Pressing on in the Gospel

Okay.

Please turn with me to Philippians chapter 3, verses 12 to 21.

Philippians 3:12–21

Let me seek God's help as we read and preach.

God, we ask you again, we seek you,

because without your power,

without you speaking to us through your word,

I myself can accomplish nothing.

Lord, we want to,

in just the same way that

immigrants, foreigners, when they just arrive

to this country,

stand out.

It's obvious they're not from here.

Lord, we want to be Christians

who are so heavenly-minded,

who live according to our citizenship in heaven,

so it is obvious to the world

we're not from here.

This is not our home.

We belong to another kingdom.

God, with your word,

our charter,

our constitution,

our founding document,

we pray that you would reorient us this evening.

and fix

our minds,

our eyes,

on Christ Jesus,

our heavenly price.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Philippians chapter 3,

Philippians 3:12–21

verses 12 to 21.

Not that I have already obtained this,

or am already perfect,

but I press on to make it my own,

because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

Brothers,

I do not consider that I have made it my own,

but one thing I do,

forgetting what lies behind

and straining forward to what lies ahead.

I press on toward the goal

for the prize of the upward call of God

in Christ Jesus.

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.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

After winning his fourth NBA championship

and his fourth finals MVP trophy last season

with the Los Angeles Lakers,

LeBron James,

one of the greatest basketball players of all time,

entered his 18th season

as a 36-year-old,

which makes him ancient

by professional athlete standards.

And what's amazing is that he is still

arguably one of the best players in the NBA.

His feats of athleticism are incredible,

but his longevity,

his endurance is what's even more impressive.

And this is because of the way

he completely dedicates himself to the sport.

He spends $1.5 million per year

in order to maintain his body

and prevent injuries.

He regularly uses creotherapy,

meaning he intentionally subjects his body

to freezing temperatures

in order to relieve muscle pain,

sprains, and swelling.

He also uses hyperbaric oxygen therapy,

where he intentionally subjects himself

to high atmospheric pressures

in order to oxygenate his body

and reduce inflammation.

And he also adheres to a...

I mean, I don't know the merits

of all those therapies,

but he does these things.

He also adheres to a strict diet,

avoiding sugar and dairy altogether,

and following the lowest possible carb diet.

And of course,

he subjects himself daily

to the grueling workouts.

And all of these are unpleasant,

uncomfortable,

even painful experiences.

And yet LeBron James subjects himself to these

because to him,

winning an NBA championship

and becoming the greatest basketball player

of all time

outweighs these pains,

these expenses.

His eyes are set on a greater prize.

And that focus is the key to his perseverance.

And in this passage,

Paul uses the metaphor

of an athletic competition,

a race,

one of his favorite metaphors,

which he uses in at least six places

to teach us that,

like a runner in a race,

we should press on with our minds

set on the heavenly prize

in Christ Jesus.

So first, we're going to talk about

setting our minds on our heavenly prize,

verses 12 to 16.

And then we'll talk about

keeping our eyes on heavenly people.

We'll just go to the end of the chapter,

chapter 3, verse 17 to 21.

So let's first talk about

setting our minds on our heavenly prize,

verses 12 to 16.

In the preceding passage,

Paul just said that he was,

he has suffered the loss of all things

and counted them as rubbish

in order that he might gain Christ.

So in order that he might know Christ

and the power of his resurrection,

Paul says he's forsaken all things

in order to do that.

Now he's qualifying that statement

in verse 12.

He says,

Not that I have already obtained this

or am already perfect,

but I press on to make it my own,

because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

This is the already but not yet reality

of the Christian salvation.

On the one hand,

Paul says Christ Jesus has made me his own.

It's already happened.

But on the other hand,

he says,

Paul's Christ,

I have not yet obtained this.

So he presses on to make it his own.

Already, but not yet.

If you are a Christian,

then you know Christ truly,

but you do not yet know him fully.

We know the power of his resurrection truly,

but we do not yet know it fully.

So let this be an encouragement to you.

If you have lamented that you do not know the Lord

as you ought to,

if you have wept at the slow progress

of your own sanctification,

if you have longed to see Christ face to face

and not as in a dim reflection,

then you can take heart,

because you have not yet arrived.

What you have in your possession now,

what you experience now,

is not all there is.

There's so much more in store.

And so we ought to press on

to make it our own.

But for those of us who are complacent,

for those of us who are living like

we have already attained the fullness of Christ,

let this be a warning.

You have not arrived.

