What is Man - Living For Our Future

Heavenly Father, I thank you for this time that we

could first spend some minutes praising your mighty name and

all your mighty works. And Lord, as we get into

your holy scriptures, I ask that you would soften each

and every one of our hearts, that you would remove

any inkling of pride, any hurt, anything that may be

preventing us from fully trusting in and accepting the truths

that your holy scriptures teach. Lord, give us ears to

hear and eyes to see what you have said. Help us, Lord,

as sinning saints to accept this joyous news wholeheartedly, to

go forth and proclaim it, and to live according to it.

I ask all this in your holy and perfect name. Amen.

Welcome to The Roots, where it's all about Jesus. If

you're taking notes today, my sermon is titled, Living for

Our Future. Living for our future. And you can make

that personal if you want to. Living for my future.

Living for my future. Now, these past few weeks have

been kind of sad for me, kind of difficult for me.

The 20th of August marked one year since my grandmother

Marie passed away. And I know some of you are like,

oh great, Jordan's two minutes in, he's already going to

start crying. First of all, shut up. Second of all,

you don't know that. I mean, it's likely, but you

don't know that. We'll see. Odds are pretty good. But

my grandmother Marie's final years of life were really hard

to watch. Her body began rapidly breaking down. And I

remember every time that I saw her, she physically became

smaller and more pale and more frail. Her mind quickly

deteriorated and she lost the ability to speak and her

memory was fading. And every visit leading up to her

death became more and more difficult because I would always

look at her and think back to how she used

to be. And I would think back about how good

times with her used to be. She was always laughing,

always working hard around the house to take care of

her family. She was always smiling, always making just the

corniest jokes, and always making anyone that was in her

home feel like family. She was a wonderful woman. And

much like how I would look at my grandmother with

sorrow and think about how she used to be, much

like that, in our series, What Is Man?, God's design

for mankind, I would sit right there and think about

how good the Bible tells us things used to be.

At the time of creation, everything was good. Write this

down if you're taking notes. Everything was good. Mankind was

perfectly made to glorify God and enjoy him forever. He

literally walked among Adam and Eve in the garden. God

made mankind in his image. Adam and Eve were a

perfect reflection of God, both for and to his glory.

God made Adam and Eve, man and woman, with intentionality

for distinct and complementary roles and purposes. God instituted the

beautiful and perfect gift of marriage in a lifelong covenant

between a man and a woman with no shame between them.

God gave them an amazing job to do, to subdue

the earth and to fill it with more image bearers.

God created mankind for communion with himself, to be in

perfect relationship with him. In Genesis 1, verse 31, it reads,

Genesis 1:31

and God saw everything that he had made And behold,

it was very good. God looked on all that he

created and called it very good. The man and the

woman made in his image, very good. The man and

the woman made with distinct and intentional differences for specific

roles and purposes was very good. The job assigned to

them to subdue the earth and to fill it with

more image bearers was very good. The privilege that man

and woman had to be able to walk with God

in the garden was very good. To be in relationship

with him was very good. Everything, very good. And then

what happened? Everything became bad. Everything that was good became bad,

mankind included. Write this down if you're taking notes. Everything

is bad now. Everything was good. Now everything is bad.

Adam and Eve disobeyed God and the curse of sin

and death entered the world and everything fell apart. All

that was very good is now marred by the stain

of sin. Our sin separated us from our creator. We

no longer walk with him. We no longer glorify him perfectly. Instead,

we seek to glorify ourselves. our own purposes, our own plans.

And our sin prevents us from enjoying him perfectly and completely.

Our sin stained the image of God within us. Humanity

became mortal, subject to sickness and old age and all

of the joys that process brings. It makes us unholy,

unable to even look upon God, let alone walk with him.

In our sin, we corrupt the distinct purposeful and complementary

roles within the union of marriage husbands lead their families

with hostility or self-centeredness or don't lead at all wives

step into that role of leadership and don't submit to

their husbands in our sin we neglect to steward well

the jobs god gave mankind to do in our sin

we fail every day at leading our children in the

way that they should go in raising them to bear

the image of their creator. And instead, we raise them

up to live in our own sin-stained images. Sin broke

our relationship with God, our perfect communion with him. So

much so that mankind was driven out of paradise with him.

