WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.020 Lord, we ask for your blessing. 00:00:02.740 --> 00:00:09.599 Lord, we pray that you would meet us where we are at, exactly where we are at. 00:00:10.300 --> 00:00:14.660 Lord, your word is a blessing to us, and it's a blessing in different ways at different times. 00:00:15.419 --> 00:00:21.460 We've all come from different weeks, so Lord, whether this, your word will be an encouragement 00:00:21.460 --> 00:00:27.120 to us this morning, will be a conviction to us, will exhort us, will comfort us, whatever 00:00:27.120 --> 00:00:31.620 it may be, maybe all of those things. Lord, would you do it, and do it by your spirit. 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:37.140 Lord, we thank you for this day where we remember the Holy Spirit, the gift of the Holy Spirit 00:00:37.140 --> 00:00:43.480 given to us. Lord, let us trust that you are active amongst us, even now. We pray this in 00:00:43.480 --> 00:00:52.240 Christ's name. Amen. If you have one of these, turn with me. Page 14 will be on 14 and a little 00:00:52.240 --> 00:01:01.900 bit of page 16. Before we jump into God's word, a bit of an introduction. So during World War 00:01:01.900 --> 00:01:09.359 II, there was a wealthy Serbian man who was a spy for German intelligence, a man named Dusko 00:01:09.359 --> 00:01:21.260 Popov. He hated the Nazis. So what does a Nazi spy do? One that hates the Nazis, he goes to 00:01:21.260 --> 00:01:27.280 MI6 and offers his service to the British. And he becomes one of the most valued spies for 00:01:27.280 --> 00:01:39.260 the Allied forces. In the late summer of 1941, MI6 sends him to New York. He has some very 00:01:39.260 --> 00:01:45.100 valuable information and he meets with J. Edgar Hoover himself, the head of the FBI, a very, 00:01:45.099 --> 00:01:52.399 very famous, maybe infamous figure in American history, meets with J. Edgar Hoover and shares 00:01:52.399 --> 00:02:00.599 with him some key intelligence saying that there would be a likely attack by the Japanese on Pearl 00:02:00.599 --> 00:02:06.939 Harbor. Someplace, well, it wasn't so much Pearl Harbor as it was in Hawaii on the naval base, so 00:02:06.939 --> 00:02:12.439 maybe it was Pearl Harbor. For whatever reason, whether J. Edgar Hoover decided not to pass it along 00:02:12.439 --> 00:02:18.180 or he did pass it along and it got nixed, that information was not acted upon. That warning 00:02:18.180 --> 00:02:25.919 was not heeded. And five months later, Imperial Japan made a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, 00:02:26.680 --> 00:02:31.000 the American fleet there, and just over 2,400 souls perished. 00:02:33.699 --> 00:02:40.360 Warnings are valuable things. They're valuable things to consider, particularly when they come from 00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:51.340 a trusted and reliable source. However, I mean, we often struggle with warnings, and for a variety of 00:02:51.340 --> 00:02:59.020 reasons. They tend to create more anxiety than they do alleviate anxiety. Even when we recognize that 00:02:59.020 --> 00:03:07.980 following a warning would be beneficial, we are hesitant to heed the warning, to deviate from our status 00:03:07.979 --> 00:03:17.739 quo. And we do it, again, for all sorts of different reasons. And when we ignore such a warning that turns out to be true, 00:03:18.219 --> 00:03:20.659 is this not the source of great regret? 00:03:22.879 --> 00:03:24.159 A lot of frustration. 00:03:25.819 --> 00:03:28.439 So a couple thoughts. Why do we struggle with warnings? 00:03:28.439 --> 00:03:37.359 The first, put just very practically, in our day, we are very oversaturated with warnings and polemical discourse. 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:40.500 Social media, both the source and 00:03:40.500 --> 00:03:48.960 the means by which such warnings and polemics are amplified, 00:03:48.960 --> 00:03:52.800 it's just, it's a non-stop 24-hour news cycle. 00:03:52.800 --> 00:03:55.140 Social media, all sorts of media, 00:03:55.140 --> 00:03:59.260 just kind of washing over us. Warnings, watch out for this, don't do this, 00:03:59.260 --> 00:04:04.580 avoid these plastics, avoid these foods, avoid these people, avoid these politics, 00:04:04.580 --> 00:04:06.960 and it continues on and on and on. 00:04:08.240 --> 00:04:11.680 And so, we can become inoculated with such warnings. 00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:16.500 But the second reason, and I'm sure there's more than just two, but I'll just offer a couple. 00:04:17.019 --> 00:04:21.319 The second reason, I think, is a much deeper human problem, why we don't heed warnings. 00:04:22.780 --> 00:04:24.420 Warnings cause confrontation. 00:04:26.340 --> 00:04:29.439 And confrontation can be very uncomfortable, for it disrupts 00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:33.439 the way we live, and oftentimes our comfort. 00:04:34.579 --> 00:04:36.819 We are told we are doing something wrong, 00:04:36.819 --> 00:04:41.120 or what we are doing will lead to some kind of danger or pain or discomfort. 00:04:42.579 --> 00:04:45.319 We think changing could be even more 00:04:45.319 --> 00:04:48.259 uncomfortable than 00:04:48.259 --> 00:04:51.219 if we just kept things the way they are. 00:04:53.920 --> 00:04:55.740 We know that behavior and habits, 00:04:56.539 --> 00:04:59.139 certain ones that do not lead to flourishing, 00:04:59.879 --> 00:05:02.740 need to be stopped. 00:05:03.039 --> 00:05:04.639 Reform needs to happen in our lives. 00:05:04.639 --> 00:05:09.219 But change is costly, and change is scary. 00:05:10.979 --> 00:05:14.459 And we can be all too excellent at 00:05:14.459 --> 00:05:18.800 convincing ourselves that the source of these warnings, 00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:21.819 they're not to be believed. 00:05:21.899 --> 00:05:24.479 In the same way that Hoover, for whatever reason, 00:05:25.259 --> 00:05:29.500 seemed to disbelieve this Dushko Popov. 00:05:31.740 --> 00:05:33.919 But there's a place for warnings and polemics. 00:05:33.920 --> 00:05:37.699 It's a huge part, actually, of the Christian faith. 00:05:38.280 --> 00:05:40.800 From the very beginning, we'll see this in our text, 00:05:40.920 --> 00:05:43.860 but if you go through the Gospels, 00:05:43.960 --> 00:05:45.660 if you go through the Acts of the Apostles, 00:05:46.120 --> 00:05:51.120 there is a bombardment of false teachings 00:05:51.120 --> 00:05:53.960 and pushback against the Christian faith, 00:05:54.620 --> 00:05:56.160 and against Jesus as the Messiah, 00:05:56.840 --> 00:06:00.600 and against this picture of what human flourishing ought to be. 00:06:00.600 --> 00:06:04.800 And it constantly needs to get battled and pushed back. 00:06:05.260 --> 00:06:07.420 There has to be an offensive and a defensive 00:06:07.420 --> 00:06:09.000 with the Christian faith. 00:06:09.120 --> 00:06:12.320 Heresy has existed all throughout Christian history. 00:06:12.420 --> 00:06:13.840 It continues to exist to this day. 00:06:13.839 --> 00:06:20.019 The Apostle Paul, we come to our text now, 00:06:20.079 --> 00:06:24.259 the Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian church in prison, 00:06:25.019 --> 00:06:30.179 himself put in prison in a very unjust way. 00:06:30.839 --> 00:06:37.479 A lot of leaders that saw Paul as a threat threw him in jail 00:06:37.480 --> 00:06:41.640 or created the environment for him to be imprisoned. 00:06:42.180 --> 00:06:45.340 And he is writing to this church he loves in Philippi, 00:06:45.460 --> 00:06:47.379 in Macedonia, present-day Macedonia. 00:06:47.960 --> 00:06:50.759 And his desire is to see them flourish. 00:06:51.020 --> 00:06:54.480 And if you haven't been following along, 00:06:54.520 --> 00:06:56.939 or if you just need a bit of a refresher, 00:06:57.000 --> 00:06:59.420 because we haven't been in Philippians for a couple weeks, 00:06:59.420 --> 00:07:05.259 the letter is a joyful one where Paul is really holding up the life of Christ 00:07:05.259 --> 00:07:07.600 as the exemplary life to follow. 00:07:08.180 --> 00:07:09.160 He loves these people. 00:07:09.259 --> 00:07:11.520 He wants them to grow in their maturity. 00:07:11.900 --> 00:07:15.200 And now he gets to a section where he is actually going on the defensive, 00:07:15.460 --> 00:07:17.740 so to speak, and defending the faith 00:07:17.740 --> 00:07:20.100 and issuing warnings for the church 00:07:20.100 --> 00:07:22.220 to not just hear, but to act upon. 00:07:23.060 --> 00:07:25.740 So we'll break up our text into three sections. 00:07:25.840 --> 00:07:26.480 We'll look at a warning, 00:07:27.080 --> 00:07:27.960 we'll look at a reflection, 00:07:27.959 --> 00:07:29.060 and we'll look at a call. 00:07:29.799 --> 00:07:30.939 So we'll jump right in the text. 00:07:31.079 --> 00:07:32.019 We'll start in verse one. 00:07:33.019 --> 00:07:34.399 And we'll continue on from there. 00:07:34.979 --> 00:07:35.659 This is what it says. 00:07:35.739 --> 00:07:36.560 Finally, my brothers, 00:07:37.419 --> 00:07:40.079 it's a bit of a catch-all term for brothers and sisters. 00:07:40.259 --> 00:07:42.539 It's a term of affection for a group of people. 