If you're coasting now

like you're on a victory lap,

you are badly mistaken.

You're like the Slovenian cyclist,

Luca Pibernic,

who raises his arm

and pumps his fist in celebration

at the Tour of Italy

when there's still one lap left to go.

And consequently loses the race

going from first place to 148th place.

The race isn't over.

We have not yet arrived.

And Paul was motivated

to press on by this great reality.

He says in verse 12,

Because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

That's the reason why Paul presses on.

He says something similar

in 1 Corinthians 6, 19.

You are not your own,

for you were bought with a price.

1 Peter 2, 14-19 says,

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,

knowing that you were ransomed

from the futile ways

inherited from your forefathers,

not with perishable things,

such as silver or gold,

but with the precious blood of Christ.

You establish ownership over something

by paying for it.

Christ owns us because he purchased us

with his own blood.

This was Paul's reason for pressing on.

He's saying,

I was worthless,

a damaged good,

an undeserving sinner,

incapable of fulfilling my God-given purpose,

and yet for some inexplicable reason,

Christ paid the highest price

to make me his own.

Me, the chief of sinners.

I'm his own.

I'm no longer my own man.

I belong to another.

If Christ died to make me his own,

I will live to make him my own.

He is my master,

and I shall do his bidding

until the day I die

and eternity thereafter.

That's Paul's mindset.

We don't strive in order

to belong to Christ.

No, we strive

because we already belong to Christ.

He has paid the highest price for us.

And this is very important

because if you strive

in your own strength,

out of your own willpower

and character,

you will surely fail.

Paul was able to press on

till the very end

only because he was spurred on

by what Christ did for him.

Christ was his impetus

and his goal.

We are not our own.

We are Christ's.

But we have not yet fully

made Christ our own.

And that's our lifelong pursuit.

As those who already belong to Christ,

we press on toward that day

when Christ will be our all in all.

And so Paul says in verses 13 to 14,

brothers,

I do not consider

that I have made it my own,

but one thing I do,

forgetting what lies behind

and straining forward

to what lies ahead,

I press on toward the goal

for the prize of the upward call

of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul lived with this singular focus

in his life.

He was only concerned

about one thing.

Paul accomplished many things

during his time on earth,

as we know.

He was instrumentally in establishing

or helping to establish

more than a dozen churches.

He says in Romans 15, 19,

from Jerusalem

and all the way around to Illyricum,

I have fulfilled the ministry

of the gospel of Christ.

That's from modern-day Israel

up north through Lebanon and Syria

across Turkey

and westward toward Greece

all the way to Albania,

where our,

where Mr. Bishop,

our resident missionary,

is serving.

That covers a distance

of more than 1,500 miles

in days before cars and planes.

Paul wrote 13 of the 24 books

in the New Testament,

more than half.

And he did all of this

as a bivocational minister

while working as a tent maker

in order not to be

a financial burden

to those whom he ministered to.

In short,

Paul was a man

of prodigious productivity,

and yet Paul says,

one thing I do.

In his mind,

Paul wasn't doing

a hundred different things.

He wasn't busy

doing a lot of different things.

Paul was doing one thing

in a hundred different ways.

He made tents

so that he might

preach Christ.

He ate and drank

so that he might

preach Christ.

He planted churches

so that he might

preach Christ.

He wrote letters

so that he might

preach Christ.

For him to live

was Christ

and to die

was gain.

And his goal

was Christ

and nothing else.

What will people

put on your epitaph?

What will people

say on your gravestone?

When people

examine your life,

what will they say

was your purpose,

your calling?

For the Christian,

the answer

should always be

Christ.

And this entails

forgetting what lies behind

and straining forward

to what lies ahead.

In a race,

all that matters

is what's ahead of you.

It doesn't matter

how far you've come

or how little

you've come

if you don't

finish the race.

It doesn't matter

what kind of

blistering pace

you have kept up.

It's all for nothing

if you don't

finish the race.

Early in chapter 3,

Paul spoke of all

the things that he

used to put his

confidence in.

Circumcised on the

eighth day,

of the people of Israel,

of the tribe of Benjamin,

Hebrew of Hebrews,

as to the law of Pharisee,

as to zeal,

a persecutor of the church,

as to righteousness

under the law,

blameless.

But, he said in verse 8,

he counts all those

things as trash.

In order that he

might gain Christ.

We must forget

all that we used

to put our confidence in

for our right standing

with God.

We must forget about them.

