Holding Fast
Notes
Transcript
INTRO
INTRO
Do you ever struggle to keep the end in mind?
And I don’t necessarily only mean when it comes to following Jesus
There are plenty of things we are trying to accomplish that get so difficult it takes our eyes off what we are working towards
Class that has so much homework or a hard teacher that makes you want to give up on school altogether even though it’s only one class of the hundreds you have taken to graduate
Working - the workout itself or the disciple getting up is so hard in the moment that you want to just quit because you take your mind off what the goals you are working towards
For me this was summer football workouts
they were so brutal that every single year I contemplated quitting just because I didn’t want to go
but when i remembered the end: playing under those Friday night lights it made it all worth it
TENSION
TENSION
Now here is the reality…
this doesn’t just apply to our everyday life like school, sports, work, or hobbies
This is also true when it comes to our walk with Jesus
Sin is powerful and tempting and often times it’s lie of fulfillment and pleasure in the moment can cause of to struggle keeping the end in mind
the freedom we have been given from our sin and the life we have been called to live in response to that
And that is exactly what Paul is going to talk about tonight
How are we called to live?
Why are we called to live this way?
and how can we live this way?
TRUTH
TRUTH
If you remember from last week at the end of Squad Wars Paul told us his life goal
My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.
Here we see that Paul’s goal is to know Jesus personally and live for Him publicly which he rightly assumes will result in him being raised with Jesus when He returns
In our text tonight Paul picks up on that statement and says
Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.
Paul says, “listen I haven’t reached this goal entirely… i am not perfect”
in other words: “i’m not fully sanctified… I don’t know Jesus perfectly, I don’t follow Him perfectly, and the Lord definitely hasn’t resurrected me from the dead”
But what I am doing is making every effort to take a hold of this goal
I am striving everyday to know Jesus better and live for him more fully
Why?
Because Jesus has taken hold of me…
Paul understands the gospel
Paul knows that his striving to know Jesus and follow Jesus is not so that he can eventually get a hold of Jesus (salvation) or so that he won’t loose he hold of Jesus (loose his salvation)
Paul’s realizes the only reason he desires to know Jesus and follow Him is because Jesus took a hold of him
Jesus saved Paul so now Paul lives for Jesus
What is Paul’s strategy of pursuing this goal?
“Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead”
by forgetting Paul literally means forgetting his past
his old way of life
his old friends
his old dreams
his old desires
He forgets those and keeps his eyes on the end
what is ahead
the prize promised to him from the Father that is given in Christ
forgiveness of his sins and eternal life with him
After making this clear Paul then tells us what to do
Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you. In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained.
Therefore, Paul says, think this way too
if you have heard the gospel and responded to the gospel, Paul say then you too should think this way about your life
And if you don’t… God will reveal this to you also
Paul understand that it’s God who opens our eyes, ears, and heart to the gospel yet it is our responsibility to respond to it
But Paul doesn’t just tell us to think…
Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us.
Paul is clear…
I don’t want you to just think like me but also want you to live like me
so much so that he invites the Philippians and us to imitate his life and those who live likewise
Paul is literally telling us to find people in our church who live they way Jesus calls us to and imitate them
Watch their lives
Get to know them
Study their interactions with others
Learn from them
then go be like them
AKA go be discipled
and I encourage you tonight if you don’t have someone who’s life is worth imitated when it comes to following Jesus who you can learn from and be discipled by
there is a room full of leaders here tonight who would love to be that person for you
but it can also be a parent
grandparent
coach
teacher
anyone who’s life imitates Jesus and is willing to help you do that same
This is your reminder to not follow Jesus alone and have someone walking with you
That said… why do we need to do this?
why do we need to think like and imitate Paul?
For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame; and they are focused on earthly things,
Because the world is full of people who lives as enemies of Jesus
and their end is different than ours
Paul describes these enemies
Their god is their stomach
they are ruled by the things that fill them up for a moment
momentary pleasure, happiness, and treasures
They glory in their shame
they are proud of the sins that should cause them to fill shame
their boast in their evil deeds
They are focused on earthly things
they are fixed on gaining things that will only be worth something in this world
they desire possessions, relationships, money, or positions that will not go with them into eternity
What is their end?
what does this kind of life result in?
destruction
they are destined for Hell and facing the wrath of God for all of eternity
But what about Christians?
what is our reality?
what is our end?
Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.
Our reality is that we are citizens of Heaven
we are sojourners on this earth; just passing through
we belong to another Person and our home is in another place
And while we pass through this life on earth we do so eagerly waiting on the return of our King who is in Heaven, Jesus Christ
we away His return because we know that when He does
he will glorify us like he is
all sin will be gone
there will be no more pain or tears
and we will live with him forever
Paul doesn’t want us to forget our true identity nor the end that awaits us in Jesus
Then he concludes with one simple application
So then, my dearly loved and longed for brothers and sisters, my joy and crown, in this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.
