Philippians: How Good are You at Being Unencumbered by Your Past in the Present?Focus on the finish line.
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RORY CLARK Pastor-Teacher
Good Morning!
I’m Pastor Rory Clark welcoming you to a Barah Ministries bible lesson. We’re an intimate group of believers in Christ who study the Word of God in an online Christian community. My job is to teach the Word of God verse-by-verse to the hearers the Lord provides.
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TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON How Good are You at Being Unencumbered by Your Past in the Present?
LESSON INTRODUCTION
Philippians, Chapter 3 is a beautiful reflection of the apostle Paul’s life. It’s a beautiful reflection of our Christian lives as well. In this chapter, Paul reflects on his present, his past, and his future.
Just as Paul had a past, a present, and a future, so do we as believers in Christ. We do well to take time out regularly to reflect on our lives.
In the last lesson we learned about Paul’s past. He shared his resume with us and he told us what he learned about the insignificance of human accomplishments. In today’s lesson, the apostle Paul reflects on his present and his future. What can we learn from his wisdom? We’ll see very shortly.
OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s hear some music! Philippians, Chapter 2, Verse 5 says… PHILIPPIANS 2:5 Keep on having this attitude in yourselves which was also the attitude in Christ Jesus…
Phil Wickham communicates this attitude in his song THE JESUS WAY.
MUSIC - OPENING SONG Let’s Hear the Singing of the Lord’s Praises
THE JESUS WAY Phil Wickham
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray...
We’re grateful to You Heavenly Father for providing us with the absolute truth of the Word of God…
Father…thank you for breathing the breath of lives into us…thank you for waking us up this morning…thank you for giving us many things to be grateful for even though we seldom take the time to reflect on what all those things are because if we did, we’d experience Your magnificence in a profound way and we’d see your hand in everything in our lives…
Father…as we study today’s lesson, help us put our past, our present, and our future into perspective, and show us how to make our lives both a reflection of the selflessness of Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and a reflection of the wisdom of God the Holy Spirit…
…we ask these things through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON How Good are You at Being Unencumbered by Your Past in the Present?
LESSON PART ONE
In the last lesson of study…Philippians, Chapter 3, Verses 1 to 11, we learned the apostle Paul had an incredible past with an AMAZING resume. Philippians, Chapter 3, Verses 5 and 6…
PHILIPPIANS 3:5 …I (Paul) was circumcised the eighth day…I am of the nation of Israel…I am of the tribe of Benjamin…I am a Hebrew of Hebrews…as to the Mosaic Law, I am a Pharisee…
PHILIPPIANS 3:6 …as to zeal, I am a persecutor of the church…as to the righteousness which comes from following the Mosaic Law, I am found blameless.
In Philippians, Chapter 3 Paul is reflecting on his life. As a persecutor of the church, he wanted to completely destroy The Way (the name for Christians at the time). He thought of it as his duty. He was a zealous unbeliever and committed to his self-righteous approach to life.
After his trip down the road to Damascus…after meeting the Lord Jesus Christ and realizing He is the Messiah…Paul became a believer in Christ. Suddenly, he realizes his life as an unbeliever, even with all the accomplishments, was completely meaningless. In reflection, Paul says in Philippians, Chapter 3, Verse 8…
PHILIPPIANS 3:8a …I count all these things (a refence to his human accomplishments) to be loss when compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…
Amen! Knowing Christ is a win, not a loss!
So in the first passage of Philippians, Chapter 3 we see a man who is aware of his move from unbeliever to believer in Christ, which is his entrance into the Christian Way of Life.
In today’s lesson, Paul reflects on his approach to the present and the future, his tour of duty in The Christian Way of Living. Let’s listen to the passage… Philippians, Chapter 3, Verses 12 to 21…
PHILIPPIANS 3:12 Not that I (Paul) have already obtained spiritual maturity or have already been perfected (that is…conformed to the image of the Son) … but I PRESS ON so that I may lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
PHILIPPIANS 3:13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of spiritual maturity yet…but one thing I do…forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead…
PHILIPPIANS 3:14 …I keep on pressing on toward the goal…for the prize…which is the upward call of God the Father for those in union with Christ Jesus.