Being successful,

beautiful,

intelligent,

rich,

or famous

gets us places

in this world,

but not with God.

We must put our

former ways

behind us.

This is good news

for those of us

who have been

struggling also.

No matter what kind

of sin is in your past,

no matter what kind

of pain,

brokenness,

hardness,

is in your past,

in your life now,

you can forget it.

Leave it behind

and strain forward

toward what is ahead

because of what

Christ has done.

2 Corinthians 5,

17 says,

If anyone is in Christ,

he is a new creation.

The old has passed away.

Behold,

the new has come.

A little earlier,

a little before that

in the same chapter,

it says,

Christ died for all

that those who live

might no longer

live for themselves,

but for him

who for their sake

died and was raised.

Before Christ called us

and purchased us,

we live for ourselves.

We follow the rebellious

patterns of this world.

We gratify the sinful

desires of the flesh.

But now that we belong

to Christ,

we must forget

what lies behind

and strain forward

to what lies ahead.

One of the most famous

races in modern history

was the One Mile Race

at the 1954

British Empire Games

in Vancouver, Canada.

Earlier that year,

England's Roger Bannister

had become the first man

to run the mile

under four minutes,

which previously seemed

to be an impossible barrier.

But just 46 days later,

his great rival,

the Australian John Landy,

beat his world record

by 1.5 seconds,

which is not a small amount

in a mile race.

And this drama

created a great buildup

toward the 1954

British Empire Games

where Roger Bannister

and John Landy

would compete together.

The race between

world's two fastest

mile runners

was billed by the press

as the race of the century

or the miracle mile.

Over 100 million people

tuned in by radio

and millions more

saw it on TV.

You can actually see

the whole race on YouTube.

By the third

of the four laps,

it became a two-man race

between Roger Bannister

and John Landy

who were far outpacing

the rest of the field.

John Landy

had been ahead

of Roger Bannister

for the entirety

of the race

and for most

of the final lap

remained about

eight feet or so ahead.

But there's a dramatic

moment in that

final stretch

of the final lap

where Bannister

starts to make his move

trying to pass Landy.

And at that point,

the crowd is roaring

and as they see

that both men

are on pace

to break

the four-minute barrier

again,

second time,

and no longer

able to hear

the footfalls

behind him

due to the crowd,

Landy looks over

his left shoulder

to see how close

Bannister is

behind him.

And during that

exact moment,

to his great dismay,

Roger Bannister

passes him

on his right.

And there's a

perfect,

iconic

picture

of that exact

moment

with John Landy

looking back

and Roger Bannister

looking straight ahead

and soaring

past him.

It was made

into a statue.

And looking

at the bronze

sculpture

of that moment,

John Landy

said one time,

while Lot's wife

was turned

into a pillar

of salt

for looking back,

I am probably

the only one

ever turned

into bronze

for looking back.

At least he was

a good sport.

In his later

recollections,

Bannister said

that seeing

Landy glance back

gave him

great confidence

that he could

beat him

because it

exposes uncertainty

and doubt.

When you're

running the race

as a Christian,

you're not

supposed to

look back.

Jesus says

in Luke 9,

62,

no one

who puts

his hand

to the plow

and looks

back

is fit

for the

kingdom of

God.

If you're

looking back,

you cannot

press on.

You cannot

strain forward.

Twice,

Paul says,

I press on.

I press on.

Verse 12,

verse 14,

the word means

to pursue,

run after

something.

And in verse 13,

he speaks of

straining forward

to what lies ahead.

that word recalls

how the runner

lurches forward

at the finish line

with all his might

to get ahead,

cross the line

before everyone else.

There should be

a direction

in the Christian's

life.

Our lives should be

directed heavenward.

Every aspect of our lives

should be stretched out

toward the heavenly prize

that lies before us.

And Paul describes

that heavenly prize

in verse 14,

I press on

toward the goal

for the prize

of the upward call

of God

in Christ Jesus.

Paul's talking

about the day

when his knowledge

of Christ,

his union with Christ

will be consummated.

When having shared

in Christ's sufferings,

he will finally

get to share

in Christ's

resurrection glory.

It's tragic

that many Christians

live like the rest

of the world,

trying to make

this life last forever.

We live in a culture

that is perpetually

trying to defy age

and delay death.

We pluck our white hairs,

fill in our wrinkles,

get facelifts.

We exercise,

eat organic.

Some call millennials,

those born between

1981 and 1996,

the wellness generation,

because so many of them

claim that health

and wellness

are an important factor

in their lives,

one of the most important

factors in their lives.

