame God.
Heb 12
10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
You discipline your kids it is hard to do, but after the crying is all over, there is a peace in the house. Just as this verse describes here.
As a child grows the discpline goes from external to internal. You use the "rod" to train till they can get the word into them.
12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
Do not pout after you get disciplined by God. God does the discipline, but it is up to you to change your stance afterwards.
13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
This is like Elijah, running away when God had given him super natural power. Even when he was told he was not alone, and spoke to him in the still small voice, Elijah was then told to put the mantle around Elisha. God will go to someone else if you do not straiten up.
14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God;...
What is the grace of God? 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
God forgives instantly. David sought forgiveness from what he did with Batsheba. Nathan told him the story of the ewe lamb. David said I have sinned, Nathan said you are forgiven.
Once God has forgiven you, stop mopping around and get to work for God. Take it by faith that you are forgiven. Stand on 1 John 1:9. Are you bigger than God?
... lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
Memories do not go away. It would be nice if they did. You can forgive things and have them come back at you later. The imagination will bring the anger back up. Or even worse, you can be told somebody did something they did not do and your imagination can run with it.
Philipians 3
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:...
apprehended = he has not attained. What has he not attained? Maturity. What is full maturity? The level of the stature of the fullness of Christ. We will never quite attain it till we reach the judgment seat of Christ.
..but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,...
forgetting = assign to oblivian. How can you do that you ask. You do like God does, put it in the sea of forgetfulness. You can not forget any more than God forgets. It is in your mind. How could you give a testimony if you could forget things. Instead you need to get to the state where when you see someone you have no feelings of anger, etc. Feelings have to line up with you. Put them under the blood of Jesus. Eventually you will mean that love. You will remember, but the feelings will be gone.
... and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
The promises of God and the doctrines of God that you do know is what is before you. The greek for reaching forth is actually used of a runner stretching forth to the finish tape so they can get ahead of the other runners.
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
The mark is the spiritual maturity. Again Paul uses the example of the Games that were held in that day. Young boys would be taken and trained, weights on their feets, special foods, did what the coach told them what to do. The weights on the feet was the big thing. They would add weights when they reached their best time. Then on the day of the race they would take the weights off. Then they would fly around the track, running so fast. Heb 12 Laying asside the weights that would hold us back! Now when the guy won, he was taken to a person sitting in the bema - the high seat position, used when talking about the judgment seat of Christ. They then put on his head olive leaves. They did it for a corruptable crown, we do things for a incorruptable crown. Then they would take the winner through a freshly broken hole in the wall that was then colsed up with a plaque. Then a statue and he and his family were fed, clothes, educated for nothing, and then he was tax free for life. Lastly he had a seat for the games for the rest of their lives. But we do what we do for eternity. Life is short compared to the time that you will have in heaven.
Paul knew he had more left to do, he had more left to his callling so her pressed toward the mark.....but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,...you can not do it without doing this first.
15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded:...
You can not be mature unless you are like minded, putting stuff behind you daily. Your failures and your sucesses as well. And it is US, not GOD. We do it, others may bring up your past failures, but you put them behind. Do not get caught up in them remebering your mistakes, they need to learn to take caew of themselves... but you can not make them do it.
and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
We can enter into spiritual maturity and not be in agreement on doctrine. Get along. God will reveal who is right or wrong eventually. Forget things, God looks at the motive of the heart. We get together for church for unity not division. So what if you do not agree with everything. We will be in heaven for eternity - why? So he can straighten us all out.
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