Living in the Moment with Christ

Don’t get caught up looking back.

God knows the future

Some people are constantly looking back at the past; for good and bad reasons. They are so caught up in what used to be that they are missing what is, and have no room to think about what is to come.

There are others who live for the moment. The only thing they are concerned about is what’s going on right now. The past is gone, so why bother reminiscing? The future is out of our hands, so why bother worrying? All we have is right now.

Exodus 3:19–20 HCSB

“However, I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go, unless he is forced by a strong hand. I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles that I will perform in it. After that, he will let you go.

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There are still others who insist on focusing on the future alone. The past is so far gone that it doesn’t get a second thought, and the present is constantly slipping away ;so it’s best to keep our attention on what lies ahead.

God can reveal the future

As is usually the case, all three of these extremes are to be avoided. In fact, we are going to get a close up look this morning of what a godly life looks like with respect to these things.

How is a believer in Jesus Christ supposed to understand his or her time on this earth?

What should a Christian be focused on?

Open to

Daniel 2:45 HCSB

You saw a stone break off from the mountain without a hand touching it, and it crushed the iron, bronze, fired clay, silver, and gold. The great God has told the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its interpretation certain.”

Philippians 1:18–26 HCSB

What does it matter? Just that in every way, whether out of false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed. And in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice because I know this will lead to my deliverance through your prayers and help from the Spirit of Jesus Christ. My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all boldness, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For me, living is Christ and dying is gain. Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. I am pressured by both. I have the desire to depart and be with Christ —which is far better — but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that, because of me, your confidence may grow in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

Philippians 18-26

see verse 19

He means that one way or another, through their prayers and the work of the Spirit in his life, his circumstances are temporary. Because either he is going to be physically released – in which case he would be delivered; or he is going to be put to death – in which case he would still be delivered.

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Philippians 1:18 HCSB

What does it matter? Just that in every way, whether out of false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed. And in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice

One way or another, the chains would not hold him forever. Christ was going to be honored in his body. If that meant release, he would continue to serve Christ faithfully. If that meant execution, he would see Christ face to face in glory. Nothing the authorities could do would keep him from honoring his Lord.

And then he writes what we’ve already noted as the key phrase in

v.21: For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

We are going to take that phrase backwards, because that’s sort of how he continues on to the end of the passage. So we have two things to consider: to die is gain and to live is Christ.

To die is gain: So long for your future home.

Look at vv.22-23:

“If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”

What strikes me about that statement is not only does he say that to die and be with Christ is better than to stay and live, it is far better. It is very much better. There is no comparison. And I ask myself “Could I truthfully make that statement?”

See some of us have gotten so comfortable in this world that we aren’t quite ready to be with Christ. Some of us would even dare to view eternity as an inconvenience that interrupts all of the fun we’re having on earth. If that’s the way you think you are revealing that you have become far too attached to this life.

In other words, he felt immense pressure because he knew living would be beneficial but he longed to be with Christ. And Scripture is quick to encourage us to look ahead as well; to not get bogged down with this life, but to anticipate the life we have to come.

Turn or listen to

Colossians 3:1–4 HCSB

So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

The text goes on to say that when your focus is heavenward it will change the way you live here on earth. You will put away all of the things that characterize your earthly, fleshly body and you will live with an eternal perspective.

We have heard what Paul says about what we should put our focus on now lets listen to John.

Turn or listen to

1 John 2:15–17 HCSB

Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For everything that belongs to the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.

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The world here is the world system. The way the world does things. Don’t spend your energy on things that are going to pass away. Don’t waste your life being consumed by the pleasures around you. Pursue the will of God, because the things of God are eternal.

We have heard from Paul and John now lets see what Jesus has to say about this topic.

Turn or Listen to

Matthew 6:19–21 HCSB

“Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Don’t spend your time storing up material things on this earth. Why? Again because of their temporary nature. Treasure what is in heaven; or maybe better, who is in heaven: Jesus. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Whatever you value most will have your affections. Jesus would tell us “Make sure it’s me.”

So we are not to become attached to earthly materials, to earthly mindsets, or earthly matters. Because all of those things will pass; they will fade away. We are to look forward to the future that God has for us as Paul did. We are to long for our real home. Paul will go on to say later in this same letter that our citizenship is in heaven. That’s where we really belong.

So to die is gain; therefore we long for our future home. We don’t forget, however, that to live is Christ; and so we serve him faithfully while we are alive.

To Live is Christ: So serve Him faithfully now.