And because they eat

healthier and exercise

more than previous generations.

Of course,

it's good for us

to eat healthy

and exercise,

but our goal

in those things

shouldn't be

to perpetuate

this life.

That's like

wanting to stay

in the race

without ever

finishing the race.

Why would you

want that?

Our lives

should be characterized

by straining

forward

toward eternity.

That's where

our prize is.

But Paul understands

that not everybody

has the same level

of spiritual maturity.

He says in verses 15 to 16,

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.

Mature Christians,

Paul says,

think this way.

Paul repeats

that verb twice

in verse 15.

This is the same word

that Paul used

earlier in Philippians

Philippians 2:2

chapter 2,

verse 2,

when he exhorted

the Philippian believers

to have the same mind,

one mind.

It's the same word

that he used

in chapter 2,

verse 5,

to say,

have this mind

among yourselves,

which is yours

in Christ Jesus.

Namely,

the mindset

of Christ

in which he endured

humiliation

and suffering

in obedience

to his Father

and was subsequently

glorified because of it.

Paul uses

the same word

in verse 19

to denounce

those who have

their minds

set on earthly things.

In short,

then the mindset

that Paul is

commending to us

is the mindset

of Christ,

the mindset

that embraces

sharing in

Christ's suffering,

sharing in

the death of Christ,

dying to ourselves

daily

in order

to attain

to the resurrection

of the dead.

The mind

that is set

on the heavenly

prize,

Christ Jesus,

and not on

earthly things.

This is

very important,

our mindset,

not what we

claim to think.

There are many

things we claim

to think,

but Paul's

talking about

what we

actually think,

what we

actually believe.

We might say

what we believe

in our hearts.

If you actually

have this mindset,

it governs,

it controls

the way we live.

That's why

Paul says

in Romans 12

Romans 12:2

verse 2,

do not be

conformed

to this world

but be

transformed

by the

renewal

of your

mind.

Paul

trusts

that

even

for

believers,

however,

who have

not attained

a mature

mindset,

that God

will eventually

reveal that

also to

them.

Paul's

faith in

God here

is exemplary.

It's

very helpful

and instructive

for me.

If you

have ever

tried to

disciple

someone

or minister

to someone,

you know

what it

feels like

to be

disappointed,

and even

exasperated

by a

person's

dullness,

slowness,

or lack

of progress.

But Paul

has an

incredible

capacity for

patience

because he

really believes

what he said

earlier in

chapter 1

verse 6,

that,

and I am

sure of

this,

that he

who began

a good work

in you

will bring

it to

completion

at the

day of

Jesus

Christ.

Not only

in his

own life,

but also

with regard

to the

lives of

other

believers,

Paul had

the long

view,

a lifetime

of discipleship

in light

of eternity.

That's an

encouragement,

that should be

an encouragement

to us,

brothers and

sisters,

you have

not yet

arrived,

but you

will

arrive

because Christ

promises

to take

us there.

You just

need to

hold on,

stand

firm,

persevere.

Brothers and

sisters,

I am

burdened

daily as

I think

about some

people who

might not

persevere to

the end.

We need

to hold

on.

what matters

is that we

hold true,

Paul says,

to what we

have attained.

Whatever the

level of faith

God has

granted to

us,

we should

live in

proportion

to that

faith,

following the

pattern of

Christ's

death and

resurrection,

dying to

selfish,

sinful desires

and living

to Christ.

The phrase

hold true

is a

translation of

the Greek

term that

originally meant

to be drawn

up in a

line,

especially in

a military

context.

It's used

here in a

figurative

sense.

We are to

hold the

lines,

so to

speak.

However far

along we

have advanced

in our

Christian walk,

make every

aspect of

your life

down the

line conformed

to that

line.

We are

comrades in

arms.

And whenever

by God's

grace we

advance another

step in our

knowledge of

Him,

in our faith

in Him,

then we

bring every

aspect of

our lives

once again

into conformity

with that

line.

Hold

true.

Then take

another step.

Then take

another step

until that

day when

finally we

arrive in

our heavenly

kingdom.

Until that

day when

we're finally

home.

that's the

first half of

our passage,

setting our

minds on

our heavenly

prize.

In the

second half,

Paul tells

us to keep

our eyes on

heaven-minded

Christians,

keeping our

eyes on

heavenly

people.

