1/3 CRBA Pastor's Conference

Intro: New Year, New Me cliche

It’s good to have a time to reassess, to reestablish, to restart or even start

Sermon from C112; Paul’s reference to righteousness and being like Christ

Paul’s attitude of “not there yet”, room for growth

Read Phil. 3:4-14

Philippians 3:4–14 ESV

though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul had a firm understanding that there was so much room for himself and each of us to grow to be more like Christ; a huge need for more sanctification

Paul once again understood this well:

Phil. 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Phil. 2:12-13 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

Phil. 3:12-14 “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Semper reformanda: the heart of man is always in need of reform , we should always work towards our hearts and lives being reformed by the Word and Spirit of God

Paul shows us in Philippians that there is a responsibility on our part of sanctification; the Holy Spirit will do his part

Spurgeon reference to sanctification being like a farmer & sun

Donald Whitney: Sanctification is the believer leaving the courtroom where God has once and for all time declared him righteous, and immediately beginning the process whereby God’s Spirit enables him to increasingly conform to Christ’s righteousness, both inwardly and outwardly. Jonathan Edwards said of the Christian’s inevitable desire for sanctification, “‘Tis as much the nature of one that is spiritually new born, to thirst after growth in holiness, as ‘tis the nature of a newborn babe, to thirst after the mother’s breast.”

Ways we can reform our hearts and lives and be sanctified: (not an explicit nor exhaustive list)

Repentance

Devotion & Love

Obedience

Joy & Thanksgiving