PHILIPPIANS 3:15 Therefore, let us believers in Christ, as many as are perfect (mature) have this attitude…and if in anything you have a different attitude, God the Father will reveal that to you also…
PHILIPPIANS 3:16 …however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.
PHILIPPIANS 3:17 Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.
PHILIPPIANS 3:18 For many walk…whom I often told you about…and now tell you again…even weeping…that they are enemies of the Cross of Christ…
PHILIPPIANS 3:19 …whose end is destruction…whose god is their stomachs…whose glory is in their shame…who set their minds on earthly things.
PHILIPPIANS 3:20 For our citizenship (as believers in Christ) is in heaven…from which heaven also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…
PHILIPPIANS 3:21 …who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory by the exertion of the divine power He has even to subject all things to Himself.
Here’s the structure of the passage. It divides nicely into two parts. First…
STRUCTURE OF THE PASSAGE
A Look into Paul’s Present
Verses 12 to 16 The Race God Set Before Him
Second…
STRUCTURE OF THE PASSAGE
A Look into Paul’s Future
Verses 17 to 21 Paul’s Reflections on the future of Those with Christ-Gifted Righteousness
Let’s study the passage verse-by-verse beginning at Philippians, Chapter 3, Verse 12…
PHILIPPIANS 3:12 Not that I (Paul) have already obtained spiritual maturity or have already been perfected (conformed to the image of the Son) … but I KEEP ON PRESSING ON so that I may lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
The expression I KEEP ON PRESSING ON indicates a straining forward. As an unbeliever with an impressive resume, Paul described himself as “blameless.” In Philippians, Chapter 3, Verse 6…
PHILIPPIANS 3:6b …as to the righteousness which comes from following the Mosaic Law, I am found blameless. Paul frequently looked back on his human accomplishments. He thought he was perfect. Once he became a believer in Christ, Paul realizes his imperfection. Do you realize your imperfection? Does it bother you? It shouldn’t. When you realize how imperfect you are it is a sign of spiritual growth.
Paul has gone from self-righteous contentment with his life to realizing he isn’t there yet…that he isn’t “all that.” As a believer, Paul denies that he is perfect and blameless. Now he realizes he is in the next step of his spiritual journey, known as The Christian Way of Living. He compares this phase of Christianity with running a race. He realizes he is not at the finish line…that he is still running the race of his life…so he is “straining forward” to reach the finish line.
He is dissatisfied with his life and reflective this truth…Galatians, Chapter 6, Verse 3…
GALATIANS 6:3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, and many do, he deceives himself.
Paul says, “I keep on pressing on…” After an initial decision to believe in Jesus Christ, a one-time decision whose results stand finished forever, a series of daily decisions follow as believers in Christ are conformed to the image of the Son. The primary decision is obedience.
The Lord “took hold of” Paul. Now Paul wants to take hold of a relationship with the Lord in return. He wants spiritual growth. He wants to move from spiritual immaturity to spiritual maturity.
In Philippians, Chapter 3, Verses 13 and 14 Paul repeats his reflection…
PHILIPPIANS 3:13 Brethren, I (Paul) do not regard myself as having laid hold of spiritual maturity yet…but one thing I do…forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead…
PHILIPPIANS 3:14 …I keep on pressing on toward the goal…for the prize…which is the upward call of God the Father for those in union with Christ Jesus.
The people Paul is writing to at Philippi are his friends, and he’s willing to be truthful with them and vulnerable with them. Self-righteousness is self-satisfaction, and it’s an inaccurate assessment of self. Paul comes to this conclusion after thoughtful consideration.
As a believer, Paul owns Christ-gifted righteousness, just as we do, which in itself lets us know that we have far to go. If we fix our eyes on Jesus, the Perfect One, we keep on knowing how imperfect we are. God never asked us to be perfect so we must stop holding ourselves to this standard. Instead, we keep on striving for growth under the direction of God the Holy Spirit.