He says

in verse

17,

brothers,

join in

imitating

me and

keep your

eyes on

those who

walk according

to the

example you

have in

us.

many

Christians are

uneasy about

such language

of imitation.

It strikes

us as

brash and

boastful

perhaps.

Imitate

you?

Why should

I do

that?

Why should

I imitate

you?

But this

attitude

simultaneously

exposes

one, our

ignorance,

and two,

our lack

of humility

and teachability.

First, it

exposes our

ignorance of

the fact that

whether we

like it or

not, we

are already

imitating

someone.

We're social

creatures.

We are

always imitating

somebody in

one way or

another.

There's not a

single person

on earth who

is not

influenced by

other people.

If you say,

well, I'm

going to be

my own

person, I'm

going to be

different,

unique, a

non-conformist,

well, then

you're imitating

thousands of

other non-conformists

that have gone

before you.

It might be

our parents,

siblings,

colleagues,

professors,

celebrities,

politicians,

or friends,

but we are

already imitating

someone.

Second, it

exposes our

lack of

humility and

teachability.

We don't

like the

idea of

imitating

someone because

we think more

highly of

ourselves than

others.

our pride

expresses itself

in rugged

individualism

and self-sufficiency.

But imitation

is an

essential part

of discipleship

that we find

all over

Scripture.

Paul says

this no less

than seven

times throughout

his letters.

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4,

15 to 7,

he says,

I urge you

then,

be imitators

of me.

1 Corinthians

11,

1,

be imitators

of me as

I am of

Christ.

Philippians

4,

9,

what you

have heard

and seen

in me,

practice

these things.

1 Thessalonians

1,

6,

you became

imitators

of us

and of

the Lord.

2 Thessalonians

3,

7,

and 9,

you yourselves

know how

you ought

to imitate

us.

Whenever

Paul says

imitate me,

he is

saying,

imitate me

as I

imitate

Christ.

He is

concerned

with making

Christ

followers,

not Paul

followers.

And that is

why he adds,

keep your

eyes on

those who

walk according

to the

example you

have in

us.

Paul is

just one

example among

many.

And he

wants the

Philippian

believers to

imitate those

whose lives

follow the

pattern of

Christ and

his gospel.

Like

Timothy

and Epaphroditus

that Paul

commended earlier

in chapter

2.

This pattern

of instruction

and imitation

was modeled

by Christ

himself.

In Mark

Mark 3:14

chapter 3

verse 14,

perhaps a

paradigmatic

verse for

discipleship,

when Jesus

chooses his

twelve

disciples,

it says that

he appointed

them so

that they

might be

with him

and he

might send

them out

to preach

and have

authority to

cast out

demons.

This verse

encapsulates

what we

might call

the three

ingredients

of discipling.

One,

presence.

Two,

preaching.

Three,

power.

Jesus

teaches them

to preach

the word,

to proclaim

the gospel,

but he

also imparts

them with

spiritual

authority,

spiritual

power.

But that's

not all.

he spends

time with

them.

They do

life together.

He offers

them his

presence

and invites

them to

watch and

imitate his

life.

To put it

another way,

discipling requires

three things,

the church,

the word,

and the

spirit.

God is

the

God.

The

church, the

gathering of

Christians,

supplies the

presence, the

body of in

the flesh

believers who

are covenanted

together and

accountable to

each other,

whose examples

we can

imitate.

The word of

God is what we

must be taught to

obey and

proclaim.

Then the

spirit of God is

the one who

imparts the

authority, the

power necessary

for us to

fulfill God's,

the commission that

God has given.

So the

church, the

word, the

spirit, the

presence, the

preaching, the

power, and I

want to challenge

all of our

members to be

involved in

discipling someone.

You can call it

beating together,

you could call it

accountability, you

can call it

discipling, whatever

you call it.

You need to be in

intentional relationships

with other members

of the church in

which you are being

helped and

helping others

to follow Jesus

and become more

like him.

On the one

hand, if you

don't think there

is anyone mature

enough or

suitable enough to

disciple you,

remember that

there is no

perfect discipler

and that God

uses imperfect

human vessels

to fulfill his

perfect purpose.

The more mature

and humble you

are, the more

you will find that

you can learn

from others.

I'm regularly

challenged by

men I disciple

and I learn

from them.

On the other

hand, if you

think you're

not mature

enough to

disciple people,

remember that

any true

follower of

Christ can

disciple

because at

the very least

you know the

gospel of

Jesus Christ.

That's what it

means to be a

Christian.

