In Christ Jesus V

Looking Forward

Looking Forward Philippians 3:4-21

Paul wrote this epistle To his dear friends at Philippi,

Learned that Paul was brought to Rome to appear before Caesar. At his own request because he was a roman citizen.

Paul had the great opportunity to preach to Caesars’ elite soldiers While in Rome for 2 years, probably not the way he envisioned but here he was chained to a different guard every 6 hours. Paul was able to rent his own quarters, but he had to be chained to a guard 24 hours a day. There were about 10000 soldiers protecting Caesar and a good number of them came to the Lord.

This letter was about Joy in the Lord, he mentions this 14 times. And he was in prison.

This was his first imprisonment in Rome,

Scholars believe he was released from his first arrest after 2 years, then arrested again and this time sent to Mamertine dungeon where he was eventually beheaded in 68 AD.

From Rome he wrote this letter to his faithful and beloved friends in Philippi, They sent him an offering and he was responding to them.

Today we are on Chapter 3 of Philippians

Looking Forward

Let’s Pray

1 Place no confidence in the flesh.

Php 3:4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:

Php 3:5 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;

Php 3:6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

Php 3:7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

Php 3:8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ

According to the law Paul had many reasons to be confident in the flesh in his religion, his heritage, his accomplishments, but the radical Saul, met Jesus and his life was completely changed.

Let’s go back to the book of acts Chapter 9

Act 9:1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest

Act 9:2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

Act 9:3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.

Act 9:4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

Act 9:5 "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied.

Act 9:6 "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

Act 9:7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.

Act 9:8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.

Act 9:9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

All of us who have turned our lives to Jesus Christ had a similar experience like the Apostle Paul in the middle of our deception we saw Jesus, and that changed our lives, the one we hated or didn’t pay attention too, is the very one who loves us who gave his life for our salvation.

All we did before Christ was out of selfishness and greed, yes we need to consider them as garbage. I cannot attain salvation or favor from God for the things I have accomplish in the flesh, from my own efforts and hard work.

I remember my days before Christ, I never thought to be righteous, or that I had anything to offer God as far as good works, I was very certain that I was a no good rotten Kid, disobedient to my parents, hated my dad, and I didn’t want disappoint God either, I believed God was too busy with everything and everybody else in the universe, he didn’t have time for me, I was just another sinner, but one day, He spoke to me and that changed my life, after that day He revealed His love for me.

During Carnaval, most of the people who live in Rio and could afford they would leave town because would become a very chaotic city, crime would double, drugs came in from everywhere, tourist from around world and sin was the name of the game. At that time there was no street evangelism like today, all the churches would have different retreats and the devil had free passage around the city, the numbers of people who died, were robed, raped and were in the ICU would never hit the news because the most important thing was to have fun and keep the money coming.

A friend invited me to go camping with him and a group of others about 3 hours away from Rio, when I got there, it was one of those church camps, but I notice how kind they were to me and to each other and God begin to speak to me through them. I was fool leaving among other fools, this was different.

Joh 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Joh 13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

At the time the only one I could relate too was Jesus, I remember one morning I woke up and was time for them to read their bibles and pray.

I had a bible in my hands and I was looking at it, then I prayed, Jesus if you can change my life to become like one of these Christian people, I will follow you, I want you in my heart.

Immediately He spoke to me, I want for you to open in Psalm

Psa 40:1 For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.

Psa 40:2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

Psa 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.

Psa 40:4 Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.

As I read this passage life flooded my lungs, my spirit that was dead was now alive and I began to praise Him, all the sudden He was real and he was right there with me, listening and talking to me.

2 Know that our Righteousness is from Christ

Php 3:9 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 on the basis of faith.

Php 3:10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

Php 3:11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Now what we didn’t like, what we despised, we like and want. Jesus

Our hearts are kept away from the Lord when we don’t know Him

2Co 4:3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

2Co 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2Co 4:5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.

2Co 4:6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ.

Thank you Lord!

Our righteousness is from Christ Jesus.

Rom 3:22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,

Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

There is no one who deserves anything or has being able to earn anything from God, we all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. It is by faith in Christ Jesus.

3 Looking towards the future.

Php 3:12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Paul had already walk with God for 30 years.

Php 3:13 Brothers and sisters, 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,

Php 3:14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Php 3:15 All of us, then, 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.

Php 3:16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

This tell us that no one in this side of the universe no one reaches perfection or has arrived at it, some believe they have, but I will keep Paul’s account.

Your past is your past, if you have fallen get up repent for what was wrong and go on and sin no more.

That’ how Jesus respond to the woman caught in adultery.

Joh 8:1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

Joh 8:2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.

Joh 8:3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group

Joh 8:4 and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.

Joh 8:5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"

Joh 8:6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.

Joh 8:7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

Joh 8:8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

Joh 8:9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.

Joh 8:10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

Joh 8:11 "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

Repent and move on

You cannot move forward by looking back on what you did and feeling sorry for yourself, repent, turn into a different direction, repentance is a change of heart towards God. if it was a crime yes you need to make it right, with the law and God.

Finally,

4 Be an example

Php 3:17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.

Php 3:18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Php 3:19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.

Php 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Php 3:21 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.

As we follow Paul’s example, there are always someone looking at us, following us, maybe our children, grandchildren, friends, we need to know that we are examples to them, good or bad.

Keep your eyes on those who are godly, who are doing the right thing who love the Lord, is very easy to find them your spirit will testify.

There are plenty people who live their lives as enemies of Christ, even when they called themselves Christians. Their mind is set on earthly things. Your Heavenly Father is counting on you to be an example for Him.

As you love and respect each other.

Looking Forward

Place no confidence in the flesh.

Know that our Righteousness is from Christ

Look towards the future.

Become a good example.

If you never asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior let me give you an opportunity to do so.

"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. Joh 3:16

To receive Him we need to accept Him as God’s son, repent from our sins and a life of selfishness, asking Him to be your Lord and savior, not that you deserve it, but is a gift from God.

If this is your desire today, please repeat this prayer after me?

Heavenly Father I’m sinner, I’m sorry for my sins, I’m willing to turn away from my sins.

I receive Christ as my savior,

I confess him as Lord

from this moment on I want to follow and serve him,

in the fellowship of his church,

In Jesus name. Amen!

1Co 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;

1Co 11:24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

1Co 11:25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

1Co 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.

1Co 11:27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

Heb 9:14 dead works, acts, sins

E mau aku ka loko maika’i o ka Haku, Iesu Kristo; me ke aloha a ke Akua, a me ka launa pu ‘ana mai o ka Uhane Hemolele ia ‘olua, a me makou apau. Amene.