Look again at vv.24-26:

“But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.”

Even though Paul had this intense desire to leave this life and be with Christ forever, he knew that as long as he was alive he still had work to do. This is where we see that Paul anticipated that he would be released from house arrest eventually. He knew that if he returned to the Philippians safe and sound that this would cause them great joy.

See it’s not that Paul was opposed to being alive if Christ wanted him alive. It’s just that he knew that death would bring him life like he’d never experienced before. But Paul was an obedient servant of Christ. So if Christ had more work for him to do on this earth, he would gladly stay and do it.

Paul was not so caught up with heaven that he was of no good here on earth. And he certainly wasn’t suicidal about the matter. He wasn’t trying to rush his death; but he earnestly desired the eternal life that death would bring him. He realized that being with Christ is better than anything else, but that same Christ had ordained that he remain on earth to continue working for a time.

It’s been said that you know God still has plans for your if you still have air in your lungs. If you’re still alive, you still have work to do. In fact, we are encouraged to work now, because the hour is coming when no one can. It should always be said of us, if we have faith in Jesus, that to live is Christ.

As long as we are alive we should be living for, working for, serving, worshiping, and following Jesus Christ. We live Christ. We eat, sleep, and breathe Christ. Christ is our reason for existing. In Christ is wrapped up our entire purpose for being alive.

Turn to

Ephesians 5:15–16 HCSB

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise— making the most of the time, because the days are evil.

How many of you would say Time is precious? Most of you would.

Time is such a precious thing. This moment, this hour, this day will never happen again. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. So we need to make the most of it for Christ. We need to, literally, redeem the time; so that we can look back tomorrow on what we did today and be satisfied in knowing that we did what we could for the Lord.

CONCLUSION

So we learn from Paul’s dilemma that there is a tension that exists in the life of a Christian; and it can be a healthy tension. We long to be with Jesus Christ and worship him in heaven; but we also long to serve and obey him during our time on earth.

Then we ask ourselves this question: Are we looking forward to the future God has prepared for us? Or are we so caught up with the world around us that we’ve lost our heavenly focus?

On the other hand: Are we living faithfully here and now? Are we using the time that God has given us to work for his glory? Or are we so wrapped up in eternity that we’re forgetting to redeem our time?

The reason we are not with Christ in heaven yet, though we long to be, is because others need to come along for the ride. There are people left to be reached with the gospel. So we look to the future but we live in the present.

It can be done. So let’s ask for the wisdom to balance the truth that to:

live is Christ, but to die is gain.

Lets Pray.

The future is unknown to human beings

Ecclesiastes 8:7 HCSB

Yet no one knows what will happen because who can tell him what will happen?

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There is a future hope for believers

It is based on God’s promise

Jeremiah 31:17 HCSB

There is hope for your future — this is the Lord’s declaration— and your children will return to their own territory.

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Future blessings are guaranteed

Jeremiah 29:11 HCSB

For I know the plans I have for you” —this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

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Future blessings are superior to present experiences

Philippians 1:21–23 HCSB

For me, living is Christ and dying is gain. Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. I am pressured by both. I have the desire to depart and be with Christ —which is far better —

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Key aspects of future hope

Believers will go to heaven

1 Peter 1:4 HCSB

and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

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Jesus Christ will come again

Acts 1:11 HCSB

They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven.”

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The dead will rise

1 Corinthians 15:52 HCSB

in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.

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Final judgment

2 Corinthians 5:10 HCSB

For we must all appear before the tribunal of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or worthless.

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The devil and evil will be destroyed

Isaiah 25:7–8 HCSB

On this mountain He will destroy the burial shroud, the shroud over all the peoples, the sheet covering all the nations; He will destroy death forever. The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face and remove His people’s disgrace from the whole earth, for the Lord has spoken.

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God’s kingdom will be fully established

Revelation 11:15 HCSB

The seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying: The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever!

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Believers’ responsibility towards future generations

The twelve stones taken from the bed of the river Jordan is one of several instances where God’s people are told to preserve memorials of present blessings for the sake of future generations.

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Proper attitudes towards the future

Looking forwards rather than backwards

Philippians 3:13–14 HCSB

Brothers, 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.

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Having perseverance and faith

1 Corinthians 15:58 HCSB

Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

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Avoiding occult predictions and false prophecies

Jeremiah 27:9 HCSB

But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, diviners, dreamers, fortune-tellers, or sorcerers who say to you, ‘Don’t serve the king of Babylon!’

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