Spiritually, we are perfect because we have God’s righteousness imputed to us at the moment of salvation. Practically, we are quite imperfect because we have “the dead flesh” resident in our bodies…a chirpy voice that hates God, hates us, and wants to influence us to ruin everything good in our lives.
God the Holy Spirit conforms our imperfection to the image of the Son as He advances us to spiritual maturity through the study of the Word of God. If you’re still alive your race is not finished…so keep on pressing on…keep on learning… keep on reaching forward…“straining” toward what lies ahead.
Unfortunately, the flesh makes the past haunt us. It keeps on bringing up our mistakes. Unfortunately we listen to the chirpy voice. Paul has a recommendation. Forget the past. Move to your very certain future through your union with Christ. You are heaven bound. Enjoy the journey!
The Romans had an expression…QUI NON PROFICIT DEFICIT. Who does not advance, recedes. It’s impossible to advance when you are looking over your shoulder and focusing on correcting something that cannot be corrected…your past. Look to the future because you can’t change the past.
As you reflect on the present there are several questions to consider.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
What am I concentrating on? What is my specialty at this point in my life? What do I need to forget?
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
What do I need to reach for? What matters most to me? What is the mirror telling me? What’s my one thing?
There is an expression, “I forgive but I don’t forget.” I used to think that was the stupidest thought ever. Now I know it is accurate. It’s impossible to forget the past.
Forgetting what lies behind means, “I won’t hold the transgression of my past against myself or others.” On forgetting the past, Paul nails it in his instruction to his protégé in First Timothy, Chapter 1, Verses 12 to 17…
FIRST TIMOTHY 1:12 I (Paul) thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service…
FIRST TIMOTHY 1:13 …even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor (against The Way). Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief…
FIRST TIMOTHY 1:14 …and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and unconditional love which are found in union with Christ Jesus.
FIRST TIMOTHY 1:15 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.
FIRST TIMOTHY 1:16 Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost sinner, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
Philippians, Chapter 3, Verses 12 to 14…
PHILIPPIANS 3:12 Not that I (Paul) have already obtained spiritual maturity or have already been perfected (conformed to the image of the Son)…but I KEEP ON PRESSING ON so that I may lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
PHILIPPIANS 3:13 Brethren, I (Paul) do not regard myself as having laid hold of spiritual maturity yet…but one thing I do…forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead…
PHILIPPIANS 3:14 …I keep on pressing on toward the goal…for the prize…which is the upward call of God the Father for those in union with Christ Jesus.
The goal has two possibilities…we’ll be with Christ in heaven or we’ll see Him when He comes back for us. To keep on pressing on means to live with an intensity…to follow Christ as would hunters stalking prey. We keep on moving toward the finish line of the race of our lives that God set before us.
The prize is heaven. Paul is moving with intensity toward the finish line. Paul is committed to running the race well. Paul wants to win. In First Corinthians, Chapter 9, Verse 24 he says…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
Paul is determined in his present to live well in union with the Lord. God the Holy Spirit describes Paul as “dioko” when he was an unbeliever. He was “intense and zealous” in his desire to wipe out Christians (see Philippians 3:6). In a stroke of genius, God the Holy Spirit describes Paul’s Christian Way of Living as “dioko” as well. Paul is “intense and zealous” in his desire to know and to serve the Lord.
Paul knows the reality of John, Chapter 15, Verse 5…
JOHN 15:5 “I (the Lord Jesus Christ) am the vine…and you believers in Christ are the branches…he who abides in Me and I indwelling him bears much fruit…for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Human power is nothing. Divine power is everything. As believers in Christ, we underutilize divine power. Paul is committed in his imperfection to keep on striving to use divine power well.