So that means

you can share

the gospel with

unbelievers around

you and you can

disciple them.

And when it

comes to other

church members,

you can initiate

spiritual conversations

instead of just

talking about the

latest TV show

or the NFL

playoffs, talk

about last week's

sermon.

Ask them about

what God has been

teaching them.

Share what you

have been learning

from God.

Ask them how

they are doing

spiritually.

What has been

hard in their

lives.

Ask them how

you can pray

for them.

Our own

discipleship

following Christ

entails

discipling

others.

So if we're

not following

Christ well,

we're not doing

our own

discipleship if

we're not

discipling others.

You don't have

to be perfect

in order to

disciple others.

Paul himself

says, I have

not obtained

this.

I'm not already

perfect.

The important

part of

discipling relations

is confessing

your own sins

and weaknesses.

And showing

people that

you can lean

on Christ

through them.

So then

another helpful

practice is to

invite correction

and feedback.

Usually it

will be the

case in

these discipling

relations that

older believers

will disciple

younger believers.

That's usually

the case.

1 Timothy 5,

1-2 says,

Do not rebuke

an older man,

but encourage

him as you

would a father.

Younger men

as brothers,

older women

as mothers,

younger women

as sisters

in all

purity.

But scripture

also has

numerous examples

in the Old

and New

Testament of

the younger

teaching the

older.

And the

older we

get,

thankfully,

most of us

have long

ways to go.

The older

we get,

the more we

will also

have to

grow in

humility

and learn

from our

peers and

those who

are younger

than us.

Because if we

don't,

we won't have

any teachers

left.

Let's try

to make

verse 17

more common

in our church.

Brothers,

join in imitating

me and keep

your eyes on

those who walk

according to

the example

you have

in us.

We're a

small and

young church,

but there's

still plenty

of people

here who

are carrying

their cross

and following

Jesus,

whose examples

you should

aspire to.

Since we're

in the process

of evaluating

our deacon

candidates,

let me just

highlight some

of the deacon

candidates.

You will,

you probably

will not be

able to

imitate

John So's

dry sense

of humor,

but you

should

imitate the

way he

invests

intentionally

in relationships,

in people,

pours into

their lives

with the

word of

God.

You might

not be

able to

imitate

Lauren

Miller's

delicious

cooking,

but you

should

imitate

the way

she uses

her home

as a

base

to

integrate

people

into the

church,

bring them

into the

fold,

welcome

them,

to

counsel

them.

You

should

imitate

that.

you

might

never

give

birth

to

and

raise

six

children

like

Cheryl's

doing,

but you

should

imitate

the

humility,

the

gentleness,

and the

warm,

nurturing

love with

which Cheryl

has showered

many people

in her

church.

imitate

such

people.

There

are many

others in

the church

I can

point to.

Keep

your eyes

on heaven

minded

Christians.

Good

godly

examples

of others

are

especially

important

because

sometimes

well not

sometimes

all the

time

we are

bombarded

by the

world

with bad

examples.

Paul says

in verses

18 to

19

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.

Paul

implores the

Philippians

even with

tears

because he's

concerned for

them because

there's so

many bad

examples that

might lead

them astray

so that

people don't

make it to

the end.

Don't follow

such people.

he says

they live

as enemies

of the

cross of

Christ

because

their

lives

contradict

the

pattern

of

Christ's

death

and

resurrection

instead

of

modeling

a

cross

shaped

life

a

life

characterized

by

sharing

in the

suffering

of

Christ

dying

to

our

sinful

desires

counting

what the

world

considers

gain

as

loss

because

of

the

surpassing

worth

of

knowing

Christ

instead

of

doing

that

these

enemies

of

the

cross

of

Christ

considered

worldly

and

fleshly

things

their

gain

this is a

broad description

that fits

many people

the Judaizers

that we talked

about last

week were

such people

Paul uses

very similar

language to

describe them

in Galatians

6

12-15

he says

it is those

who want

to make

a good

showing

in the

flesh

who would

force

you to

be

circumcised

and only

in order

that they

may not

be

persecuted

for the

cross

of

Christ

for

even

those

who

are

circumcised

do not

themselves

keep

the

law

but

they

desire

to

have

you

circumcised

that

they

may

boast

in

your

flesh

but

far

be it

from

me

to

boast

except

in

the

cross

of

our

Lord

Jesus

Christ

by

which

the

world

has

been

crucified

to

me

and

I

to

the

world

for

neither

circumcision

counts

for

anything

nor