You can hear the love in Paul’s voice
“dearly loved”
“longed for brothers and sisters”
“my joy and crown”
“dear friends”
But at the same time you can hear his desperate cry
Dearly loved, longed for brother and sisters, my joy and crown, dear friends PLEASE stand firm
That’s it…
I just asked you to stand firm in the faith
Stand firm in following Jesus
Paul doesn’t have to layout who we stand firm in his application because He just has in the previous verses
just look back for a second
We Stand Firm BY:
Forgetting Our Past (v. 13)
We are able to stand firm when we forget the way of life we once lived
the things we once desired
the relationships we once had
the goals/dreams we once held on to
the sin that once enslaved us
instead we keeps our eyes ahead
on the salvation we have been given
the freedom we have been given
and the Jesus who gave it to us
2. Being Discipled (v. 17)
We are able to stand firm when we imitate those around us who are already standing firm
by watching them
learning from them
being discipled by them
and following in their footsteps
3. Remembering Our Citizenship (v. 20)
We are able to stand firm when we remember that we are citizens of heaven
we are just passing through this world
the moments when temptation seems too much to bear we remember we have been freed from that sin
we remember we are called to be in the world but not of the world
4. Keeping the End in Mind (v. 21)
We are able to stand firm when we remember the end that is coming
that one day Jesus is going to return
that he is going to resurrect our dead bodies and turn them into glorified ones
he is going to make a new heaven and earth where we will dwell with him forever
no more sin
no more pain
no more death
no more tears
Paul has clearly laid out how we stand firm and concluded with this plead to do so
Why does Paul end with a plead?
Do you remember his words:
For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame; and they are focused on earthly things,
Paul pleads because he knows the philippians, that we, live in a world full of enemies of God
Those who live the complete opposite than the one Jesus calls us to live
yet are the ones whom the world praises
celebrates
glorifies
makes seems as their life is nothing by happiness and pleasure
Paul knows that Satan uses this world/this culture to sway us from standing firm
Paul isn’t dumb
he even knows that we were once enemies to God
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.
He knows you are not yet perfect
you still have sin in your life
you still battle the flesh
which makes it really dang hard to stand firm at times
Paul knows this means there are going to be moments you don’t stand firm
moments that you partake in the things of your past rather than forget them
moments that you let the culture disciple you rather than another christian
moments that you trade in your heavenly citizenship for a worldly citizenship so you fit in
moments you let the moment take your eyes of the end because the temptation seems too much bear
But here is the is the gem, the golden nugget, our sigh of relief in these moments
GOSPEL
GOSPEL
Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.
We make every effort to stand firm for Jesus not so that we can eventually get a hold of Jesus (aka earn our salvation) or so that we won’t loose he hold of Jesus (aka loose our salvation)
BOTTOM LINE: We can hold fast to Jesus because He’s already holding fast to us
BOTTOM LINE: We can hold fast to Jesus because He’s already holding fast to us
We have to remember the only reason we desires to know Jesus and to follow Him is because Jesus took a hold of us first
It was Him who died for us yet while we were still sinners
it was Him who reached down in our graved and raised in new life
And as a result of that we stand firm for him
RESPONSE
RESPONSE
Believer
If tonight you came in weary, tired, and broken
if as you heard me preach about standing firm all you felt was guilt and shame because it seems like all you have been doing is
partaking in the things of your past rather than forgetting them
letting the culture disciple you rather than another christian
trading in your heavenly citizenship for a worldly citizenship so you fit in
taking your eyes off the end because the temptation seems in the present moment seems too much bear
while it may seem like you haven’t stood firm for Jesus in ages
making you think your hold of Jesus is loose
or even gone
If you don’t hear anything else i’ve said tonight, hear this
Jesus has a hold of you
While you may not have forgotten your past, He has forgotten as far as the east is from the west
While you may have been letting culture disciple you, His Spirit is working in your
While you may have traded your heavenly citizenship to fit in, He has sealed your citizenship with His blood
While you may have not kept your mind on the end, He has not
I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Now let this promise, this truth, this assurance cause you to stand firm for him
at school
at work
at pratice
at home
All while remembering…
BOTTOM LINE: We can hold fast to Jesus because He’s already holding fast to us
BOTTOM LINE: We can hold fast to Jesus because He’s already holding fast to us
Unbeliever
But if you are someone in the room tonight who has never put their faith and trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior your reality is quite different
Your reality is that of the enemies of Jesus that Paul described in verses 18-19
Your god is your stomach
you are ruled by the things that fill them up for a moment
you chase after momentary pleasure, happiness, and treasures
You glory in your shame
you are proud of the sins that should cause you to feel shame
you boast in their evil deed
You are focused on earthly things
you are fixed on gaining things that will only be worth something in this world
you desire possessions, relationships, money, or positions that will not go with you into eternity
Your end is destruction
your destiny is eternity in Hell where you will face eternal punishment for you sins against God
But here is the good news for you tonight
tonight you you can have different God
tonight you can be freed from your shame
tonight your focus can go from earthly things to heavenly things
tonight your end can no longer be destruction but eternal life
Tonight you can go from enemy of God to citizen of heaven, son or daughter of God
this is only be acknowledging you are a sinner who needs a savior
that your sins have separated you from God and there is nothing you can do on your own to clean yourself of your sins
but Jesus lived the sinless life you couldn’t
yet died the sinners death you deserved on the cross for you
paying the price for your sins
taking on God’s wrath towards your sins upon himself
yet rose again on the 3 day defeating the grave
and now offers you forgiveness of your sins and eternal life in him
If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
If that is you tonight do no leave here without doing so
Let’s pray