The upward call of God is not the end of the race. It’s the beginning. It’s a recommendation to follow your heaven-sent calling…your spiritual gift. In Philippians, Chapter 3, Verses 15 and 16 Paul says…
PHILIPPIANS 3:15 Therefore…let us believers in Christ…as many as are perfect (mature)…keep on having this attitude (of pressing on in your calling and being comfortable with your imperfection) … and if in anything you have a different attitude, God the Father will reveal that to you also…
God the Father lets us know what a mature attitude looks like when we fix our eyes on Jesus. Verse 16…
PHILIPPIANS 3:16 …however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained (the perfect standard we attained by becoming believers in Christ with perfect righteousness imputed).
God’s standard is perfection. Living the standards laid down by the Lord…our righteous judge…is a JOY beyond measure. Let’s live up to what the Lord wants for us…timely evangelism…growth through suffering…operating in the filling of God the Holy Spirit…with selflessness…letting God the Holy Spirit produce His fruit in us. Let’s not be bogged down by thought of our imperfect past.
When we return from the break, we’ll request an offering and then we’ll close out our study of Philippians, Chapter 3.
FIVE-MINUTE BREAK NOBODY Casting Crowns
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON How Good are You at Being Unencumbered by Your Past in the Present?
OFFERING INTRODUCTION
When you’re giving, what’s important to God is your attitude. Second Corinthians, Chapter 9, Verse 7 says…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 9:7 Each one must give just as he has purposed in his heart…not grudgingly or under compulsion…for God loves a cheerful giver.
When we give, God wants us to give voluntarily, thoughtfully, cheerfully, prayerfully, generously, and enthusiastically. I urge you believers in Christ to check your attitude as you give. Make sure your attitude is an EXACT reflection of the voluntary, thoughtful, cheerful, prayerful, generous, and enthusiastic sacrifice that our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, made on your behalf at the Cross to provide for you a “so great” salvation.
Let’s listen to Deacon Denny Goodall present one of his always thoughtful and inspiring offering messages.
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
JAMES 4:14 You don’t know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
OFFERING SONG THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU Instrumental Version
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON How Good are You at Being Unencumbered by Your Past in the Present?
LESSON PART TWO
Welcome back! Now Paul tells his friends in Philippi about those who live contrary to his suggestions, as he reflects on his own future. Philippians, Chapter 3, Verse 17…
PHILIPPIANS 3:17 Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.
Paul is encouraging believers in Christ to think as he thinks and to act as he acts. He follows Christ and he keeps on pressing on to live the Lord’s standards. Paul wants us to use our unity to be like minded, with lives that reflect the attitude of the Lord Jesus Christ. In First Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verse 1 Paul says…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:1 Be imitators of me, just as I also am an imitator of Christ.
Believers in Christ are aliens on planet earth according to First Peter, Chapter 2, Verse 11…
FIRST PETER 2:11 Beloved (divinely loved believers in Christ) … I (Peter) urge you as aliens and strangers (here on planet earth) to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
Paul says in Second Corinthians, Chapter 2, Verse 14…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 2:14 For the unconditional love of Christ controls us believers in Christ…
Colossians, Chapter 3, Verses 1 to 3…
COLOSSIANS 3:1 Therefore, if you believers in Christ have been resurrected from the dead with Christ…and of course you have…keep on seeking the things above (the things eternal) … where the Christ (the Messiah) is seated at the right hand of God the Father (and you believers in Christ are seated there, too.)
COLOSSIANS 3:2 Set your mind (and its longings) on the things above…not on things that are on earth.
COLOSSIANS 3:3 For your old man self (when you were an unbeliever) has died from the moment of your salvation (it was crucified with Christ at the Cross) … and your resurrection life (eternal life as a gift from God) is hidden with Christ in God the Father.
So as believers in Christ, we don’t operate as unbelievers operate. Philippians, Chapter 3, Verses 18 and 19…
PHILIPPIANS 3:18 For many walk…whom I often told you about…and now I tell you again…even weeping as I tell you…they are enemies of the Cross of Christ…
PHILIPPIANS 3:19 …whose end is destruction…whose god is their stomachs…whose glory is in their shame…who set their minds on earthly things.