Instead of his perfect and holy sons and daughters, we've

become unholy enemies of God. rebelling against him at every

chance we get. This is a bad place to be.

And I'm not smiling because it's bad. It's a bad

place to be. It's a bad way to live. It's bleak.

It's sad. It's frustrating. This is why the question asked

by King David in our series text is so spot on.

Psalm 8, starting in verse 3, David wrote, When I

look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the

moon and the stars which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him and

the son of man that you care for him? Now, personally,

when I see and think about how good everything was,

how the Bible talks about how it was a creation,

and I look at how bad everything is now, I'm

left asking the same question that King David asked. God,

what is man that you are mindful of him? Or

the son of man that you care for him? What

is man that you are mindful of him? The son

of man that you care for him? The answer is this.

While mankind made everything bad, God remained good. The answer

to why God is mindful of man and cares for

man has nothing to do with us. It has all

to do with him. While mankind made everything bad, God

remained good. Everyone say, God remained good. Good job. It's

only because God is good that he is merciful to us.

It's only because God is good that he is mindful

of us. It's only because God is good that he

cares for us. Our sin corrupted God's good design. But

in his goodness, God planned to restore that design. In

our sin, we live in brokenness and pain and sadness.

But in his goodness, God planned to heal us. In

our sin, we separated ourselves from our creator. But in

his goodness, God made a way to bring us back

into right relationship with him. In his goodness. God's plan

to restore to heal and to bring mankind back into

right relationship with him was accomplished by the death and

resurrection of his son Jesus Christ and here's the amazing

news To be saved from everything that sin made bad,

to be saved from your own sin, to experience the

good news of restoration and healing and right relationship with

God only requires one thing, that you confess with your

mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your

heart that God raised him from the dead. That's amazing news. Amen? Amen.

Christ's death is the ultimate example of God's goodness, of

his mercy and his justice. Because he still punishes sin.

But out of his great love, he punished Jesus Christ

in your place. For those who confess that Jesus is

Lord and believe in their heart that God raised him

from the dead, you share in his death. That means

your sins died with him. And you also share in

his resurrection. You share in the promise to be made

like Christ. You share in the promise of God's plan

to fully restore you, fully heal you, fully bring you

back into right relationship with him. Everything was good. Everything

is bad. But because God remained good and is good,

write this down, everything will be good again. Everything will

be good again. This promise that everything will be good again,

this is why at my grandmother's memorial service, we didn't

only mourn the woman we'd lost. We didn't only consider

how her body and mind were broken by the effects

of sin's curse. We didn't only think about how she

used to be. Sure, we reminisced, but we celebrated that

she is now restored and healed and experiencing a perfect

relationship with her creator. It's that hope that allowed us

to celebrate her life now. This is the future believers

have to look forward to. We don't have to sit

in our present yearning for the past, for how good

things were, we get to look to the future with

a sure hope of how good things will be again.

And there's a lot for the believer's future to look

forward to. Now I'm going to focus on three. For

the first one, write this down. Like Christ, our bodies

will be perfected. Like Christ, our bodies will be perfected.

If you have your Bibles, turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 15.

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

Go to verse 42. And Paul writes, So it is

with the resurrection of the dead what is sown is perishable.

What is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor.

It is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness.

It is raised in power. It is sown a natural body.

It is raised a spiritual body. If there is a

natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it

is written, the first man, Adam, became a living being.

The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is

not the spiritual that is first, but the natural and

then the spiritual. So Paul shows us in his letter

to the believers in Corinth, the contrast of our physical

or sown bodies, as he puts it, compared to our

resurrected bodies. Part of sin's curse is that death entered

into the world with the first Adam. Mankind became mortal.

Our bodies die. They are perishable. But at the resurrection,

like Christ, the last Adam, our bodies are raised imperishable, immortal.

The curse of our sin also makes us dishonorable, unfit

to stand before a holy God. But at the resurrection,

our bodies are raised glorified, free from sin, and fit

to stand before God in his presence as Christ is now.

Our physical bodies are weak, susceptible to illness and all

the wonderful ailments old age brings. Greg just turned 40.