00:07:43.259 --> 00:07:45.359 Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. 00:07:46.099 --> 00:07:47.519 To write the same things to you 00:07:47.519 --> 00:07:48.919 is no trouble to me, 00:07:49.199 --> 00:07:50.699 and is safe for you. 00:07:51.259 --> 00:07:53.299 I'll stop there before we continue on. 00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:56.759 Paul does not immediately begin with warnings. 00:07:56.759 --> 00:08:02.120 Instead, he offers this affectionate reminder to the church 00:08:02.120 --> 00:08:03.500 to find joy in Christ. 00:08:06.259 --> 00:08:07.980 The letter of the Philippians is called 00:08:07.980 --> 00:08:09.120 the joy-filled letter, 00:08:09.259 --> 00:08:10.279 or the letter of joy, 00:08:10.659 --> 00:08:11.899 or the epistle of joy. 00:08:11.899 --> 00:08:14.920 And we see once again Paul making reference 00:08:14.920 --> 00:08:19.519 to the importance of joy within the Christian life, 00:08:20.120 --> 00:08:20.759 and specifically, 00:08:21.139 --> 00:08:23.180 the joy that is found in Christ. 00:08:23.180 --> 00:08:26.480 And I think he is reminding the people of this 00:08:26.480 --> 00:08:29.280 because such joy in Christ 00:08:29.280 --> 00:08:33.159 can easily fade away in the face of such difficulties, 00:08:33.259 --> 00:08:34.399 especially some of the difficulties 00:08:34.399 --> 00:08:37.440 that we're going to see in the next few verses. 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:41.440 Rejoicing in the Lord. 00:08:42.600 --> 00:08:43.480 A reminder. 00:08:43.480 --> 00:08:46.560 And I think it's important for us to remember as well 00:08:46.560 --> 00:08:48.399 that Paul is reminding the people 00:08:48.399 --> 00:08:49.279 to have joy in the Lord 00:08:49.279 --> 00:08:53.480 because joy is less of this feeling that we have 00:08:53.480 --> 00:08:55.779 and more of a practice 00:08:55.779 --> 00:08:57.779 that we need to foster in our own lives. 00:08:58.159 --> 00:08:59.560 It is a choice oftentimes 00:08:59.560 --> 00:09:01.320 to embrace joy, 00:09:02.120 --> 00:09:05.159 which seems like, you know, 00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:07.860 willing ourselves to have a feeling 00:09:07.860 --> 00:09:10.340 seems a bit counterintuitive. 00:09:10.340 --> 00:09:12.360 It will make sense as we continue on, 00:09:12.879 --> 00:09:15.740 but Paul is really imploring these people, 00:09:16.280 --> 00:09:18.700 these Philippian men and women, 00:09:19.340 --> 00:09:22.740 to practice having joy in Christ, 00:09:23.259 --> 00:09:24.560 to embrace it, 00:09:24.740 --> 00:09:26.280 to fashion their life around it, 00:09:26.780 --> 00:09:29.220 to turn towards Christ himself. 00:09:30.100 --> 00:09:32.000 In fact, he'll continue on, 00:09:32.080 --> 00:09:33.480 again, this idea of joy 00:09:33.480 --> 00:09:34.980 that's marbled throughout Philippians 00:09:34.980 --> 00:09:36.120 and especially our section. 00:09:36.120 --> 00:09:39.779 It is a reminder that joy in Christ 00:09:39.779 --> 00:09:41.960 isn't just a disposition of the heart, 00:09:42.060 --> 00:09:43.460 but it's actually the means 00:09:43.460 --> 00:09:45.440 and source of stability 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:46.899 for the entire Christian life. 00:09:47.799 --> 00:09:50.899 So with that as a bit of an intro 00:09:50.899 --> 00:09:52.399 that Paul reminds his, 00:09:52.860 --> 00:09:53.960 a reminder rather, 00:09:54.080 --> 00:09:55.860 that Paul reminds the church, 00:09:56.620 --> 00:09:58.200 he gets right into the warnings, 00:09:58.840 --> 00:09:59.679 verses two and three. 00:10:00.720 --> 00:10:02.440 Look out for the dogs. 00:10:03.279 --> 00:10:04.560 Look out for the evildoers. 00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:06.699 Look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 00:10:07.819 --> 00:10:09.059 For we are the circumcision, 00:10:09.299 --> 00:10:11.039 who worship by the Spirit of God 00:10:11.039 --> 00:10:12.279 and glory in Christ Jesus 00:10:12.279 --> 00:10:14.739 and put no confidence in the flesh. 00:10:15.479 --> 00:10:16.219 Three warnings 00:10:16.219 --> 00:10:19.359 about three types of false teachers. 00:10:19.939 --> 00:10:21.699 Now, they could represent 00:10:21.699 --> 00:10:22.919 three distinct groups 00:10:22.919 --> 00:10:24.519 or just one collective group. 00:10:25.479 --> 00:10:26.299 The reality is, 00:10:26.619 --> 00:10:28.199 the text, Paul's a bit ambiguous. 00:10:28.459 --> 00:10:30.839 He is not specifying 00:10:30.839 --> 00:10:31.899 who these people are. 00:10:31.899 --> 00:10:33.740 They could be, again, 00:10:33.860 --> 00:10:34.959 three different groups. 00:10:35.059 --> 00:10:36.759 They could be a bit of a catch hall. 00:10:37.199 --> 00:10:38.480 We're not exactly sure 00:10:38.480 --> 00:10:39.419 what he's referring to, 00:10:39.519 --> 00:10:40.699 but what we can discern 00:10:40.699 --> 00:10:42.259 is that regardless of who 00:10:42.259 --> 00:10:43.959 these people are, 00:10:44.539 --> 00:10:45.659 these false teachers 00:10:45.659 --> 00:10:49.699 are ones that are Jewish leaders 00:10:49.699 --> 00:10:51.279 or teachers connected 00:10:51.279 --> 00:10:55.480 to the Old Testament 00:10:55.480 --> 00:10:56.419 or the Old Covenant, 00:10:56.620 --> 00:10:58.120 but also connected to the church. 00:10:58.120 --> 00:11:01.440 and they have profoundly obscured 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:03.919 the freedom that the gospel offers. 00:11:04.919 --> 00:11:06.139 And this freedom, 00:11:06.399 --> 00:11:09.500 particularly to non-Jewish Christians. 00:11:10.940 --> 00:11:13.440 It would seem that at the very least 00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:14.759 that they are promoting a teaching 00:11:14.759 --> 00:11:16.560 that says Gentiles, 00:11:16.899 --> 00:11:18.340 in order to become Christians, 00:11:18.600 --> 00:11:20.120 need to first become Jews 00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:23.080 or at least adopt a ton 00:11:23.080 --> 00:11:24.480 of the traditions. 00:11:26.600 --> 00:11:28.580 They're imploring the church, 00:11:28.980 --> 00:11:31.019 especially, I guess, pagan men, 00:11:31.500 --> 00:11:33.940 that they ought to be circumcised, 00:11:34.039 --> 00:11:36.019 which is the covenantal sign 00:11:36.019 --> 00:11:37.159 of ethnic Israel 00:11:37.159 --> 00:11:39.460 that we read about 00:11:39.460 --> 00:11:40.379 in the story of Abraham. 00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:42.740 Paul is having none of it. 00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:44.899 He's having none of it. 00:11:45.480 --> 00:11:47.379 He states that they are not promoting 00:11:47.379 --> 00:11:49.379 the biblical view of circumcision at all. 00:11:49.720 --> 00:11:51.600 And there's a bit of a play on words here 00:11:51.600 --> 00:11:53.879 because in the original language, 00:11:54.480 --> 00:11:56.399 the word for circumcision 00:11:56.399 --> 00:11:58.019 would be to cut around. 00:11:59.039 --> 00:12:01.120 Obviously, that's what happens. 00:12:01.860 --> 00:12:04.679 But when he says mutilators of the flesh, 00:12:04.700 --> 00:12:07.019 he is saying they are cutting off. 00:12:08.139 --> 00:12:11.000 That they have such a messed up, 00:12:11.240 --> 00:12:13.700 broken, profoundly obscure view 00:12:13.700 --> 00:12:15.500 of what circumcision is, 00:12:15.500 --> 00:12:16.940 what it was meant to be, 00:12:17.559 --> 00:12:20.460 that they aren't ones that cut around 00:12:20.460 --> 00:12:22.379 but actually cut off completely. 00:12:22.860 --> 00:12:24.659 And there's a bit of a double meaning here as well 00:12:24.659 --> 00:12:27.879 because not only are they ones that cut off, 00:12:28.759 --> 00:12:30.120 they dismember, 00:12:30.419 --> 00:12:33.980 but in promoting such a theology 00:12:33.980 --> 00:12:34.940 and a practice, 00:12:36.139 --> 00:12:37.559 people that follow them 00:12:37.559 --> 00:12:40.259 are dismembered from the church. 00:12:41.100 --> 00:12:43.580 Bit of a double meaning here as well. 00:12:43.580 --> 00:12:45.639 Again, Paul is having, 00:12:46.320 --> 00:12:47.759 he is having none of it. 00:12:48.720 --> 00:12:50.620 He states that they are not promoting 00:12:50.620 --> 00:12:52.259 this biblical view of circumcision 00:12:52.259 --> 00:12:55.100 for that sign in the flesh 00:12:55.100 --> 00:12:58.340 of being included in the covenant community 00:12:58.340 --> 00:13:01.100 has always had to include 00:13:01.100 --> 00:13:02.980 also a circumcision of the heart. 00:13:04.920 --> 00:13:06.139 What is that? 00:13:06.139 --> 00:13:08.259 I mean, to sum it up, 00:13:08.319 --> 00:13:09.399 there's more to be said about it, 00:13:09.439 --> 00:13:11.600 but it's the trust in God 00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:12.779 and in his promises, 00:13:12.919 --> 00:13:15.019 to have faith in the one true God. 00:13:16.720 --> 00:13:17.899 They are misreading the Bible, 00:13:18.740 --> 00:13:20.860 misunderstanding how God relates to his people, 00:13:21.039 --> 00:13:22.840 and misleading the Philippians 00:13:22.840 --> 00:13:23.740 into a spiritual, 00:13:24.100 --> 00:13:25.360 a kind of spiritual death. 