Paul is talking about the Judaizers (some of whom may have been saved…we can’t be sure). Their specialty was following Paul around to lead others astray. They added the works of the Mosaic Law to the redemption and reconciliation work of Christ, thus nullifying what Christ did at the Cross in the lives of those who believed them.
If you add works to salvation, you are an enemy of the Cross and you are rejecting what Christ did both for all mankind and for you at the Cross. Why is Paul crying? He is sad for Judaizers who are following the ways of the world.
The Cross ended the Old Testament religion. The veil of the temple was torn in two as an indication that all of us had direct access to God. We no longer had to go through an intermediary, the Levitical priest.
Paul is crying for the Judaizers because for the unbelieving ones, their end is destruction is the Lake of Fire. It’s the same thing Paul felt about the Jews in Romans, Chapter 9, Verses 1 to 3…
ROMANS 9:1 I (Paul) am telling you the truth…I am in union with Christ on this…I am not lying to you…my conscience testifies along with me…I am filled with God the Holy Spirit and His enabling power as I speak on this matter…
ROMANS 9:2 …and I tell you that I keep on having great and sorrow and an incessant, haunting grief in my heart (I am heartbroken).
ROMANS 9:3a For if I (Paul) could (and I know it is not possible), I would wish that I myself were accursed (made an anathema by God…sent to the Lake of Fire as a substitute) …
ROMANS 9:3b …and that I would be separated by God from my union with the Christ (the Messiah) for the sake of my brethren (the Jews who are unbelievers)…who are my “kinsmen according to the flesh…”
What is the fate of unbelievers? Philippians, Chapter 3, Verse 19…
PHILIPPIANS 3:19 …whose end is destruction…whose god is their stomachs…whose glory is in their shame…who set their minds on earthly things.
What does Paul mean when he says their god is their stomachs? Judaizers and legalists make a god out of their stomachs by following dietary laws when it is no longer necessary. Colossians, Chapter 2, Verses 20 to 23…
COLOSSIANS 2:20 If you believers in Christ have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world…and of course you have from the moment of salvation…why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as…
COLOSSIANS 2:21 “Do not handle…do not taste…do not touch!”
COLOSSIANS 2:22 …(which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?
COLOSSIANS 2:23 These are matters which have, to be sure, THE APPEARANCE OF WISDOM in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body…but they are of no value against fleshly indulgence. What does Paul mean when he says their glory is in their shame? He’s castigating them for making circumcision and other things a condition for salvation instead of KNOWING that salvation comes simply though faith in Christ alone.
Philippians, Chapter 3, Verse 20…
PHILIPPIANS 3:20 For our citizenship (as believers in Christ) is in heaven…from which heaven also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…
Believers in Christ are waiting eagerly for our physical death so we can be face-to-face with the Lord or we are waiting for the return of the Lord to get us.
Philippi is a colony of Rome on foreign soil. Believers in Christ are a colony from heaven on the foreign soil of planet earth. Earth’s offerings fade. Heaven’s promises do not fade. As believers in Christ’s our names are indelibly etched in The Book of Life. In Luke, Chapter 10, Verse 20 the Lord told his apostles…
LUKE 10:20 “…do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you…instead, rejoice that your names (as believers in Christ) are recorded in heaven (in the Book of Life…recorded at a moment in time with the result they are recorded forever).”
Philippians, Chapter 3, Verse 20…
PHILIPPIANS 3:20 For our citizenship (as believers in Christ) is in heaven…from which heaven also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…
Believers in Christ have a bright future. For unbelievers, the future is not so bright…Revelation, Chapter 20, Verse 15…
REVELATION 20:15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in The Book of Life…and many names will be absent from the Book…he was thrown into the Lake of Fire.
Philippians, Chapter 3, Verse 21…
PHILIPPIANS 3:21 …and the Lord Jesus Christ (when He comes) will transform our lowly body (our current physical body of humiliation) into conformity with His body of glory (His resurrection body) by the exertion of the divine power He has even to subject all things to Himself.
