IF ONLY, I SHOULD HAVE…I COULD HAVE….

PHIL. 3: 15 – 21

NO

5 years ago…. In reality, it was only two weeks

ago, … but for some of us it seems like 5 years due to my memory fade…

So I will spend a few minutes of review…

READ 3: 12-21

DR. SAM TAUGHTTHAT LOOKING BACK IS NOT WHAT CHRIST

DESIRES OF US

IF ONLY I HAD TAKEN THAT BABY ASPIRIN … IF ONLY I HAD NOT SOLD THAT PROPERTY… IF ONLY I HAD NOT PURCHASED THAT

STOCK… I SHOULD HAVE NOT TAKEN THAT JOB… I SHOULD HAVE NOT MARRIED THAT …. “LOOKING BACK” IS GENERALLY ALL

ABOUT REGRETS…

PAUL HAD SPENT HIS LIFE…

TRYING TO ACHIEVE “RIGHTEOUSNESS” BY KEEPING EVERY “JOT AND TITTLE” OF THE LAW. EVEN GOING BEYOND THE LAW TO DEFEND IT AGAINST “UPSTARTS” (WHICH HE CONSIDERED FALSE RELIGIONS)… THAT MINIMIZED KEEPING THESE VERY SACRED RULES. UNTIL… THE DAMASCAS ROAD….

After a personal class with Christ in the Arabian Desert Gal 1:17

He found that all this effort of keeping the law to obtain “righteousness” was of no value… in GOD’S eyes..

Rather, he found that upon salvation, GOD gave him as a gift, Christ’s RIGHTEOUSNESS, which is acceptable to GOD.

Lead by the HOLY SPIRIT, HE URGED OTHERS (PHILIPPIANS AND US) TO QUIT LOOKING BACK… BUT HAVE OUR FOCUS ON THE FUTURE.. To know CHRIST.

AND THAT FUTURE IS(Paul’s present/on-going GOAL)

“TO KNOW CHRIST, AND THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF SHARING IN HIS SUFFERING, BECOMING LIKE HIM IN HIS DEATH, AND SO, SOMEHOW, TO ATTAIN TO THE RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD.”

i.e. Independent of past decisions, past sins, past regrets, past and present circumstances ………

Remember 1 Tim. 1:15

PAUL WAS A REALIST.. QUESTION: HAVE YOU EVER TRIED

TO RECORD ON A DVD-BLUE RAY MACHINE… OR AN I-POD .. OR A TOTAL ELECTRONIC WASHING MACHINE (or some other complex electronic device)????

THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL IS ONLY 178 PAGES

DON’T YOU WISH THE MANUFACTURER WOULD HAVE JUST SENT A REP AND JUST “SHOW ME”?

FORTUNATELY GOD DID JUST THAT… HOW DOES THIS GOAL FLUSH OUT IN

REAL LIFE…. PAUL SAYS: WATCH ME … I AM YOUR

EXAMPLE … (AS I FOLLOW CHRIST) THE ULTIMATE GOAL WILL NEVER

BE REALIZED IN THIS LIFE (PERFECTIONISM…) BUT KEEP PRESSING ON .. (DON’T LOOK BACK ON YOUR LIFE/REGRETS)

p.s. I think Paul had written to the Philippians

before… (my opinion) this was not his first letter.. Or

49+ Galatians 51 I Thess. 52 2 Thess. 55-56 I & 2 Corinth 56 Romans 60-62 Ephesians and Colossians 61 Philippians 62-64 I Tim & Titus 67 -69 Hebrews 67 2 Tim

THROUGHOUT THE CHURCH AGE

MANY HAVE TRIED TO ACHIEVE “PERFECTIONISM” TESTIMONY

MONASTERIES CONVENTS LEGALISTIC PROTESTANTS

GOD USES THE “SHOW ME” APPROACH TO PURSUING THE CHRISTIAN GOAL

IMPOSSIBLE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO “ARRIVE” IN THE

CHRISTIAN LIFE, TO COME TO THE PLACE WHERE YOU NO LONGER SIN.