00:13:27.439 --> 00:13:30.439 Paul refutes this in no uncertain terms 00:13:30.439 --> 00:13:32.139 in verse three where he says, 00:13:32.139 --> 00:13:33.740 for we are the circumcision, 00:13:33.939 --> 00:13:34.519 not them. 00:13:36.019 --> 00:13:37.000 We are the circumcision 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:38.419 who worship by the spirit of God 00:13:38.419 --> 00:13:39.679 and glory in Christ Jesus 00:13:39.679 --> 00:13:42.620 and put no confidence in the flesh. 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:45.240 The real circumcision, 00:13:45.779 --> 00:13:47.259 the real mark of being 00:13:47.259 --> 00:13:49.159 in God's covenant community 00:13:49.159 --> 00:13:51.220 is the one who worships 00:13:51.220 --> 00:13:53.279 and serves the Lord God by faith, 00:13:54.340 --> 00:13:55.620 empowered by the spirit. 00:13:55.939 --> 00:13:57.419 I mean, he sums it up in verse three. 00:13:57.899 --> 00:13:59.399 You could double click any of these 00:13:59.399 --> 00:14:01.759 and it would be well worth your time, 00:14:01.860 --> 00:14:02.559 but nevertheless, 00:14:02.899 --> 00:14:04.199 the real mark of being 00:14:04.199 --> 00:14:05.079 in the covenant community 00:14:05.079 --> 00:14:06.519 is the one who worships 00:14:06.519 --> 00:14:08.519 and serves the Lord by faith, 00:14:08.759 --> 00:14:10.120 empowered by the spirit, 00:14:10.299 --> 00:14:11.740 living for the glory of Christ 00:14:11.740 --> 00:14:14.720 and therefore not putting confidence 00:14:14.720 --> 00:14:17.120 in the outer signs 00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:18.500 as if they are enough, 00:14:18.620 --> 00:14:20.220 as if we curry God's favor 00:14:20.220 --> 00:14:22.959 by doing merely the things 00:14:22.959 --> 00:14:24.399 that he has asked us to do, 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:25.340 but having hearts 00:14:25.340 --> 00:14:27.039 that are so self-centered, 00:14:27.419 --> 00:14:28.579 not turned towards him. 00:14:29.399 --> 00:14:31.759 It is the opposite of what he wants. 00:14:32.699 --> 00:14:34.480 And what is remarkable here 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:37.720 is that he is certainly, 00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:40.759 certainly including non-Jews 00:14:40.759 --> 00:14:41.459 who are Christians 00:14:41.459 --> 00:14:46.019 into this company of people 00:14:46.019 --> 00:14:47.139 that are called the circumcision. 00:14:47.819 --> 00:14:49.600 People that have not been circumcised, 00:14:49.720 --> 00:14:50.939 people that aren't a part of Israel 00:14:50.939 --> 00:14:53.419 are now called a part of the circumcision 00:14:53.419 --> 00:14:55.519 because of faith, 00:14:55.939 --> 00:14:57.220 because they are circumcised 00:14:57.220 --> 00:14:58.079 in their hearts. 00:14:58.080 --> 00:15:03.220 And just in case that wasn't clear enough, 00:15:03.480 --> 00:15:06.080 Paul then gives his spiritual 00:15:06.080 --> 00:15:07.660 and ethnic and cultural 00:15:07.660 --> 00:15:09.060 and traditional bona fides, 00:15:09.180 --> 00:15:09.780 so to speak. 00:15:10.259 --> 00:15:11.040 It's as if he's saying, 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:13.720 listen, if this was the way to God, 00:15:14.220 --> 00:15:16.100 just merely following traditions, 00:15:16.360 --> 00:15:17.740 I'd be at the front of the line. 00:15:18.660 --> 00:15:19.900 This is why he says this. 00:15:20.220 --> 00:15:21.240 Look with me at verse four. 00:15:21.240 --> 00:15:24.840 Though I myself have reason 00:15:24.840 --> 00:15:25.980 for confidence in the flesh, 00:15:26.080 --> 00:15:26.399 also, 00:15:26.919 --> 00:15:28.340 if anyone else thinks 00:15:28.340 --> 00:15:29.379 he has reason 00:15:29.379 --> 00:15:30.419 for confidence in the flesh, 00:15:30.539 --> 00:15:31.580 I have more. 00:15:32.519 --> 00:15:33.740 Circumcised on the eighth day 00:15:33.740 --> 00:15:35.299 of the people of Israel, 00:15:35.379 --> 00:15:36.299 the tribe of Benjamin, 00:15:36.460 --> 00:15:37.680 a Hebrew of Hebrews, 00:15:38.240 --> 00:15:39.399 as to the law of Pharisee, 00:15:39.460 --> 00:15:40.100 as to zeal, 00:15:40.200 --> 00:15:41.440 a persecutor of the church, 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:42.720 as to righteousness 00:15:42.720 --> 00:15:43.580 under the law, 00:15:43.680 --> 00:15:44.159 blameless. 00:15:45.899 --> 00:15:46.580 Verse seven, 00:15:46.580 --> 00:15:48.440 but whatever gain I had, 00:15:49.600 --> 00:15:51.220 whatever gain I had, 00:15:51.280 --> 00:15:52.139 I counted as loss 00:15:52.139 --> 00:15:53.320 for the sake of Christ. 00:15:54.320 --> 00:15:55.120 Before we go on, 00:15:55.160 --> 00:15:55.900 let me just say this. 00:15:56.400 --> 00:15:57.759 I think this is a very important thing, 00:15:57.840 --> 00:16:00.820 especially given the past year we've had 00:16:00.820 --> 00:16:03.520 and how our public discourse 00:16:03.520 --> 00:16:04.160 has played out 00:16:04.160 --> 00:16:05.840 since the terror attacks 00:16:05.840 --> 00:16:09.320 in Israel in October of 2023. 00:16:12.620 --> 00:16:16.140 This text is not an anti-Jewish one. 00:16:16.139 --> 00:16:17.899 This is not Paul turning on his people. 00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:20.679 This is not a stick to beat 00:16:20.679 --> 00:16:23.720 unbelieving Jews over the head with. 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:27.899 We can't disregard 00:16:27.899 --> 00:16:31.259 God's people, 00:16:33.419 --> 00:16:33.799 Israel. 00:16:35.139 --> 00:16:36.759 Paul has not turned on his people. 00:16:38.039 --> 00:16:39.259 Paul is not disregarding 00:16:39.259 --> 00:16:40.600 the entirety of the Old Testament. 00:16:40.779 --> 00:16:41.639 He is not saying 00:16:41.639 --> 00:16:45.399 that to be a Jew matters not at all. 00:16:46.939 --> 00:16:48.000 Paul is saying 00:16:48.000 --> 00:16:48.659 what the Old Testament 00:16:48.659 --> 00:16:49.379 has always said. 00:16:50.279 --> 00:16:50.740 That is, 00:16:50.840 --> 00:16:52.019 salvation is by faith. 00:16:53.159 --> 00:16:54.720 It's not in keeping Sabbaths. 00:16:54.740 --> 00:16:56.220 It's not in keeping holidays. 00:16:56.460 --> 00:16:57.179 It's not in keeping 00:16:57.179 --> 00:16:58.519 dietary laws 00:16:58.519 --> 00:17:00.299 and the giving of alms 00:17:00.299 --> 00:17:00.919 and charity. 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:02.740 What Paul's saying here 00:17:02.740 --> 00:17:03.360 is that 00:17:03.360 --> 00:17:05.019 there's a proper way 00:17:05.019 --> 00:17:05.660 of ordering 00:17:05.660 --> 00:17:06.960 our loves 00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:07.779 and our lives 00:17:07.779 --> 00:17:09.400 that result in a life of faith 00:17:09.400 --> 00:17:10.359 in the Messiah 00:17:10.359 --> 00:17:12.200 rather than in the things 00:17:12.200 --> 00:17:12.900 or the people 00:17:12.900 --> 00:17:13.700 or the status 00:17:13.700 --> 00:17:14.500 or the ethnicity 00:17:14.500 --> 00:17:15.680 or whatever it may be. 00:17:16.799 --> 00:17:17.019 So, 00:17:17.319 --> 00:17:18.039 Paul is in line 00:17:18.039 --> 00:17:19.559 with Jesus here. 00:17:19.900 --> 00:17:20.539 If you remember, 00:17:20.840 --> 00:17:22.519 Jesus in Luke 14, 00:17:22.620 --> 00:17:23.299 verse 26, 00:17:23.860 --> 00:17:24.620 he says this. 00:17:25.220 --> 00:17:26.080 I would say equally, 00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:27.319 maybe even more provocative 00:17:27.319 --> 00:17:28.460 than what Paul is saying here. 00:17:28.559 --> 00:17:29.420 If anyone, 00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:30.039 this is Jesus, 00:17:30.220 --> 00:17:30.340 quote, 00:17:30.339 --> 00:17:31.480 if anyone comes to me 00:17:31.480 --> 00:17:32.299 and does not hate 00:17:32.299 --> 00:17:33.539 his own father 00:17:33.539 --> 00:17:34.139 and mother 00:17:34.139 --> 00:17:35.359 and wife 00:17:35.359 --> 00:17:36.039 and children 00:17:36.039 --> 00:17:36.579 and brothers 00:17:36.579 --> 00:17:37.079 and sisters, 00:17:37.259 --> 00:17:37.559 yes, 00:17:37.679 --> 00:17:39.139 and even his own life, 00:17:39.199 --> 00:17:40.619 he cannot be my disciple. 00:17:42.240 --> 00:17:44.139 I think what Paul is doing 00:17:44.139 --> 00:17:46.720 is using a type 00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:49.519 of Semitic hyperbole. 00:17:51.419 --> 00:17:52.379 Paul is saying 00:17:52.379 --> 00:17:53.439 something very similar 00:17:53.439 --> 00:17:54.799 to what Jesus is saying. 00:17:55.639 --> 00:17:56.579 The reality is 00:17:56.579 --> 00:17:57.299 Paul doesn't hate 00:17:57.299 --> 00:17:58.740 his Jewish identity. 00:17:58.740 --> 00:18:00.140 He is one. 00:18:00.200 --> 00:18:00.960 He can't change 00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:01.759 who he is. 00:18:02.680 --> 00:18:04.200 He is not disparaging 00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:05.220 of his ethnicity, 00:18:05.559 --> 00:18:06.559 but he's simply stating 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:07.599 that he does not place 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:08.059 any, 00:18:08.059 --> 00:18:09.640 any eternal confidence 00:18:09.640 --> 00:18:10.120 in it. 00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:12.579 His ethnicity 00:18:12.579 --> 00:18:13.519 and heritage 00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:14.620 are therefore 00:18:14.620 --> 00:18:16.339 appropriately ordered. 