Life in our current body is filled with humiliation. Paul knows he is going to be executed for doing nothing wrong. He is not concerned with the present. He is reaching forward…straining for what lies ahead…the finish line…because he knows the end is glorious.
Both Paul and all of us Christians look forward to our resurrection from the dead and to living face-to-face with the Lord, surrounded by our believer family and friends forever. As believers in Christ we have a glorious past (from unbeliever to believer through faith in Christ alone)…a magnificent present (striving to finish the race strong)…and a glorious future in heaven with all its mental serenity and rewards for all eternity.
That is the JOY set before us. We look forward to it with great anticipation.
THE GOSPEL MESSAGE The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race
The final ten minutes of this lesson could be the ten most important minutes of your life. You’ll be introduced to the good news concerning how you can spend all eternity in heaven when you close your eyes in this life. We want you to know that…
GOD WANTS YOU! He Wants You Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life
…and what He wants for you is that you make the most important decision of your life.
When food manufacturers noticed your fast-paced, mobile lifestyle they created INSTANT food…instant coffee…instant oatmeal…instant potatoes…and instant gravy were among their initial culinary creations. Most of them were awful!
This message is for you if you want an INSTANT relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You may be wondering what’s going to happen to you the INSTANT you close your eyes in this life. There is an INSTANT answer to your curiosity, and the Lord Jesus Christ guarantees that in an INSTANT you can become a child of God.
You may not know your unfortunate circumstance at the moment of your physical birth. It’s called spiritual death. You were born physically alive and spiritually dead as an ungodly, unrighteous unbeliever.
It’s not your fault you were born this way, but it is your circumstance.
First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22 says…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:22a For all in union with Adam at physical birth (and that is every human being who comes to earth) are set to die the second death in the Lake of Fire…
Because Adam was appointed by God as the federal head of the human race, his first sin was credited to the account of all human creatures, resulting in spiritual death. Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 12…
ROMANS 5:12 Therefore…just as through one man, Adam…sin entered into the world… and spiritual death entered the world through his sin…so spiritual death spread to all men…because all men were considered by God to have sinned when Adam sinned.
In addition, just so you don’t have Adam to blame, you commit personal sins. Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 23 says…
ROMANS 3:23 …all creatures have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
Adam’s sin credited to you plus your personal sins create an insurmountable barrier between you and God.
Despite this unfortunate circumstance, there is good news from God that INSTANTLY frees you from the negative effects of sin, from spiritual death, and from the kingdom of darkness into which you were born. You're invited to be born again…the spiritual birth…into a spiritual life in God’s kingdom of light where sin is no longer sovereign over you. The Lord Jesus Christ offers you a “so great” salvation, and it is His will that you accept the free gift He made possible for you at the Cross. Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 9 says…
SECOND PETER 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise of salvation, as some accuse Him of...instead, He is patient toward unbelievers…NOT WISHING FOR ANY TO PERISH IN THE LAKE OF FIRE…but wishing for all unbelievers to come to repentance (a voluntary change of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).
If you end up in the Lake of Fire the INSTANT after your physical death, it will not be because the Lord wants you there. It will be your choice.
So, how can you get to heaven in an INSTANT when you close your eyes in this life? By obeying God’s plan for your salvation! RIGHT WHERE YOU SIT, RIGHT NOW, you can be saved in an INSTANT. You can tell God the Father you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is the INSTANT of eternal life for you. Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…
ACTS 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved by God…you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
To BELIEVE means to accept God’s word for what it takes to be saved. God says the ONE WAY…the ONLY WAY to get to heaven is through believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. John, Chapter 14, Verse 6…
JOHN 14:6 Jesus said to the doubting apostle Thomas, “I am the way (to salvation) … and I am the truth (through the gospel message in the Word of God) … and I am the resurrection life (eternal life) … and no one comes to God the Father in heaven but through believing in Me.”