He knows all this too well now. Sorry, Greg. But

at the resurrection, our bodies are raised in power, free

from weakness and illness and old age. Praise God. Can

I get an amen for all my... More wise people.

See what I said? Paul continues in verse 47. The

first man was from the earth, a man of dust.

The second man is from heaven. As was the man

of dust, so also are those who are of the dust.

And as is the man of heaven, so also are

those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne

the image of the man of dust, we shall also

bear the image of the man of heaven. So while

our sown bodies, our perishable bodies... bear the image of

the first Adam, the man of dust. They're dishonorable, they're weak.

Those that bear the image of Christ, the man of heaven,

our resurrected bodies will be raised in eternal glory and power. Hallelujah.

The next thing believers have in store for them is this.

Like Christ, we will be holy. Like Christ, we will

be holy. In speaking to husbands and wives in the church,

in Ephesians, Paul calls husbands to love their wives like

Christ loves the church. And what an incredible love Christ

has for his church. In Ephesians 5, verse 25, it says,

Ephesians 5:25

Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the

washing of water with the word, so that he might

present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or

wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy

and without blemish. This is the ultimate plan and the

completion of the plan for Christ's bride, the church, that

he will present us to himself without spot, wrinkle, blemish,

or any impurity, free from sin and all of its effects,

so that we will one day stand before him as

holy as he is holy. Not only is this an

amazing truth to look forward to, it's also a requirement.

It's a necessity for us to be made holy in

order to be with the one true holy God. The

writer in Hebrews writes in chapter 12, verse 14, strive

for peace with everyone and for the holiness without which

no one will see the Lord. And Paul in 1

Timothy says, this won't be on your screen, writes this

about Jesus. The blessed and only sovereign King of Kings

and Lord of Lords dwells in unapproachable light. No one

has ever seen him or can see him. We have

to be made holy to even look upon a holy God.

Even our eyes are not worthy to look upon him.

Because of our sin and because God is holy, we

are unable to look upon him, let alone dwell with him.

until we are presented to him in holiness without spot

or wrinkle or blemish or any impurity. And that happens

when we come before Christ. And the next promise of

the believer's future is that like Christ, we will be

in his kingdom. Like Christ, we will be in his kingdom.

When we die, or when Christ returns, whichever happens first,

our spirit goes to be with the Lord in his kingdom,

an everlasting kingdom. Jesus said to the criminal on the

cross next to him, today you will be with me

in paradise. And like Paul says, we should be looking

forward to being away from the body and at home

with the Lord because it's a paradise. It's where you

want to be. It's our true home, our true destination,

our promised paradise. But the Lord's kingdom is so much

more than a big, big house with lots and lots

of rooms or a big, big table with lots and

lots of food or a big, big yard where we

can play football. Any audio adrenaline fans out there? A

few of you. Laughter That's what I grew up listening

to on Christian radio. It's a fun song, but it

makes a common mistake that most Christians make today about

God's kingdom. Because you know what's missing from the song?

God himself. God himself is missing from our idea of

whatever his kingdom is going to be like. Now, I'm

not saying there's anything wrong with football or big rooms

in a mansion, but If our idea of God's kingdom

is just an eternity of enjoying earthly things free from

the stain of sin, then we've missed the point of

his kingdom. I'm going to say that again for Gabe

in the back. I'm kidding. I'm going to say it

again for all of us. If our idea of God's

kingdom is is just an eternity of enjoying earthly things

free from the stain of sin, we have missed the

point of God's kingdom. John tells us in Revelation, and

this is so, so beautiful. Chapter 21, starting in verse 3.

And behold, I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold,

the dwelling place of God is with man. He will

dwell with them. and they will be his people, and

God himself will be with them as their God. He

will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death

shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying,

nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

And he who was seated on the throne said, Behold,

I am making all things new. Yeah. Also, he said,

write this down for these words are trustworthy and true.

And he said to me, it is done. I am

the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end

to the thirsty. I will give from the spring of

the water of life without payment. This is the point

of God's kingdom. To be where he is. To be

where he dwells. To be in right relationship with him

where you drink from the spring of the water of

life without payment because Christ paid your ticket. He paid

your debt. And there will be no more crying, no

more pain, No more mourning. No more sickness. That's paradise.