00:18:17.059 --> 00:18:17.359 In fact, 00:18:17.460 --> 00:18:18.019 Paul says, 00:18:18.599 --> 00:18:19.440 he continues on, 00:18:19.480 --> 00:18:19.599 right, 00:18:19.680 --> 00:18:20.799 in verse 7, 00:18:20.900 --> 00:18:21.740 if you will read that again, 00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:23.279 but whatever gain I had. 00:18:23.579 --> 00:18:25.039 So he gives quite the list, 00:18:25.120 --> 00:18:25.779 but then he says, 00:18:26.039 --> 00:18:26.319 whatever, 00:18:26.500 --> 00:18:27.660 which is a bit of a catch-all 00:18:27.660 --> 00:18:28.440 for everything, 00:18:28.540 --> 00:18:29.400 whatever it may be, 00:18:29.519 --> 00:18:30.420 whatever that I have 00:18:30.420 --> 00:18:31.380 put my gain in, 00:18:32.759 --> 00:18:34.100 I count it as a loss. 00:18:34.180 --> 00:18:35.680 He is further broadening 00:18:35.680 --> 00:18:36.820 this list to include 00:18:36.820 --> 00:18:38.759 anything that we could 00:18:38.759 --> 00:18:40.120 possibly put our 00:18:40.120 --> 00:18:41.740 eternal hope in. 00:18:46.160 --> 00:18:47.600 Many of us in this room 00:18:47.600 --> 00:18:51.259 have worked extremely hard 00:18:51.259 --> 00:18:52.500 to obtain their education, 00:18:52.500 --> 00:18:54.460 their career 00:18:54.460 --> 00:18:55.539 to build businesses, 00:18:56.140 --> 00:18:57.539 to serve faithfully 00:18:57.539 --> 00:18:58.599 as public servants 00:18:58.599 --> 00:19:00.859 or in the armed forces, 00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:04.720 have strived really hard 00:19:04.720 --> 00:19:06.119 reading dozens of books 00:19:06.119 --> 00:19:07.660 on how to be a good parent 00:19:07.660 --> 00:19:08.819 and a spouse, 00:19:09.460 --> 00:19:11.619 how to create a home 00:19:11.619 --> 00:19:12.380 that nurtures 00:19:12.380 --> 00:19:13.480 and gives life, 00:19:14.299 --> 00:19:16.619 to care for people, 00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:18.240 to give charity. 00:19:19.240 --> 00:19:20.180 These are all beautiful 00:19:20.180 --> 00:19:21.440 and wonderful pursuits. 00:19:23.160 --> 00:19:23.600 However, 00:19:23.740 --> 00:19:24.799 if we elevate them 00:19:24.799 --> 00:19:25.440 to a position 00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:27.460 of eternal significance, 00:19:28.460 --> 00:19:29.259 they are, 00:19:29.400 --> 00:19:29.900 as Paul says 00:19:29.900 --> 00:19:30.900 in verse 8, 00:19:31.299 --> 00:19:31.560 rubbish. 00:19:31.799 --> 00:19:32.660 And I will just say this, 00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:34.779 the polite, 00:19:35.019 --> 00:19:35.620 lovely people 00:19:35.620 --> 00:19:37.060 at Crossway, 00:19:37.120 --> 00:19:38.600 I guess they came up 00:19:38.600 --> 00:19:39.220 with the English 00:19:39.220 --> 00:19:39.880 Standard Version, 00:19:40.600 --> 00:19:41.840 very nice way 00:19:41.840 --> 00:19:43.960 of saying excrement, 00:19:44.100 --> 00:19:45.220 but it's not even excrement 00:19:45.220 --> 00:19:46.440 that they say. 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:47.720 It's a bad word, 00:19:47.840 --> 00:19:48.539 starts with an S. 00:19:48.539 --> 00:19:49.279 Like it is, 00:19:49.700 --> 00:19:50.859 Paul is really 00:19:50.859 --> 00:19:51.920 saying something 00:19:51.920 --> 00:19:52.460 like listen, 00:19:52.819 --> 00:19:53.299 anything, 00:19:53.379 --> 00:19:54.619 anything apart from Christ 00:19:54.619 --> 00:19:55.639 that you put your hope in, 00:19:56.079 --> 00:19:57.859 it is excrement. 00:19:58.740 --> 00:19:59.039 And you know 00:19:59.039 --> 00:19:59.740 what it's supposed to do? 00:19:59.839 --> 00:20:00.519 It's supposed to make you 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:01.200 feel uncomfortable. 00:20:02.139 --> 00:20:02.920 And maybe some of you 00:20:02.920 --> 00:20:03.759 are feeling uncomfortable. 00:20:03.960 --> 00:20:04.799 Maybe if I actually said it, 00:20:04.839 --> 00:20:05.519 you'd really say it. 00:20:05.539 --> 00:20:06.099 I'm not going to say it. 00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:07.940 But you're supposed 00:20:07.940 --> 00:20:09.259 to feel uncomfortable with it. 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:10.839 What, my family? 00:20:11.799 --> 00:20:12.839 My career? 00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:13.960 The business I've built? 00:20:14.579 --> 00:20:15.220 The charity 00:20:15.220 --> 00:20:16.059 that I'm a part of? 00:20:16.200 --> 00:20:16.420 I mean, 00:20:16.500 --> 00:20:17.299 you name it. 00:20:17.299 --> 00:20:17.960 Think about it. 00:20:18.259 --> 00:20:18.779 Take a minute. 00:20:20.079 --> 00:20:20.960 Think about that thing 00:20:20.960 --> 00:20:21.859 that you value, 00:20:22.359 --> 00:20:23.519 that you're proud of. 00:20:23.579 --> 00:20:23.839 By the way, 00:20:23.859 --> 00:20:24.359 it's not bad 00:20:24.359 --> 00:20:25.399 to be proud of something 00:20:25.399 --> 00:20:26.259 that you've worked towards, 00:20:26.639 --> 00:20:27.419 but that you've put 00:20:27.419 --> 00:20:28.779 an extra degree 00:20:28.779 --> 00:20:29.899 of hope in. 00:20:32.119 --> 00:20:33.000 Paul is saying, 00:20:33.799 --> 00:20:34.480 you've turned it 00:20:34.480 --> 00:20:35.319 into excrement. 00:20:38.919 --> 00:20:40.419 It's a very jarring thing, 00:20:40.919 --> 00:20:41.639 he is saying. 00:20:41.640 --> 00:20:44.320 So he's warning 00:20:44.320 --> 00:20:45.180 the Philippians 00:20:45.180 --> 00:20:46.500 to avoid 00:20:46.500 --> 00:20:47.880 these false teachers. 00:20:48.700 --> 00:20:49.500 And really, 00:20:49.660 --> 00:20:50.040 anybody, 00:20:50.160 --> 00:20:50.640 it's not just 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:51.540 the Jewish false teachers, 00:20:51.660 --> 00:20:52.880 it's any ideology, 00:20:53.240 --> 00:20:55.259 any philosophy, 00:20:55.740 --> 00:20:56.820 any other religion, 00:20:57.240 --> 00:20:58.259 anything 00:20:58.259 --> 00:20:59.980 that is pushing you 00:20:59.980 --> 00:21:00.940 away from Christ 00:21:00.940 --> 00:21:01.440 and towards 00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:01.980 a false 00:21:01.980 --> 00:21:03.700 sense of 00:21:03.700 --> 00:21:04.960 eternal hope 00:21:04.960 --> 00:21:07.320 to avoid 00:21:07.320 --> 00:21:08.220 such teachers. 00:21:08.220 --> 00:21:09.860 false 00:21:09.860 --> 00:21:10.579 spirituality, 00:21:10.839 --> 00:21:12.019 it devalues 00:21:12.019 --> 00:21:12.400 Christ, 00:21:12.539 --> 00:21:12.720 and it 00:21:12.720 --> 00:21:13.860 will have the effect 00:21:13.860 --> 00:21:14.660 of elevating 00:21:14.660 --> 00:21:15.299 the self 00:21:15.299 --> 00:21:17.460 to a very 00:21:17.460 --> 00:21:18.339 disgusting 00:21:18.339 --> 00:21:19.380 level. 00:21:20.180 --> 00:21:21.339 So what follows 00:21:21.339 --> 00:21:22.180 is a reflection. 00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:23.480 Paul will, 00:21:23.660 --> 00:21:24.860 he'll hone in 00:21:24.860 --> 00:21:25.740 on what it means 00:21:25.740 --> 00:21:26.279 to have 00:21:26.279 --> 00:21:27.519 properly ordered 00:21:27.519 --> 00:21:27.940 loves 00:21:27.940 --> 00:21:28.579 and a properly 00:21:28.579 --> 00:21:29.420 ordered life 00:21:29.420 --> 00:21:30.600 and a properly 00:21:30.600 --> 00:21:31.039 ordered 00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:32.440 whole series, 00:21:32.559 --> 00:21:33.480 a hierarchy of hope, 00:21:33.559 --> 00:21:34.100 so to speak. 00:21:34.099 --> 00:21:36.319 showing us 00:21:36.319 --> 00:21:37.980 that the Bible 00:21:37.980 --> 00:21:38.879 is incredibly 00:21:38.879 --> 00:21:39.459 wise 00:21:39.459 --> 00:21:41.000 and actually 00:21:41.000 --> 00:21:41.659 this is for 00:21:41.659 --> 00:21:42.179 our joy. 00:21:43.699 --> 00:21:44.459 What it does 00:21:44.459 --> 00:21:45.639 is it relieves 00:21:45.639 --> 00:21:46.359 us of the 00:21:46.359 --> 00:21:47.199 burdens we carry, 00:21:48.019 --> 00:21:48.740 it frees us 00:21:48.740 --> 00:21:49.139 to live 00:21:49.139 --> 00:21:49.659 and love 00:21:49.659 --> 00:21:50.339 in a properly 00:21:50.339 --> 00:21:51.079 ordered way. 00:21:51.480 --> 00:21:51.719 So, 00:21:51.899 --> 00:21:52.519 the second point 00:21:52.519 --> 00:21:53.259 of reflection. 00:21:54.079 --> 00:21:54.579 Look with me 00:21:54.579 --> 00:21:55.359 at verses 7 00:21:55.359 --> 00:21:56.019 and we'll read 00:21:56.019 --> 00:21:56.639 to verse 11. 00:21:57.959 --> 00:21:58.719 But whatever 00:21:58.719 --> 00:21:59.439 gain I had, 00:21:59.500 --> 00:22:00.459 I counted as loss 00:22:00.459 --> 00:22:01.019 for the sake 00:22:01.019 --> 00:22:01.500 of Christ. 