PARAPHRASE: “I have not yet become perfect like Christ. But it is my goal… even while on earth … to become like Christ, to become what he called me to be. As I said, I haven’t reached it, but I have one burning desire .. To be like Christ in every aspect of His life. I am not allowing my past life to drag me down. Rather, I am moving full speed ahead toward the goal. And in heaven, when Christ calls me home, I’ll receive the prize.. I’ll be like Christ: that is, completely conformed to His image.” amen

remember Paul wrote this, while under “house

arrest”.. With chains 24/7 to a Roman guard… could your circumstances be as bad?

SO, how does the Philippians believers (and us) follow this lofty goal???Follow my example .. As I follow Christ

What was Paul’s example? GOAL SETTING… (he identified the

specific goal) MOTIVATION… PERSONAL ACTION …

BALANCE BETWEEN “DIVINE ENABLEMENT” AND “HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY”

PAUL NEVER COMMANDED OR DEMANDED OF THE ROMANS (12:2) “TO OFFER YOURSELVES AS LIVING SACRIFICES” … THIS WAS URGING, CALLING FOR HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY

TO THE EPHESIANS “I URGE YOU TO LIVE A LIFE WORTHY OF

THE CALLING YOU HAVE RECEIVED (4:1) E.g.

“MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO KEEP THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT” .. “PUT OFF THE OLD SELF .. PUT ON THE NEW SELF”

PUT OFF FALSEHOOD, AND SPEAK TRUTHFULLY” … STEAL NO MORE…

WORK, DOING SOMETHING USEFUL… GET RID OF ALL BITTERNESS, RAGE AND

ANGER… BE KIND AND COMPASSIONATE….

BUT HE CULMINATED THE EPHESIAN LETTER

DIVINE ENABLEMENT: “BE STRONG IN THE LORD, AND IN HIS MIGHTY POWER”

HOW DO WE TAP THIS POWER?PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD

PAUL’S PERSONAL ILLUSTRATION BECOMES THE BASIS OF HIS GENERAL EXHORTATION

“DON’T BE SATISIFIED WITH YOUR PRESENT LEVEL OF CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE EITHER.”

(“ALL OF US WHO ARE MATURE CHRISTIANS… SHOULD NEVER BE SATISFIED WITH “STATUS QUO””)

“mature” Dr. McGee … orange trees Baby … gue, gue, gue…

Be prepared to learn directly from the Lord (3:15)

“and if in some point, you think differently, that too God will make clear to you”

Paul stated it well in I Cor 10: 12 “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall”

Often those who “grew up” in a legalistic church environment … wrestle with the true “freedom in Christ” …

“Don’t inadvertantly lose what you’ve gained because you think you have arrived”

Vs 16: “only let us live up to what we have already attained”

Paul seems to refer to what frequently goes along with “legalistic perfectionism”, or a “holier- than-thou” attitude

DON’T go to the opposite extreme and practice license rather than legalism.

OFTEN MANY WHO SEEM TO HAVE A HOLIER-

THAN-THOU ATTITUDE, OFTEN ARE THE MOST DIVISIVE AND ARGUMENTATIVE…. THEY ARE OFTEN UNTEACHABLE , CONSEQUENTLY,

VIOLATE THE VERY TRUTH THEY PROPOUND, SO, “FOLLOW GOOD EXAMPLES OF CHRISTIAN BEHAVIOR”

BUT, BE ON GUARD AGAINST BAD EXAMPLES

PAUL AGAIN WARNED AGAINST FALSE TEACHERS AND WORLDLY MINDED PEOPLE.

PAUL IDENTIFIES THESE PEOPLE WITH THREE CHARACTERISTICS…1. THEIR GOD IS THEIR STOMACH

(GLUTTONS)2. THEIR GLORY IS THEIR SHAME..