That's paradise. It's not some beach with golden streets. It's

not some mansion in the sky with big rooms and

a big yard where you can play football with eternal overtime.

It's where the church... His people will eternally dwell in

the very presence of God without stain or wrinkle or

blemish because Christ will present us as such. There will

be no more tears, no more pain, no more hurt,

no more struggle, no more suffering, no more temptation to sin,

no No more striving after worthless things. No more of

this cycle of sinning and repenting and sinning and repenting.

No more of it. No more of it. Paradise. This

is how I would summarize God's kingdom. Although I think

his word is sufficient for it, but how I'd summarize

it for all of you today. is God's kingdom is

where he and his children bodily dwell in eternal holiness.

God's kingdom is where he and his children bodily dwell

in eternal holiness. I spoke earlier about the time leading

up to my grandmother's death and how me and my

family were thinking about and wishing for things to be

like the way they were. thinking about how she used

to be. And my family and I spoke at length

about how things used to be, about her corny jokes,

her smile, her laughter, about how she would give the

most ridiculous gifts at Christmas. My wife's laughing because she

knows that. You can always count on those small packages

of Kleenex. We also talked about how she would always

cook with too much salt. She spent a lot of

time preparing food for the people that she loved. It

was one of the many ways she showed love to

the people in her home. And I remember growing up,

oftentimes when she was in the kitchen preparing breakfast or

whatever meal it was, she would always be singing this

one particular hymn the old rugged cross. And some of

the lyrics go like this. I'll cherish the old rugged

cross till my trophies at last I lay down. I

will cling to the old rugged cross and exchange it

someday for a crown. To that old rugged cross I

will ever be true. Its shame and reproach gladly bear.

Then he'll call me someday to my home far away

where his glory forever I'll share. This is a glorious

truth that believers have to look forward to and cling to.

This is a glorious truth that believers have to look

forward to and cling to. I put emphasis on believers

because you need to know that this eternally sharing in

God's glory and his kingdom is only promised to those

that confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and

believe in their heart that God raised him from the dead.

For anyone here that has not done that, I beg

of you that you would repent of your sin, confess

with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in

your heart that God raised him from the dead. Let

me tell you why. In the following verses in Revelation

that we looked at earlier, the Lord from his throne

also said to John, in verse 8, but as for

the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the

sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, and by the way,

this is each and every one of us before God

saves us, their portion will be in the lake that

burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

All of mankind is born in Adam, the man of dust,

and everyone is raised imperishable, eternal, But it's only those

that are found in Christ, the second Adam, that are

raised in eternal glory. At the resurrection, everyone without saving

faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, their

name will not be found in the Lamb's book of life.

This is heavy, I know. but I'm a pastor and

I need to say it. They will be raised eternal,

but their destination is the second death, the lake of fire.

And that is eternal. That is not the place you

want to be. And you cannot obtain forgiveness of your

sin through good works. You cannot buy your way into

God's kingdom. You cannot convince God to let you in

with some sort of legal agreement. There's already a legal

agreement in place. You're a sinner. God is holy. Your

sin requires a price. The wages of your sin is death.

But Christ came to fulfill that legal requirement. And you

must be found in him. For believers, because of this

promised future, we have no reason Consider what we have

to look forward to. We have no reason to sit

and wallow, longing for the past when we have such

a glorious future ahead of us. In Romans 8, starting

in 18, Paul writes, Paul writes, For I consider that

the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing

with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing

of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected

to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it,

in hope that the creation itself will be set free

from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of

the glory of the children of God. For we know

that the whole creation has been groaning together in the

pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation,

but we ourselves who have the first fruits of the

Spirit grown inwardly as we eagerly await, excuse me, as

we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of

our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now

hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes

for what he sees? But if we hope for what

we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing

with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

We have no reason to sit and wallow in our present,

longing for how things used to be a creation when

God is going to restore them. We have such a

beautiful future ahead of us to look forward to. we

have every reason to wait patiently in the hope of

our future. We have every reason to wait joyfully for

the fulfillment of our blessed inheritance. Ephesians 1.11, in him

we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to

the purpose of him who works all things according to

the counsel of his will, so that we who were

the first to hope in Christ might be to the

praise of his glory. In him you also, when you

heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation,

and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire

possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Everything

was good, and then everything was bad, and is bad.