00:22:01.679 --> 00:22:02.079 Indeed, 00:22:02.279 --> 00:22:03.039 I count everything 00:22:03.039 --> 00:22:03.679 as loss 00:22:03.680 --> 00:22:04.700 because of 00:22:04.700 --> 00:22:05.519 the surpassing 00:22:05.519 --> 00:22:06.000 worth of 00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:06.720 knowing Christ 00:22:06.720 --> 00:22:07.600 Jesus my Lord. 00:22:09.080 --> 00:22:09.740 For his sake 00:22:09.740 --> 00:22:10.259 I have suffered 00:22:10.259 --> 00:22:10.660 the loss 00:22:10.660 --> 00:22:11.279 of all things 00:22:11.279 --> 00:22:12.779 and count them 00:22:12.779 --> 00:22:13.360 as rubbish 00:22:13.360 --> 00:22:14.840 in order that 00:22:14.840 --> 00:22:15.860 I may gain Christ 00:22:15.860 --> 00:22:16.400 and be found 00:22:16.400 --> 00:22:16.799 in him, 00:22:17.180 --> 00:22:17.900 not having a 00:22:17.900 --> 00:22:18.400 righteousness 00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:19.480 of my own 00:22:19.480 --> 00:22:20.060 that comes 00:22:20.060 --> 00:22:20.700 from the law, 00:22:21.380 --> 00:22:22.039 but that which 00:22:22.039 --> 00:22:22.660 comes through 00:22:22.660 --> 00:22:23.500 faith in Christ, 00:22:23.620 --> 00:22:24.140 the righteousness 00:22:24.140 --> 00:22:24.840 from God 00:22:24.840 --> 00:22:25.420 that depends 00:22:25.420 --> 00:22:25.980 on faith, 00:22:26.279 --> 00:22:27.019 that I may 00:22:27.019 --> 00:22:27.580 know him 00:22:27.580 --> 00:22:28.600 and the power 00:22:28.600 --> 00:22:29.440 of his resurrection 00:22:29.440 --> 00:22:30.640 may share 00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:31.539 his sufferings, 00:22:31.920 --> 00:22:32.840 becoming like him 00:22:32.840 --> 00:22:33.500 in his death 00:22:33.500 --> 00:22:34.779 that by any 00:22:34.779 --> 00:22:35.880 means possible 00:22:35.880 --> 00:22:37.079 I may attain 00:22:37.079 --> 00:22:38.140 the resurrection 00:22:38.140 --> 00:22:39.839 from the dead. 00:22:41.640 --> 00:22:42.779 The only gain 00:22:42.779 --> 00:22:43.599 that will satisfy 00:22:43.599 --> 00:22:44.559 our deepest 00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:45.339 longings, 00:22:45.920 --> 00:22:46.680 that will give 00:22:46.680 --> 00:22:47.500 us real, 00:22:47.839 --> 00:22:48.299 true, 00:22:48.779 --> 00:22:49.200 genuine, 00:22:49.980 --> 00:22:50.460 eternal 00:22:50.460 --> 00:22:51.440 satisfaction 00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:52.119 is Christ. 00:22:53.940 --> 00:22:54.539 It's Christ. 00:22:55.039 --> 00:22:55.980 To have Christ 00:22:55.980 --> 00:22:56.720 is to be united 00:22:56.720 --> 00:22:57.079 to him, 00:22:57.180 --> 00:22:58.480 to know him 00:22:58.480 --> 00:23:00.279 is of surpassing 00:23:00.279 --> 00:23:00.620 worth. 00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:02.299 Again, 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:02.680 Paul, 00:23:03.620 --> 00:23:03.880 right, 00:23:03.940 --> 00:23:04.519 just previously 00:23:04.519 --> 00:23:05.039 is saying, 00:23:06.039 --> 00:23:06.519 if anybody 00:23:06.519 --> 00:23:07.220 has confidence 00:23:07.220 --> 00:23:08.000 in the flesh, 00:23:08.440 --> 00:23:08.980 it's me. 00:23:09.500 --> 00:23:09.660 Boom, 00:23:09.720 --> 00:23:09.819 boom, 00:23:09.880 --> 00:23:10.000 boom, 00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:10.140 boom, 00:23:10.140 --> 00:23:10.279 boom, 00:23:10.279 --> 00:23:10.420 boom, 00:23:10.420 --> 00:23:10.460 boom, 00:23:10.460 --> 00:23:10.559 boom, 00:23:10.559 --> 00:23:10.779 boom. 00:23:11.539 --> 00:23:12.180 All of it 00:23:12.180 --> 00:23:12.700 is nothing 00:23:12.700 --> 00:23:13.480 compared to 00:23:13.480 --> 00:23:14.240 knowing Christ, 00:23:15.099 --> 00:23:15.839 to being found 00:23:15.839 --> 00:23:16.460 in him. 00:23:17.539 --> 00:23:18.420 This is because 00:23:18.420 --> 00:23:19.200 we are created 00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:20.299 to know Christ 00:23:20.299 --> 00:23:20.819 and be known 00:23:20.819 --> 00:23:21.140 by him, 00:23:21.200 --> 00:23:21.819 to have a 00:23:21.819 --> 00:23:22.400 relationship 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:23.440 with the living 00:23:23.440 --> 00:23:23.720 God, 00:23:23.780 --> 00:23:24.440 to be his 00:23:24.440 --> 00:23:24.920 friend. 00:23:27.440 --> 00:23:27.860 And if that 00:23:27.860 --> 00:23:28.780 seems old hat 00:23:28.780 --> 00:23:30.540 or this is just 00:23:30.540 --> 00:23:31.620 a classic thing 00:23:31.620 --> 00:23:32.060 that is said 00:23:32.060 --> 00:23:32.600 in church, 00:23:33.000 --> 00:23:33.740 I think it's 00:23:33.740 --> 00:23:34.800 because the 00:23:34.800 --> 00:23:35.259 church has been 00:23:35.259 --> 00:23:37.060 lazy in reducing 00:23:37.060 --> 00:23:38.500 the entirety of 00:23:38.500 --> 00:23:39.259 the Christian life 00:23:39.259 --> 00:23:40.040 into the phrase 00:23:40.040 --> 00:23:42.019 it's not a 00:23:42.019 --> 00:23:42.300 religion, 00:23:42.440 --> 00:23:42.600 it's a 00:23:42.600 --> 00:23:43.019 relationship. 00:23:45.060 --> 00:23:45.800 But let's just 00:23:45.800 --> 00:23:46.180 take a moment 00:23:46.180 --> 00:23:46.880 to consider how 00:23:46.880 --> 00:23:47.980 bold of an idea 00:23:47.980 --> 00:23:48.720 this truly is, 00:23:48.759 --> 00:23:49.320 that God has 00:23:49.320 --> 00:23:49.960 made a way for 00:23:49.960 --> 00:23:50.480 us to be his 00:23:50.480 --> 00:23:50.740 friend. 00:23:50.740 --> 00:23:52.880 human beings 00:23:52.880 --> 00:23:53.319 are deeply 00:23:53.319 --> 00:23:53.819 relational. 00:23:56.220 --> 00:23:56.960 There's no way 00:23:56.960 --> 00:23:57.420 around it. 00:23:57.539 --> 00:23:58.160 A few weeks 00:23:58.160 --> 00:23:58.559 back, 00:23:58.759 --> 00:23:59.819 maybe you'd 00:23:59.819 --> 00:24:00.220 remember if 00:24:00.220 --> 00:24:00.660 you were here, 00:24:01.299 --> 00:24:02.019 I talked about 00:24:02.019 --> 00:24:02.559 the real life 00:24:02.559 --> 00:24:02.960 Mowgli, 00:24:03.160 --> 00:24:04.120 the story that 00:24:04.120 --> 00:24:05.420 the Jungle Book 00:24:05.420 --> 00:24:06.259 was written 00:24:06.259 --> 00:24:06.559 about. 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:07.799 It was a 00:24:07.799 --> 00:24:08.740 boy that 00:24:08.740 --> 00:24:09.940 was lost 00:24:09.940 --> 00:24:10.420 in the woods 00:24:10.420 --> 00:24:11.140 and was raised 00:24:11.140 --> 00:24:12.579 by a pack 00:24:12.579 --> 00:24:13.059 of wolves. 00:24:13.240 --> 00:24:14.079 No human 00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:14.799 interaction 00:24:14.799 --> 00:24:16.099 and as a 00:24:16.099 --> 00:24:16.539 result, 00:24:17.059 --> 00:24:17.700 never learned 00:24:17.700 --> 00:24:18.099 to talk. 00:24:18.259 --> 00:24:19.200 The best 00:24:19.200 --> 00:24:19.680 he learned 00:24:19.680 --> 00:24:19.980 to do 00:24:19.980 --> 00:24:20.720 was smoke. 00:24:21.299 --> 00:24:21.819 He died 00:24:21.819 --> 00:24:22.140 in his 00:24:22.140 --> 00:24:22.839 early 30s. 00:24:22.880 --> 00:24:23.319 It was a 00:24:23.319 --> 00:24:24.319 really horrendous 00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:24.700 story. 00:24:25.559 --> 00:24:26.160 But he didn't 00:24:26.160 --> 00:24:27.160 have that 00:24:27.160 --> 00:24:28.160 human relational 00:24:28.160 --> 00:24:28.779 component. 00:24:29.839 --> 00:24:30.240 And really, 00:24:30.359 --> 00:24:30.720 there is no 00:24:30.720 --> 00:24:31.339 way around it. 00:24:31.480 --> 00:24:32.200 We are built 00:24:32.200 --> 00:24:33.579 to know 00:24:33.579 --> 00:24:34.140 and be 00:24:34.140 --> 00:24:34.599 known. 00:24:35.519 --> 00:24:35.900 We cannot 00:24:35.900 --> 00:24:36.920 exist in a 00:24:36.920 --> 00:24:37.380 healthy way 00:24:37.380 --> 00:24:38.120 without meaningful 00:24:38.120 --> 00:24:38.759 relationships 00:24:38.759 --> 00:24:40.240 where bonds 00:24:40.240 --> 00:24:40.680 of deep 00:24:40.680 --> 00:24:41.420 friendship and 00:24:41.420 --> 00:24:42.079 camaraderie are 00:24:42.079 --> 00:24:42.759 developed and 00:24:42.759 --> 00:24:43.359 are reciprocal. 00:24:44.359 --> 00:24:44.819 And when we 00:24:44.819 --> 00:24:45.500 don't have that, 00:24:45.599 --> 00:24:46.180 we suffer. 00:24:46.680 --> 00:24:47.079 We have all 00:24:47.079 --> 00:24:47.620 the money we 00:24:47.620 --> 00:24:47.880 want, 00:24:47.940 --> 00:24:48.359 we have all 00:24:48.359 --> 00:24:48.960 the opportunities 00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:49.500 we want. 00:24:49.500 --> 00:24:50.440 If our 00:24:50.440 --> 00:24:51.440 relationships are 00:24:51.440 --> 00:24:52.119 broken down, 00:24:52.660 --> 00:24:54.799 we suffer in a 00:24:54.799 --> 00:24:55.539 very, very 00:24:55.539 --> 00:24:58.619 deep way 00:24:58.619 --> 00:25:02.000 to be vulnerable 00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:02.660 with people, 00:25:03.220 --> 00:25:03.440 to have 00:25:03.440 --> 00:25:04.140 friendships that 00:25:04.140 --> 00:25:05.559 are deep in 00:25:05.559 --> 00:25:06.039 their depth. 00:25:06.380 --> 00:25:08.220 This is what it 00:25:08.220 --> 00:25:08.799 means to be 00:25:08.799 --> 00:25:09.200 human. 00:25:09.640 --> 00:25:10.200 This is how God 00:25:10.200 --> 00:25:10.740 has designed 00:25:10.740 --> 00:25:11.079 us. 00:25:12.079 --> 00:25:12.500 And so the 00:25:12.500 --> 00:25:12.980 Bible is 00:25:12.980 --> 00:25:14.079 incredibly wise 00:25:14.079 --> 00:25:15.160 in this regard. 