(They gloried in immorality and sensual behavior)

3. THEIR MIND IS ON EARTHLY THINGS (They are materialistic in their philosophy of life)

WIMBLEDON TENNIS THIS YEARS THEME:

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE

THEME STOLEN FROM PAUL

PAUL ADMINITION (GOAL) KEEP YOUR EYE ON KNOWING

CHRIST

SOMEDAY: THE GOAL WILL BECOME THE PRIZE OUR EYES WILL SEE THE PRIZE – CHRIST.

Now, a great instruction “FOR OUR CITIZENSHIP IS IN HEAVEN,

FROM WHICH ALSO WE EAGERLY WAIT OF A SAVIOR, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST…” (eagerly and patiently)

The church in the USA (and many Seminaries) (mostly) do NOT read this verse correctly. They say “for our citizen ship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait (for the tribulation) and then the appearing of the LORD JESUS CHRIST.”

IS THAT WHAT IT SAYS? THINK ABOUT IT. ROM 8:23; I THESS 1:9-10; 5:1-9

Remember, the Tribulation is a time of JUDGEMENT

CHURCH HAS BEEN DELIVERED FROM JUDGMENT

BELIEVERS WILL NOT GO THROUGH THE TRIBULATION ANY MORE THAN ENOCH WENT THROUGH THE FLOOD.

Many churches maintain that the LORD can preserve the church through the Tribulation period. Yes, HE can…

A GREAT AND AWSOME FUTURE AWAITS

SO, PRESS-ON…(goal): TO KNOW CHRIST ….

PERSEVER

2 groups safe 1. WILL BE TAKEN OUT, AS HE SAYS TO

THE CHURCH OF PHILADELPHIA “SINCE YOU HAVE KEPT MY COMMAND TO PERSEVER, I ALSO WILL KEEP YOU FROM THE HOUR OF TRIAL, WHICH IS GOING TO COME UPON ALL THE WORLD, TO TRY THEM THAT DWELL UPON THE EARTH (Rev. 3: 10)… ROM. 8:23; I THESS 1:9-10; I THESS 5:1-9

2. A GROUP OF 144,000 JEWS “SEALED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT” WHO WILL BE CHRISTS EVANGELISTS ON EARTH

AND WHEN HE COMES (RAPTURE)

“WHO BY THE POWER THAT ENABLES HIM TO BRING EVERYTHING UNDER HIS CONTROL, WILL TRANSFORM OUR LOWLY BODIES SO THAT THEY WILL BE LIKE HIS GLORIOUS BODY”

Question: WILL OUR BODIES BE SUITED FOR HEAVEN

OR EARTH? WHAT DO YOU THINK PAUL MEANS BY OUR

“LOWLY” BODY OR “BODY OF CORRUPTION”?

1st hand I watched Fran’s mother slowly lose

energy… slowly lose heart strength, slowly lose her kidney function, slowly lose her control of bowels, slowly lose her ability to breath….

It was a body of “weakness”… then death.

God says… When I come, I will transform your “weak” body to one like my “glorious” body…. (33 years old?)

1 Cor. 15: 51-52 “Behold, I show you a mystery;

we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump”. Also,

O Thess. 4:16 “For the LORD HIMSELF, SHALL DESCEND FROM HEAVEN WITH A SHOUT, WITH THE VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL, AND WITH THE TRUMP OF GOD.

Listen to John re voice of the GLORIFIED CHRIST

Rev. 1:10 “I was in the Spirit, on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet. And when he turned to see who was speaking, he saw the glorified Christ. It was HIS voice that John heard. There are no trumpets connected with the church.

This transformation Exactly the same thought that John had:

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God and doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is”

1 John 3:2

A GREAT AND AWESOME FUTURE AWAITS

SO ------------------- PRESS ON TO KNOW CHRIST PERSEVER

GENE GETZ WROTE A 20 QUESTION SELF-

EVALUATION …..