But God remained good. And while everything is still bad,

God's plan is in place to redeem and restore and

make all things good again. We have every reason not

to sit and wallow in sadness and strife. Those things happened.

but our promised future gives us every reason to be

patient as we wait for it, to rejoice as we

wait for it. We have more to do than simply

wait for our future. We have more to do than

simply wait for our future. We've got work to do.

Write this down. Our future hope informs and empowers how

we live in the present. Our future hope informs and

empowers how we live in the present. Like Paul already

said in verse 11 of Ephesians 1, we've already obtained

our inheritance. We're just waiting for the fulfillment of it.

It's like the movie Annie. And this is a... Bear

with me. It's like the movie Annie. Annie. Daddy Warbucks

sent his representative to adopt a child from the orphanage.

The representative picked Annie, signed all the legal documents, and

took her to her new and final home. Annie remained

hopeful of a future home and made the best of

her hard-knock life and then made sure that she was

prim and proper when she was taken to her new

home to meet her adopted father face-to-face. We're Annie. We're

just not chosen because of our good attitude or curly

red hair. Sorry, Aiden. You don't get in just because

of that. We're not chosen because of our good attitude.

Ephesians 2 verse 8 through 9 says, For by grace

Ephesians 2:8–9

you have been saved through faith, and this is not

of your own doing. It is the gift of God,

not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

It has nothing to do with you. We are undesirable orphans.

I'm not going to make a redheaded orphan joke. I'm

not picking on you, Aidan and Gabe, I swear. We

are undesirable orphans. But in his goodness and mercy, the

Father sent Jesus, our representative and great high priest, to

legally adopt us as his children. We're just waiting to

be taken to our true and final home. We're waiting

to be taken to our true and final home in

the presence of our Father. And while we wait in

this hard knock life, we have work to do. Everyone

repeat after me. We have work to do while we wait.

It doesn't sound like you're thrilled about that work. You'll

get more opportunities to try again. We have works that

God prepared for us beforehand to do while we wait

in Ephesians 2.10. For we are his workmanship created in

Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that

we should walk in them. We have work to do

while we wait. You are his possession. God called you

out of darkness and into his marvelous light to proclaim

his excellencies. 1 Peter 2.9, but you are a chosen race,

a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his

own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him

who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

We have work to do while we wait. If you

hope in him, if you hope in him, You are

to purify yourself as he is pure. 1 John 3,

1 John 3:2–3

verse 2 through 3. Beloved, we are God's children now.

And what we will be has not yet appeared. But

we know that when he appears, we shall be like

him because we shall see him as he is. And

everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he

is pure. If your hope is in Christ, there is

an action that follows. We have work to do while

we wait. Beloved, he predestined you to adoption and chose

you before the foundation of the world to be holy

and blameless. Ephesians 1, 3 through 6. Blessed be the

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has

blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the

heavenly places. Even as he chose us in him before

the foundation of the world, that we should be holy

and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for

adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to

the purpose of his will, to the praise of his

glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the beloved.

We have work to do while we wait. As his

child raised with Christ, you are to put to death

what is earthly in you, to put off the old

self Colossians 3, starting in verse 1. If then you

have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are

above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on

things that are on earth. For you have died and

your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ,

who is your life, oh, I love that. When Christ,

who is your life, appears, then you will also appear

with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, what is

earthly in you. Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness,

which is idolatry. On account of these, the wrath of

God is coming. Listen to this. In these two, you

once walked when you were living in them. But now

you must put them all away. Anger, wrath, malice, slander,

and obscene talk from your mouth. Oh, we got work

to do while we wait. Do not lie to one another,

seeing that you have put off the old self with

his practices and have put on the new self, which

is being renewed in knowledge of the image of its creator.

You need to put off the old self, put on

the new self, which looks like this. Verse 12, put

on then as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved and

compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another.

And if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other.