00:25:15.160 --> 00:25:15.820 from the opening 00:25:15.820 --> 00:25:16.519 paragraphs of 00:25:16.519 --> 00:25:16.960 Genesis, 00:25:17.680 --> 00:25:18.600 we see God 00:25:18.600 --> 00:25:19.580 creating human 00:25:19.580 --> 00:25:20.960 beings and 00:25:20.960 --> 00:25:21.880 then creating 00:25:21.880 --> 00:25:22.600 them to be 00:25:22.600 --> 00:25:23.080 together. 00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:24.680 And not only 00:25:24.680 --> 00:25:25.980 that, the 00:25:25.980 --> 00:25:26.680 implication of the 00:25:26.680 --> 00:25:27.320 garden account 00:25:27.320 --> 00:25:28.640 in Genesis and 00:25:28.640 --> 00:25:30.400 then all of what 00:25:30.400 --> 00:25:32.240 comes after that 00:25:32.240 --> 00:25:34.120 is God walking 00:25:34.120 --> 00:25:35.120 with man in this 00:25:35.120 --> 00:25:35.720 relationship. 00:25:35.880 --> 00:25:36.720 In the cool of 00:25:36.720 --> 00:25:37.480 the day, there's 00:25:37.480 --> 00:25:38.620 this really 00:25:38.620 --> 00:25:39.720 profound picture of 00:25:39.720 --> 00:25:40.420 what it means to 00:25:40.420 --> 00:25:41.120 know God and be 00:25:41.120 --> 00:25:41.759 known by him. 00:25:41.840 --> 00:25:42.320 And because of 00:25:42.320 --> 00:25:43.060 the fall, because 00:25:43.059 --> 00:25:44.299 of sin entering 00:25:44.299 --> 00:25:44.919 into the human 00:25:44.919 --> 00:25:46.339 condition, almost 00:25:46.339 --> 00:25:47.099 the entirety of 00:25:47.099 --> 00:25:47.639 the Bible, I'd 00:25:47.639 --> 00:25:48.179 say the entirety 00:25:48.179 --> 00:25:48.919 of the Bible is a 00:25:48.919 --> 00:25:49.539 story about how 00:25:49.539 --> 00:25:50.119 we're trying to 00:25:50.119 --> 00:25:50.899 figure out a way 00:25:50.899 --> 00:25:51.619 to connect with 00:25:51.619 --> 00:25:52.339 God again. 00:25:53.519 --> 00:25:54.399 Except we fail 00:25:54.399 --> 00:25:55.859 time and time 00:25:55.859 --> 00:25:56.619 and time and 00:25:56.619 --> 00:25:57.319 time and time 00:25:57.319 --> 00:25:57.639 over. 00:25:57.740 --> 00:25:58.039 Why? 00:25:59.079 --> 00:26:00.519 Because we, 00:26:01.159 --> 00:26:02.940 although we know 00:26:02.940 --> 00:26:04.079 our deep desire 00:26:04.079 --> 00:26:06.039 to know God and 00:26:06.039 --> 00:26:06.859 be known by him, 00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:07.700 our attempts to 00:26:07.700 --> 00:26:08.339 achieve it are 00:26:08.339 --> 00:26:08.919 futile. 00:26:08.920 --> 00:26:15.519 we treat people 00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:16.259 as a means to 00:26:16.259 --> 00:26:16.740 an end. 00:26:16.940 --> 00:26:18.140 We snub our 00:26:18.140 --> 00:26:19.700 nose at the 00:26:19.700 --> 00:26:20.580 lordship of 00:26:20.580 --> 00:26:21.680 Christ, of 00:26:21.680 --> 00:26:22.340 God. 00:26:23.360 --> 00:26:23.840 To put it 00:26:23.840 --> 00:26:24.340 another way, 00:26:24.460 --> 00:26:25.320 humanity has 00:26:25.320 --> 00:26:26.640 disordered loves. 00:26:28.279 --> 00:26:28.880 They have put 00:26:28.880 --> 00:26:30.779 trust and hope 00:26:30.779 --> 00:26:31.900 and security in 00:26:31.900 --> 00:26:32.800 created things and 00:26:32.800 --> 00:26:33.600 not the creator. 00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:37.019 And the result is 00:26:37.019 --> 00:26:37.379 a further 00:26:37.379 --> 00:26:38.759 perpetuation and 00:26:38.759 --> 00:26:39.759 alienation from 00:26:39.759 --> 00:26:40.159 God. 00:26:40.719 --> 00:26:42.099 The Bible describes 00:26:42.099 --> 00:26:42.879 this as enmity 00:26:42.879 --> 00:26:43.500 with God. 00:26:44.799 --> 00:26:45.639 We are not his 00:26:45.639 --> 00:26:46.659 friends but actually 00:26:46.659 --> 00:26:47.559 hostile enemies. 00:26:49.119 --> 00:26:50.339 So the only way 00:26:50.339 --> 00:26:51.859 that this is 00:26:51.859 --> 00:26:53.259 remedied is not 00:26:53.259 --> 00:26:54.839 through continual 00:26:54.839 --> 00:26:57.679 willpower but 00:26:57.679 --> 00:26:58.799 through the 00:26:58.799 --> 00:26:59.339 provision that 00:26:59.339 --> 00:27:00.159 only God can 00:27:00.159 --> 00:27:00.879 give, that God 00:27:00.879 --> 00:27:01.919 himself will make 00:27:01.919 --> 00:27:02.539 us right. 00:27:02.539 --> 00:27:04.680 or put another 00:27:04.680 --> 00:27:05.319 way, that we 00:27:05.319 --> 00:27:05.639 would have 00:27:05.639 --> 00:27:06.339 right standing 00:27:06.339 --> 00:27:07.019 before him. 00:27:08.359 --> 00:27:08.879 Only he can 00:27:08.879 --> 00:27:09.399 deal with our 00:27:09.399 --> 00:27:10.339 disordered loves. 00:27:10.639 --> 00:27:11.599 Only he can 00:27:11.599 --> 00:27:12.500 make unrighteous 00:27:12.500 --> 00:27:13.539 people righteous. 00:27:14.240 --> 00:27:15.099 Only he can 00:27:15.099 --> 00:27:15.980 mend what was 00:27:15.980 --> 00:27:16.399 torn. 00:27:16.659 --> 00:27:17.440 Only he can 00:27:17.440 --> 00:27:18.180 clean what is 00:27:18.180 --> 00:27:18.680 stained. 00:27:19.240 --> 00:27:19.839 Only he can 00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:20.480 offer his 00:27:20.480 --> 00:27:21.180 friendship to 00:27:21.180 --> 00:27:21.799 his enemies. 00:27:23.440 --> 00:27:24.379 He makes the 00:27:24.379 --> 00:27:24.980 first move. 00:27:26.180 --> 00:27:26.859 He takes the 00:27:26.859 --> 00:27:27.579 initiative in all 00:27:27.579 --> 00:27:27.859 of this. 00:27:28.019 --> 00:27:28.819 It's really a 00:27:28.819 --> 00:27:29.539 remarkable thing. 00:27:30.299 --> 00:27:30.579 And our 00:27:30.579 --> 00:27:32.379 response is to 00:27:32.380 --> 00:27:32.960 receive it by 00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:33.360 faith. 00:27:36.420 --> 00:27:38.040 James chapter 00:27:38.040 --> 00:27:39.460 2 reflecting on 00:27:39.460 --> 00:27:39.980 the life of 00:27:39.980 --> 00:27:40.960 Abraham says 00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:41.660 that Abraham 00:27:41.660 --> 00:27:43.380 trusted in God 00:27:43.380 --> 00:27:44.060 or believed in 00:27:44.060 --> 00:27:44.680 God and it was 00:27:44.680 --> 00:27:45.500 counted to him as 00:27:45.500 --> 00:27:45.940 righteousness. 00:27:46.940 --> 00:27:48.120 And Abraham was 00:27:48.120 --> 00:27:49.260 called a friend of 00:27:49.260 --> 00:27:49.640 God. 00:27:51.060 --> 00:27:52.000 A human being 00:27:52.000 --> 00:27:55.080 is a friend of 00:27:55.080 --> 00:27:55.780 the infinite 00:27:55.780 --> 00:27:56.780 uncreated one. 00:27:56.920 --> 00:27:57.800 It really is a 00:27:57.800 --> 00:27:58.900 remarkable thing to 00:27:58.900 --> 00:28:00.460 meditate upon and 00:28:00.460 --> 00:28:01.079 to dwell on. 00:28:01.980 --> 00:28:02.680 This is what God 00:28:02.680 --> 00:28:03.120 offers. 00:28:03.660 --> 00:28:04.319 This is what God 00:28:04.319 --> 00:28:04.799 has done. 00:28:05.279 --> 00:28:05.860 And this is what 00:28:05.860 --> 00:28:06.920 Paul is getting at 00:28:06.920 --> 00:28:07.220 here. 00:28:08.140 --> 00:28:09.380 The ultimate prize and 00:28:09.380 --> 00:28:10.299 desire of the human 00:28:10.299 --> 00:28:11.720 heart is friendship 00:28:11.720 --> 00:28:13.500 with God and this is 00:28:13.500 --> 00:28:14.720 the surpassing worth 00:28:14.720 --> 00:28:16.019 that Paul is talking 00:28:16.019 --> 00:28:17.059 about in verse 8. 00:28:17.299 --> 00:28:18.019 This is the high 00:28:18.019 --> 00:28:19.299 point of our 00:28:19.299 --> 00:28:19.960 existence. 00:28:20.960 --> 00:28:21.700 And it is so 00:28:21.700 --> 00:28:23.600 ultimate, it is so 00:28:23.600 --> 00:28:24.440 ultimate that the 00:28:24.440 --> 00:28:25.059 power of the 00:28:25.059 --> 00:28:25.559 resurrection, 00:28:25.559 --> 00:28:29.319 sharing in the 00:28:29.319 --> 00:28:30.019 sufferings of 00:28:30.019 --> 00:28:30.859 Christ, being like 00:28:30.859 --> 00:28:32.759 him in his death, 00:28:32.960 --> 00:28:34.039 even having Christ's 00:28:34.039 --> 00:28:35.059 righteousness imputed 00:28:35.059 --> 00:28:36.419 to us, him making 00:28:36.419 --> 00:28:38.159 us right, it serves 00:28:38.159 --> 00:28:38.759 the purpose of 00:28:38.759 --> 00:28:39.279 knowing God. 00:28:39.879 --> 00:28:40.619 The high point is 00:28:40.619 --> 00:28:41.179 knowing God. 00:28:42.399 --> 00:28:43.519 All this stuff is 00:28:43.519 --> 00:28:44.000 interconnected. 00:28:44.200 --> 00:28:44.539 I don't want to 00:28:44.539 --> 00:28:46.919 start parsing out 00:28:46.919 --> 00:28:48.179 all of this, but 00:28:48.179 --> 00:28:49.440 knowing God, and I'll 00:28:49.440 --> 00:28:50.039 just say this, 00:28:50.519 --> 00:28:53.839 living forever without 00:28:53.839 --> 00:28:55.240 knowing God isn't 00:28:55.240 --> 00:28:55.659 heaven. 