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Good Wednesday morning to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends.
Most of us on this journey together are adults over age 50. We’re mature adults, who’ve been through all types of adversities, experiences and character building struggles, right? When we look at our kids and grandkids, and we think about what challenges they will likely face in the years ahead of them, do you often find you’d like to share real, life wisdom, you’ve learned along the way, with them?
We’re reading together Paul’s letter to the Christians in Philippi and today let’s begin in chapter 3:15 “All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” Paul was of course calling us to consider with Christian maturity, the things he’d written earlier.
Most of you reading this have been attending church since you were children, and many of you would consider yourselves to have been Christians many decades, am I right? So what do you think a mature follower of Jesus Christ should BE like?
What should be our depth of familiarity with God’s Word the Bible? What should our prayer life be like as mature Christians? How should we handle disappointment, or broken promises, or failure by those in leadership, or injustice? What should be our ability to discern the prompting of the Holy Spirit in our lives as God tries to guide us in our life choices and priorities? What should be our ability to recognize when the devil is at work in our hearts, minds, or our society or even our church? Are those fair ‘maturity’ questions?
We need to remember Paul wrote his letters to Christians in the first century who did not have seminary trained Pastors leading their churches. They didn’t even have the New Testament yet, it was only beginning to be written. So, my friends, how have we been developing the level of spiritual maturity Paul is calling us to here in Phil. 3:1?
Both then in the first century, and now in the 21st century, opinions differ greatly on most everything Paul has written about in his letters. But do you see Paul says “…if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.”? You remember Jesus promised His disciples, that one of the important roles of the Holy Spirit of God, acting as Counselor, would be to teach us God’s truth, right? You’ll find that in John 14,15 & 16 as Jesus, speaking with His friends in the upper room on the night before His crucifixion, gave them much insight about the Person and role of the Holy Spirit of God, whom the Father would send to them, as Counselor.
So my friends, how much do we depend on the Holy Spirit to teach us God’s truth, and HOW does He teach us? Through God’s Word, is of course one major way to learn God’s truth. And how much do you simply accept what others tell you about God’s Word? While I’m grateful you are willing to receive my “Walking with Jesus” each day, oh please make sure you are digging deeply into God’s Word to be sure the Holy Spirit confirms in your heart that what I’m writing is God’s truth!
Do you remember in Acts 17:10-15 Paul spends some time in a town called Berea, sharing the Gospel of Jesus with the people there. Luke writes: “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Oh that’s good… and important, my friends. Let’s be sure we do that! Any time you hear a preacher or teacher of God’s Word, or anyone, for that matter, commenting on God’s Word, dig deeply to see what the Holy Spirit tells you about God’s truth. It’s an important part of being a spiritually mature Christian. This is another wonderful uniqueness to Christianity. God INVITES us to come with our questions and dig deeply into everything God tells us.
Would you look closely with me at what Paul writes next in 3:17-20? Do you see the little phrase “…take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you…” in vs. 17? As you and I watch all the people we interface with each day, can you discern who has the Holy Spirit of God guiding their thoughts, their emotions, their choices, their attitudes, and also… who has the Word of God deep inside them like a spring of water bubbling up God’s truthful refreshment throughout the day? Do you remember Psalm 119:105,132? “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path… direct my footsteps according to Your Word.”
Now notice what Paul challenges us to see about most of the people we encounter on the street each day: “Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.” (vs. 19) What do you think… is that a bit extravagant? Paul is not being slanderous here, he’s being accurate, spiritually. He’s calling us to see the truth about most people, not in a condescending way, but in a compassionate way.
Most people we see each day do not know God or God’s truth, and do not have the Holy Spirit of God alive in them, leading them in living a God honoring life. Isn’t that true? But… do you and I see people as Jesus sees them, my friends? Remember Matthew wrote that Jesus “…saw the crowds and had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd…” (Matt. 9:36) Does Jesus help us see people with HIS eyes, HIS heart?
Do you notice Paul next says “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies, so that they will be like His glorious body.“ (3:20,21). I can see a big smile on Paul’s face, and maybe he had rolled up his sleeves and was looking at scars on his arms and legs, from the beatings he’d received over the years. You’ll remember Paul was a Roman citizen and a Jewish Pharisee. Those credentials both protected him and provided some privileged treatment for him. Yet still, he’d lived a very difficult life trying to bring the story of Jesus to places and people, who either hadn’t heard or didn’t want to hear!
Paul found it helpful to frequently remind himself that his Roman citizenship, and his being a Pharisee, were meaningless, as compared to being a citizen of Jesus’ kingdom, and he longed for the day he would be in heaven, standing before His King Jesus! Remember that little song… “this world is not my home, I’m just a ‘passin through…”? Does that help you some days my friends? Oh won’t it be wonderful to finally arrive home, in heaven, with our King Jesus, and all who have arrived there before us? Are some of your family and special friends there already? Do you find yourself sometimes lost in thought, about what it’s like in heaven right now?
Do you see the idea in vs. 21 of our earthly bodies being transformed, into heavenly, glorified bodies like Jesus had after His resurrection? This was a thought that provided Paul great hope and joy. He had written about this to the Corinthians Christians in 1 Corinthians 15, and to the Christians in Thessalonica, in 1 Thessalonians 4. May I ask… regardless of your pedigree or citizenship, or what State or town you live in… how important is it for you, that as a born-again follower of Jesus, you are a citizen of Jesus’ kingdom, and your ultimate destination is heaven… with a glorified, heavenly, immortal body?
Oh my, I can almost see Paul raising up his arms toward heaven as he proclaims for all to hear and for his scribe to write “Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!” (Phil. 4:1)
As you hear the phrase, ‘stand firm in the Lord’ does it remind you of Paul’s challenge in Ephesians 6:10-12 to “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power… and take your stand against the devil’s schemes…”?
As you hear the phrase “…you whom I long for, my joy and my crown…” do you recall Paul writing to his friends in Thessalonica “…for what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ when He comes? Is it not you? Indeed, YOU are our glory and joy.” (1 Thess. 2:19,20) You see my friends, as Paul reflected on his life, and the mission Jesus had entrusted to him, and to which Paul had dedicated every waking moment of the past many years, it was Christian people, just like you and me, that gave Paul a wonderful sense of fulfillment and purpose in life! Those people, whose lives had been transformed by Jesus, as they had accepted Paul’s words and invited Jesus to be their Savior and their King, and the Holy Spirit to do His sanctifying, transforming work in them, refining them to be the men and women God has designed them to be! Oh those were the people who brought great joy to Paul’s heart!!
And it’s the same for us, isn’t it? Now think for a moment… who are those people whose lives you have impacted as you’ve helped them know Jesus, as you know Jesus. My friends…, beginning with your own children and grandchildren? Are they your joy, your crown as you consider the work of God in their lives?
I think that’s a great place for us to park, ponder, and praise God…!
Oh Lord Jesus, THANK YOU… for all Paul has written for us to consider today. Thank YOU that spiritual maturity is a worthy goal for all of us to pursue. Help us in that please. Thank YOU for helping us see the people of our world as YOU see them, and thank YOU for giving us Your heart of compassion for them. Thank YOU for being our King and giving us great assurance for the future with YOU!
Click to read today’s chapter: Philippians 3. Philippians 4. (At the top you can choose a different translation.)
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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