As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

We got work to do while we wait. And above

all these, put on love, which binds everything together in

perfect harmony, and let the peace of Christ rule in

your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body,

and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in

you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom,

singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in

your hearts to God. And whatever you do, In word

or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks to God the Father through him. We have

work to do while we wait. Just have a few more.

As his child, you are to be obedient to your father,

to be holy as he is holy, and cleanse yourself

of every defilement. 1 Peter 1 says, As obedient children,

do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.

But as he who called you is holy, you also

be holy in all your conduct. Since it is written,

you shall be holy, for I am holy. Amen. 2

2 Corinthians 7:1

Corinthians 7, verse 1. Since we have these promises, beloved,

let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit,

bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. We

have work to do while we wait. Amen. Can I

get the band to come up? Beloved, We have every

reason to wait patiently in the hope of our future.

We have every reason to wait joyfully for the fulfillment

of our blessed inheritance. But we have work to do

while we wait for that day. Our future hope informs

and empowers how we live in this present age. As

you wait to be made like Christ, live as one

saved by him. As you wait to be made like Christ,

live as one saved by him. Wait for your future

with patience, but live in light of the knowledge of it.

Wait for your future with joyous expectation, but walk in

the present according to that promised future. Praise God for

that blessed hope, for that blessed day. Praise God that

we have such a hope to look forward to, to

cling to. I'm going to end with one more passage.

from the Apostle Paul that I hope will further bolster

your faith as you await your blessed future with your Creator.

After I read this, we'll pray and sing another song

of praise and we'll reflect on this wondrous mystery. While

we're singing, myself and some others will be available on

the sides of the room to pray with you If

you don't want prayer face-to-face, you can fill out this

Connect card. You can write your prayer request down. If

you want it to be private, just write private or

for elders only. But we'd love to have the church

pray for you to meet whatever need you have. If

you came prepared to give, there's a giving envelope in

the chair in front of you. You can fill that

out and drop it in the Connect box just outside

those double doors. Let's do this. I'm going to ask

you to close your eyes now. I'm going to read

this passage. I'm going to ask that you really listen

to what Paul says here. Think about what Christ has

saved you from, what he has saved you to. Think

about that future hope that lies ahead of you. And

I pray that this verse bolsters your faith as you

do those things. And then I will pray. Philippians chapter 3,

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

starting in verse 7. But whatever gain I had, I

counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I

count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of

knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have

suffered the loss of all things and count them as

rubbish in order that I may gain Christ and be

found in him. Not having a righteousness of my own

that comes from the law, but that which comes through

faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith,

that I may know him and the power of his

resurrection and may share in his sufferings, becoming like him

in his death, that by any means possible I may

attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have

already obtained this or am already perfected, but I press

on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has

made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that

I have made it my own, but one thing I do,

forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.

I press on toward the goal of the prize of

the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those

of us who are mature think this way. And if

in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also

to you. Only let us hold true to what we

have attained. Brothers, join in imitating me and keep your

eyes on those who walk according to the example you

have in us. For many of whom I have often

told you and now tell you even with tears, walk

as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction,

their God is their belly, and they glory in their

shame with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship

is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior,

the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body

to be like his glorious body by the power that

enables him even to subject all things to himself. Amen

and hallelujah. Lord Jesus, I pray, Lord, that we would

accept these truths wholeheartedly, that we would cling to them. Lord,

fasten our grips to this truth, that you have saved

us to yourself, that you are bringing us into right

relationship with you, that you will one day bring us

before you, that you will present us to the Father

without spot or blemish, without any impurity, that we will

spend eternity before you, with bodies that are empowered, with

bodies that are immortal, that we can enjoy you perfectly

for all of eternity. Help us to cling to these promises.

Help us to set our hopes on these truths, Lord,

as we continue the work that you've set us to.

Help us to work diligently to love our families, Lord,

to forgive each other when we are wrong, to love

you with all of our being. Lord, I thank you

for all of these truths. And I thank you, Lord,

that we have, well, like the song we sang earlier says, Lord,

eternity seems like far too short a time to sing

your praise. I thank you, Lord, that that's what we

have to look forward to. In your name, God's people said, Amen.