00:28:56.259 --> 00:28:57.159 It is a type of 00:28:57.159 --> 00:28:57.439 hell. 00:28:59.559 --> 00:29:00.339 So it would be 00:29:00.339 --> 00:29:01.619 great where we 00:29:01.619 --> 00:29:03.439 were risen from the 00:29:03.439 --> 00:29:04.339 grave, never to 00:29:04.339 --> 00:29:05.500 taste death again, 00:29:05.599 --> 00:29:06.399 but then we continue 00:29:06.399 --> 00:29:07.839 on in this life. 00:29:08.959 --> 00:29:09.619 Maybe we'll make 00:29:09.619 --> 00:29:10.459 friends, maybe we 00:29:10.459 --> 00:29:11.179 won't, maybe we'll 00:29:11.179 --> 00:29:12.419 suffer loss, maybe we 00:29:12.419 --> 00:29:13.939 won't, maybe we'll 00:29:13.939 --> 00:29:14.959 be disappointed, maybe 00:29:14.959 --> 00:29:15.879 we will hurt people, 00:29:16.019 --> 00:29:17.220 but it continues on. 00:29:17.319 --> 00:29:18.399 We don't know God, 00:29:18.459 --> 00:29:19.139 we're not known by 00:29:19.139 --> 00:29:19.319 him. 00:29:19.519 --> 00:29:21.240 That isn't heaven, 00:29:21.500 --> 00:29:22.339 that's a type of 00:29:22.339 --> 00:29:22.519 hell. 00:29:22.519 --> 00:29:25.539 So you see, the 00:29:25.539 --> 00:29:26.960 ultimate prize isn't 00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:28.180 the resurrection, the 00:29:28.180 --> 00:29:29.440 resurrection leads us 00:29:29.440 --> 00:29:30.339 to the ultimate prize, 00:29:30.460 --> 00:29:31.059 which is Christ 00:29:31.059 --> 00:29:31.940 himself, friendship 00:29:31.940 --> 00:29:32.519 with God. 00:29:34.940 --> 00:29:36.119 Years and years ago, I 00:29:36.119 --> 00:29:37.160 had a layover in 00:29:37.160 --> 00:29:37.940 Paris. 00:29:38.819 --> 00:29:40.000 I was young and 00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:42.180 single, I didn't, I 00:29:42.180 --> 00:29:42.839 had a bit of money, 00:29:43.220 --> 00:29:44.779 it was 11 p.m. 00:29:44.819 --> 00:29:46.539 till 8 a.m., I was 00:29:46.539 --> 00:29:47.359 going to see the 00:29:47.359 --> 00:29:48.440 sites, I was going to 00:29:48.440 --> 00:29:49.579 meet locals, this was 00:29:49.579 --> 00:29:50.259 going to be great. 00:29:50.259 --> 00:29:51.259 I was going to 00:29:51.259 --> 00:29:52.240 take the train down 00:29:52.240 --> 00:29:53.500 to whatever station 00:29:53.500 --> 00:29:54.700 is at the Notre 00:29:54.700 --> 00:29:56.259 Dame Cathedral, I 00:29:56.259 --> 00:29:56.819 looked at it, it's 00:29:56.819 --> 00:29:57.319 beautiful, it's all 00:29:57.319 --> 00:29:58.319 lit up, and like 00:29:58.319 --> 00:29:59.160 within an hour I'm 00:29:59.160 --> 00:30:00.700 cold, I'm lonely, I'm 00:30:00.700 --> 00:30:02.099 hungry, I have nobody 00:30:02.099 --> 00:30:03.599 to hang out with, I 00:30:03.599 --> 00:30:07.140 feel like this is not 00:30:07.140 --> 00:30:07.940 what I envisioned. 00:30:10.119 --> 00:30:11.680 We could go to the 00:30:11.680 --> 00:30:13.160 grandest place in the 00:30:13.160 --> 00:30:14.559 world, paradise on 00:30:14.559 --> 00:30:16.240 earth, or in the 00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:18.079 heavens, and if we are 00:30:18.079 --> 00:30:20.319 alone without Christ, I 00:30:20.319 --> 00:30:21.199 am telling you it will 00:30:21.199 --> 00:30:22.059 not be worth it. 00:30:22.139 --> 00:30:23.379 We are made, we are 00:30:23.379 --> 00:30:24.799 made to know him, this 00:30:24.799 --> 00:30:26.359 is what the pinnacle of 00:30:26.359 --> 00:30:27.480 life is all about. 00:30:29.019 --> 00:30:30.379 The prize is Christ, 00:30:30.539 --> 00:30:31.480 being friends with 00:30:31.480 --> 00:30:33.500 him, everything flows 00:30:33.500 --> 00:30:34.359 to this, everything 00:30:34.359 --> 00:30:36.139 flows from this, this 00:30:36.139 --> 00:30:37.779 is reality itself, he 00:30:37.779 --> 00:30:38.679 has made it possible 00:30:38.679 --> 00:30:40.559 through the cross, he 00:30:40.559 --> 00:30:41.559 has mended what has 00:30:41.559 --> 00:30:43.379 been torn, again 00:30:43.379 --> 00:30:44.460 healed what has been 00:30:44.460 --> 00:30:46.619 diseased, and all of a 00:30:46.619 --> 00:30:48.239 sudden we begin to see 00:30:48.239 --> 00:30:50.799 what a rightly ordered 00:30:50.799 --> 00:30:51.779 life can look like. 00:30:54.619 --> 00:30:56.019 What a prize, God 00:30:56.019 --> 00:30:58.500 himself, a friendship 00:30:58.500 --> 00:30:59.419 that will never be 00:30:59.419 --> 00:31:02.359 reneged, we will never 00:31:02.359 --> 00:31:03.459 experience betrayal, 00:31:04.399 --> 00:31:05.579 there will always be joy 00:31:05.579 --> 00:31:06.919 and gladness and love to 00:31:06.919 --> 00:31:08.159 be enjoyed for eternity. 00:31:09.199 --> 00:31:10.399 The best friendship you've 00:31:10.399 --> 00:31:12.219 had, and the best moment 00:31:12.219 --> 00:31:13.199 in that friendship you've 00:31:13.200 --> 00:31:16.000 ever had, it is on 00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:17.640 steroids forever, it is 00:31:17.640 --> 00:31:19.860 wonderful, it's something 00:31:19.860 --> 00:31:20.740 that we can't quite 00:31:20.740 --> 00:31:22.220 comprehend, but this is 00:31:22.220 --> 00:31:23.360 the promise made to us 00:31:23.360 --> 00:31:24.799 in Christ Jesus. 00:31:25.440 --> 00:31:27.720 So, if we can consider 00:31:27.720 --> 00:31:30.120 the warnings again, we 00:31:30.120 --> 00:31:32.259 begin to see how this is 00:31:32.259 --> 00:31:33.380 something that we can't 00:31:33.380 --> 00:31:35.660 purchase, this is 00:31:35.660 --> 00:31:36.819 something that we can't 00:31:36.819 --> 00:31:40.640 have because we've amassed 00:31:40.640 --> 00:31:42.380 so much wealth, this is 00:31:42.380 --> 00:31:43.280 not something that we can 00:31:43.280 --> 00:31:45.400 build towards, or give 00:31:45.400 --> 00:31:46.660 towards, it's not a 00:31:46.660 --> 00:31:48.140 transaction whereby we go 00:31:48.140 --> 00:31:50.100 to God with more black 00:31:50.100 --> 00:31:51.820 than red, or we say, I 00:31:51.820 --> 00:31:52.540 have done everything in 00:31:52.540 --> 00:31:54.320 the flesh, I am 00:31:54.320 --> 00:31:55.500 circumcised. 00:31:57.520 --> 00:31:59.200 We can't get that because 00:31:59.200 --> 00:32:01.720 it is not our initiative 00:32:01.720 --> 00:32:03.900 that connects us with God, 00:32:03.960 --> 00:32:05.120 but his with us. 00:32:06.200 --> 00:32:06.960 So what does this do? 00:32:07.060 --> 00:32:08.380 It obliterates boasting, 00:32:09.260 --> 00:32:10.540 it obliterates pride. 00:32:10.539 --> 00:32:14.680 And to teach something 00:32:14.680 --> 00:32:15.940 else, these false 00:32:15.940 --> 00:32:17.579 teachers, maybe some of 00:32:17.579 --> 00:32:19.259 us, God forbid your 00:32:19.259 --> 00:32:21.859 pastor, but to teach 00:32:21.859 --> 00:32:23.379 something else is hellish, 00:32:23.599 --> 00:32:26.500 and it is evil, and it is 00:32:26.500 --> 00:32:27.480 dismembering. 00:32:28.899 --> 00:32:30.599 It promises something that 00:32:30.599 --> 00:32:31.960 can never deliver, it robs 00:32:31.960 --> 00:32:34.259 us of joy and delight in the 00:32:34.259 --> 00:32:36.500 friendship with God himself 00:32:36.500 --> 00:32:37.980 in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:32:37.980 --> 00:32:40.079 God, we can also begin to 00:32:40.079 --> 00:32:42.440 see that this really is a 00:32:42.440 --> 00:32:43.180 joyful message. 00:32:44.660 --> 00:32:46.120 What is being offered is not 00:32:46.120 --> 00:32:49.380 one of difficulty, because 00:32:49.380 --> 00:32:50.259 what we're going to see 00:32:50.259 --> 00:32:53.539 next, right, in verses, in 00:32:53.539 --> 00:32:55.599 verse 10 and 11, Paul is 00:32:55.599 --> 00:32:58.480 talking about suffering like 00:32:58.480 --> 00:33:00.360 Christ and even sharing in 00:33:00.360 --> 00:33:02.140 his death, that doesn't seem 00:33:02.140 --> 00:33:03.559 like a joyful thing, but what 00:33:03.559 --> 00:33:05.940 ends up happening is that our 00:33:05.940 --> 00:33:08.420 priorities shift, and such a 00:33:08.420 --> 00:33:11.220 friendship marks our life, and 00:33:11.220 --> 00:33:13.460 we see life through the lens of 00:33:13.460 --> 00:33:15.740 friendship, eternal friendship 00:33:15.740 --> 00:33:19.700 with Christ Jesus, not through the 00:33:19.700 --> 00:33:21.720 broken lens of this world, and we 00:33:21.720 --> 00:33:23.340 get the honor and privilege of 00:33:23.340 --> 00:33:25.860 participating in the 00:33:25.860 --> 00:33:27.360 reconciliation of the world. 00:33:27.920 --> 00:33:30.680 We begin to be the tools in the 00:33:30.680 --> 00:33:31.400 master's hands. 00:33:31.400 --> 00:33:35.759 God uses us to achieve his means, 00:33:36.140 --> 00:33:37.940 not because he needs us, but 00:33:37.940 --> 00:33:39.960 because we get to participate in 00:33:39.960 --> 00:33:40.080 it. 00:33:40.440 --> 00:33:42.440 We get to see people come to this 00:33:42.440 --> 00:33:43.900 beautiful realization as well. 00:33:46.259 --> 00:33:48.080 But we live in this world, and when 00:33:48.080 --> 00:33:50.019 the rubber hits the road, again, 00:33:50.100 --> 00:33:51.540 Paul is reminding this church, 00:33:52.280 --> 00:33:55.980 because the joy is almost certainly 00:33:55.980 --> 00:33:57.400 faded, when the rubber hits the 00:33:57.920 --> 00:33:59.519 road, we struggle to trust in 00:33:59.519 --> 00:34:03.400 Christ. We struggle to believe in 00:34:03.400 --> 00:34:04.039 his promises. 00:34:05.559 --> 00:34:07.639 We struggle to believe that his 00:34:07.639 --> 00:34:09.960 friendship is really on offer, and 00:34:09.960 --> 00:34:13.099 is really ours forever, that he is 00:34:13.099 --> 00:34:14.440 enough to satisfy us. 00:34:14.500 --> 00:34:18.320 So Paul, in this final section, will 00:34:18.320 --> 00:34:20.360 help us to recognize and admit our 00:34:20.360 --> 00:34:23.000 frailty, and look to Christ for 00:34:23.000 --> 00:34:24.820 help, and it really is a call to 00:34:24.820 --> 00:34:25.259 look upwards. 