Philippians 3

10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead,

14 I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.

15 ¶ All of us 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.

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

17 ¶ Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.

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

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

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

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.

(NIV)

Phillipians 1

20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

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

22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!

23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;

-Let’s establish our hearts today in the truth of the Word of God.

1. BOB IS BETTER OFF

-Bob is better off today than he has ever been.

-He is in the presence of the Lord because he was a follower of Jesus.

-In the presence of the Lord is fullness of joy.

-He isn’t suffering from any physical problems for the first time in decades.

-If you believe the Bible, and Bob did, he is enjoying God’s presence today in a way we have never experienced.

2. WE ARE THE ONLY ONE’S EXPERIENCING LOSS FROM THIS

-Paul said it was better for the Philippians if he stayed but that he was better off going.

-The Bible shows us Jesus grieving at the loss of lazarus.

-We are not to grieve like those who have no hope, but we do grieve.

-The way to cope is to let the Holy Spirit bring comfort.

-The Bible says THE MEMORY OF THE RIGHTEOUS WILL BE A BLESSING.

-Focus on the good memories and let the bad ones die and perish.

-The real question is WHAT NOW.

3. YOU ARE STIL HERE-GO ON

-Whenever we lose a loved one it is hard to know how to adjust.

-Life isn’t the same.

-It is possible to live your life looking back instead of going forward.

-If you are a Christian today, you will see Bob again.

-If he were able today I’m sure he would say- GO ON….LIVE YOUR LIFE.

-Ask the Lord to help you adjust.

4. ARE YOU REALLY READY TO LIVE?

-We are all going to face death.

-Until you are ready to die, you aren’t ready to live.

-The other night at the hospital after praying for Bob I said, THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN TO HIM IS FOR HIM TO DIE AND GO TO HEAVEN.

-Regardless of where you go to church or how religious you are, you must be born again in order to be saved.

-The question is : are you ready to live because you’ve settled your eternity?

-If you don’t know Jesus as personal savior, you need to.

-Nicodemus was a very religious man but he wasn’t a true follower.

-Jesus said YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN.

PRAYER