Who is this God who saves you? The apostle Paul describes the Lord Jesus Christ in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3 For I (the apostle Paul) delivered to you as of primary importance the gospel message I also received from God…that it was Jesus Christ who died for our sins according to the Old Testament Scriptures…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4 …and that He was buried…and that He was raised from the dead on the third day…according to the Old Testament Scriptures…
The Lord Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead proved that He is Deity, and it qualified Him to save you.
Believing in Jesus Christ is your acknowledgment that you can’t do a thing to get to heaven on your own. You can’t buy your way into heaven…you can’t “good deed” your way into heaven…you can’t “be a good person” and get to heaven. You can only get to heaven by accepting the INSTANT gift of salvation from a God who loves you so unconditionally that He sent His Son to die for you on a Cross to pay your way into heaven. Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 8 says…
ROMANS 5:8 God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward all mankind in that while we were yet sinners (while we were unrighteous, ungodly unbelievers), Christ died a sacrificial death for us.
God has an enemy, Satan, who deceives the whole world, including you, with a strategy to exploit human beings…RELIGION. The religions of the world deceive you into thinking that you can work your way to heaven…that you can work to please God. No religious ritual has ever been good enough to get you to heaven.
It’s wise to let God save you because once God does something, He never changes His mind. John, Chapter 10, Verse 28 says…
JOHN 10:28 “…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) give eternal life to believers in Christ…and they will never perish…and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”
You can’t lose your salvation. If anyone says you can, they’re lying to you.
There is no reason to be uncertain about what happens at the moment of your physical death. So, accept the invitation and heed the warning in John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…
JOHN 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life right at that moment (IN AN INSTANT) … but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”
When you reject a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible makes it clear there is a consequence. Matthew, Chapter 13, Verses 40 to 42…
MATTHEW 13:40 …just as tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.
MATTHEW 13:41 The Son of Man (the Lord Jesus Christ) will send forth His elect angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks (unbelievers)…and those who practice lawlessness (unbelievers)…
MATTHEW 13:42 …and the elect angels will throw unbelievers into the furnace of fire (The Lake of Fire) … and in that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (for all eternity).
Believers in Christ have a different fate. Matthew, Chapter 13, Verse 43…
MATTHEW 13:43 Then the righteous…(believers in Christ)…will shine forth as the sun shines in the kingdom of their God and Father.
What’s your choice? Are you for or against Christ?
A relationship with the Lord does not require blind faith. In fact, there is no such thing as blind faith. For the wise, faith is invested after an examination. You have faith as a gift from God, and you can place your confidence in the object of your faith. To place your confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ, and to let Him save you is a delicious move. You can reject a relationship with Christ, or you can make an INSTANT choice for Christ, and the result…your salvation…stands finished forever. Matthew, Chapter 13, Verse 44 encourages us…
MATTHEW 13:44 He who has ears…let him (really) hear (these things).
Some INSTANT things are quite tasty! Take a moment right now to wrap your mind around the only INSTANT thing that lasts forever…a relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
THE GOSPEL MESSAGE The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race
CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s close with music! In Koine Greek, the language in which the New Testament is written, the word HOPE means ABSOLUTE CONFIDENCE. As believers in Christ, we have hope because of our relationship with the Lord. Psalm 33, Verses 20 and 21…
PSALM 33:20 Our soul waits for the Lord. He is our help and our shield.
PSALM 33:21 For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name.
June Murphy sings about the singular confidence we have as believers in Christ. She says THERE’S JUST ONE HOPE.
MUSIC - CLOSING SONG Let’s Hear the Singing of the Lord’s Praises
THERE’S JUST ONE HOPE June Murphy
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
Almighty God and Father… Thank you for not demanding perfection from our imperfection…instead you want us to be comfortable in our imperfection and to derive our hope from what You are doing to conform us…
…as we move into another week, one of Your many gifts to us, remind us of the power of prayer…show us the wisdom of using divine power to solve our problems…and help us remember to be JOYFUL regardless of circumstances…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
GOT BIBLICAL QUESTIONS OR WANT US TO PRAY FOR SOMEONE?
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KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD DAILY!
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