00:34:25.739 --> 00:34:26.920 And this will be our final section, 00:34:27.300 --> 00:34:28.400 and we'll wrap it up with this. 00:34:28.400 --> 00:34:31.280 Let me read verses 12 to 16. 00:34:32.960 --> 00:34:35.400 Page 16, if you're following along. 00:34:36.059 --> 00:34:37.639 Not that I have already obtained 00:34:37.639 --> 00:34:41.280 this, or am already perfect, but I 00:34:41.280 --> 00:34:43.880 press on to make it my own, because 00:34:43.880 --> 00:34:46.380 Christ Jesus has made me his own. 00:34:47.519 --> 00:34:49.639 Brothers, I do not consider that I 00:34:49.639 --> 00:34:51.700 have made it my own, but one thing I 00:34:51.700 --> 00:34:54.519 do, forgetting what lies behind and 00:34:54.519 --> 00:34:56.079 straining forward to what lies ahead, 00:34:56.079 --> 00:34:58.719 I press on toward the goal for the 00:34:58.719 --> 00:35:01.500 prize of the outward call of God in 00:35:01.500 --> 00:35:02.319 Christ Jesus. 00:35:03.360 --> 00:35:04.739 Listen, we have heavenly citizenship. 00:35:04.920 --> 00:35:06.360 If you have put your faith in Christ, if 00:35:06.360 --> 00:35:10.099 you are baptized in him, you have 00:35:10.099 --> 00:35:10.900 heavenly citizenship. 00:35:11.079 --> 00:35:12.619 It's a wonderful thing, but you live in 00:35:12.619 --> 00:35:13.639 an earthly reality. 00:35:13.639 --> 00:35:15.639 We have a great day, and we have a great 00:35:15.639 --> 00:35:16.639 time to be swayed, and we have a great 00:35:16.639 --> 00:35:18.759 time to be swayed, and tempted to trust in 00:35:18.759 --> 00:35:22.379 ourselves, and this world, and the promises of 00:35:22.379 --> 00:35:26.119 wealth, and pleasure, and comfort, instead of 00:35:26.119 --> 00:35:27.159 Christ himself. 00:35:27.759 --> 00:35:29.980 This is our reality until the day we breathe our 00:35:29.980 --> 00:35:31.179 last, or Christ comes home. 00:35:31.699 --> 00:35:36.879 And such a life, it cannot be lived in 00:35:36.879 --> 00:35:37.719 perfection. 00:35:37.719 --> 00:35:40.659 It will be full of setbacks and slip-ups. 00:35:41.899 --> 00:35:43.099 And Paul recognizes this. 00:35:43.259 --> 00:35:45.719 Thank you to Paul, but thank you to the 00:35:45.719 --> 00:35:48.159 Lord for recognizing our continued frailty, even 00:35:48.159 --> 00:35:48.959 though we are saved. 00:35:49.959 --> 00:35:50.779 And what does he say? 00:35:51.599 --> 00:35:53.859 He doesn't give in to defeatism. 00:35:54.719 --> 00:35:58.099 He says, no, no, no, I press on to make this 00:35:58.099 --> 00:35:59.419 reality my own. 00:36:00.059 --> 00:36:02.179 And this, I think, is potentially one of the 00:36:02.179 --> 00:36:05.119 greatest promises and realities for us today. 00:36:05.119 --> 00:36:08.679 Verse 12, I press on to make my own. 00:36:08.799 --> 00:36:09.219 Here it is. 00:36:09.619 --> 00:36:12.659 Because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 00:36:14.579 --> 00:36:17.900 The language here is that he has taken hold of 00:36:17.900 --> 00:36:18.119 me. 00:36:19.059 --> 00:36:21.299 If you remember the Apostle Paul, he's on his 00:36:21.299 --> 00:36:21.659 way. 00:36:22.460 --> 00:36:25.460 He was Saul of Tarsus at the time, the 00:36:25.460 --> 00:36:28.639 disciple of Gamaliel, the Pharisee full of 00:36:28.639 --> 00:36:31.440 zeal on his way to Damascus to imprison 00:36:31.440 --> 00:36:34.980 believers, bring them back to Jerusalem to 00:36:34.980 --> 00:36:36.559 suffer, maybe to be killed. 00:36:37.340 --> 00:36:41.199 And Jesus knocks him on his rear end and 00:36:41.199 --> 00:36:42.639 takes hold of his life. 00:36:43.599 --> 00:36:44.900 Takes hold of his life. 00:36:47.039 --> 00:36:49.400 And Paul is saying, Christ has done this. 00:36:50.079 --> 00:36:52.219 And for anybody in Christ, that's what has 00:36:52.219 --> 00:36:52.780 happened to you. 00:36:53.440 --> 00:36:54.559 He has taken hold of you. 00:36:57.559 --> 00:36:59.440 Before you could take hold of him, he has 00:36:59.440 --> 00:37:00.480 taken hold of you. 00:37:00.480 --> 00:37:04.920 And friends, this means that he has a grip on 00:37:04.920 --> 00:37:07.000 your life that is far greater than your grip 00:37:07.000 --> 00:37:07.619 on him. 00:37:08.320 --> 00:37:10.240 And in response, what do we do? 00:37:10.360 --> 00:37:14.340 We seek to obey him from that place of love and 00:37:14.340 --> 00:37:14.840 security. 00:37:17.019 --> 00:37:19.699 Because Christ Jesus has taken hold of the 00:37:19.699 --> 00:37:22.780 Apostle Paul, Paul can now take hold of Jesus. 00:37:22.780 --> 00:37:23.440 He has taken hold of Jesus. 00:37:23.440 --> 00:37:23.720 He has taken hold of Jesus. 00:37:23.720 --> 00:37:26.480 Pursuing his prize, which is Christ himself. 00:37:27.220 --> 00:37:30.260 It's all by faith in what Christ has done. 00:37:31.920 --> 00:37:34.880 The call of God is to himself as a prize. 00:37:34.980 --> 00:37:35.360 This is it. 00:37:35.440 --> 00:37:36.380 This is the Christian faith. 00:37:36.480 --> 00:37:37.220 It really is that. 00:37:38.060 --> 00:37:42.860 It is not the call to a paradise where we will 00:37:42.860 --> 00:37:47.860 just have hedonistic pleasures forever on tap. 00:37:47.860 --> 00:37:49.840 That is not the call. 00:37:50.460 --> 00:37:53.340 The call is a friendship with the one true God, 00:37:54.000 --> 00:37:56.559 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, where we will know 00:37:56.559 --> 00:38:00.280 the divine love and we will see him with an 00:38:00.280 --> 00:38:01.240 unveiled face. 00:38:02.300 --> 00:38:04.680 Throughout church history, this has been called 00:38:04.680 --> 00:38:06.140 the beatific vision. 00:38:07.380 --> 00:38:09.640 That we will know God and be known by him and we 00:38:09.640 --> 00:38:13.000 will be in his presence without a veil, without 00:38:13.000 --> 00:38:14.820 anything separating us. 00:38:14.900 --> 00:38:16.660 We will just be in his presence. 00:38:16.659 --> 00:38:20.719 And it will be the culmination of our existence. 00:38:23.319 --> 00:38:25.699 So you see, going back to the warning, 00:38:26.659 --> 00:38:28.219 this warning isn't like a downer. 00:38:28.920 --> 00:38:31.119 This warning is a gift to us. 00:38:31.799 --> 00:38:36.099 It's a reminder that, listen, putting our hope 00:38:36.099 --> 00:38:38.980 and our strength in the flesh, whatever that may be, 00:38:39.859 --> 00:38:41.259 it will not bring us joy. 00:38:42.079 --> 00:38:44.519 It will not spill over into eternity. 00:38:44.519 --> 00:38:46.519 It will not help us to flourish. 00:38:46.639 --> 00:38:50.219 And it certainly won't cause us to see God's face 00:38:50.219 --> 00:38:51.699 and to enjoy him forever. 00:38:53.179 --> 00:38:55.719 So friends, let us not waste our time with these things. 00:38:57.219 --> 00:38:59.980 The things of this world, they cannot provide us with 00:38:59.980 --> 00:39:01.159 the presence of God. 00:39:01.800 --> 00:39:03.539 Let us consider them as a loss. 00:39:03.539 --> 00:39:08.340 Let us properly order our lives by God's strength 00:39:08.340 --> 00:39:12.239 and understand that the real worth in life, 00:39:12.340 --> 00:39:15.980 the real surpassing glory and worth of what it means to be a human being 00:39:15.980 --> 00:39:18.019 is knowing Christ and being known by him. 00:39:19.059 --> 00:39:20.440 So let us heed these warnings 00:39:20.440 --> 00:39:23.860 and remember that Christ has made us his own. 00:39:23.940 --> 00:39:25.059 And take that to the bank, okay? 00:39:25.199 --> 00:39:25.619 Let's pray. 00:39:25.619 --> 00:39:25.639 Let's pray. 00:39:25.639 --> 00:39:31.659 Lord, we are a frail bunch. 00:39:34.019 --> 00:39:35.339 We read your word. 00:39:36.480 --> 00:39:38.199 We are gripped by your gospel. 00:39:39.379 --> 00:39:43.019 And the reality is by Monday, maybe Tuesday, maybe this afternoon, 00:39:43.559 --> 00:39:45.339 we will begin to forget. 00:39:45.500 --> 00:39:46.859 We will have a lapse in our memory. 00:39:46.980 --> 00:39:48.440 We'll begin to trust in other things. 00:39:48.559 --> 00:39:50.179 Lord, have mercy upon us. 00:39:50.179 --> 00:39:55.739 Lord, remind us every day that you have taken hold of us 00:39:55.739 --> 00:39:59.279 and that out of that we can take hold of you, 00:40:00.279 --> 00:40:04.539 that the friendship that you have promised us in eternity begins right now 00:40:04.539 --> 00:40:09.539 and that you will help us as we strain towards heaven, 00:40:09.879 --> 00:40:13.440 as we look towards you and remember that you have called us up. 00:40:13.440 --> 00:40:18.039 Lord, help some of us, maybe all of us, 00:40:18.240 --> 00:40:20.820 to not dwell in the past, 00:40:21.720 --> 00:40:25.000 whether that is in regret or in pride, 00:40:25.619 --> 00:40:27.159 but instead let us look forward. 00:40:27.940 --> 00:40:28.880 Let us look to Christ. 00:40:29.460 --> 00:40:31.019 What a wonderful prize. 00:40:31.200 --> 00:40:33.539 What a wonderful gift that you have given us. 00:40:34.000 --> 00:40:34.700 Friendship with you. 00:40:35.579 --> 00:40:35.800 Amen.