The title of my message tonight
is Five Words of Thoughtful Instruction, Thoughtful Reflection, excuse
me. Five Words of Thoughtful Reflection. Let's turn to Philippians
chapter 3. I told you Bible's open before
you. We're going to look at these
21 verses in this very instructive portion of scripture. Five Words
of Thoughtful Reflection, Philippians 3. Here's the first word. Count. May God, the Holy Spirit, teach
us to count all things but loss for Christ. To count them but
dung that we may win Christ. I sat for a long time earlier
this morning meditating on that declaration, that supplication,
that prayer for myself and for you. God, teach me, teach us
to count all things but loss for Christ, to count them but
dung that we may win Christ. Let's read beginning at verse
one. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same
things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, But for you, it
is safe. Beware of dogs. Beware of evil
workers. Beware of the concision. For
we are the circumcision. We are God's chosen, covenant,
elect, redeemed, regenerate people, which worship God in the spirit
and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh.
And then Paul speaks of his past. his life's experience before
God saved him. Though I might also have confidence
in the flesh, if any other man thinketh that he hath whereof
he might trust in the flesh, I more. If any man thinks he's
got something he can look to and trust, Paul says, I have
a greater reason for that self-confidence. I will circumcise the eighth
day of the stock of Israel. of the tribe of Benjamin and
Hebrew of the Hebrews as touching the law of Pharisee, concerning
zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which
is in the law blameless. But what things were gained to
me, I counted loss for Christ. He's not suggesting or stating
in any way that he was blameless before God. But in his behavior,
he says, I was blameless before me. That is some remarkable statement
as touching the law, blameless. And he says all of this, my religious
pedigree, my learning, my standing, my works, my reputation, the
esteem men had for me, all those things, I count them loss for
Christ, per se. Yea, doubtless, and I count all
things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
my Lord. I count them all loss that I
may know Christ for whom I've suffered the loss of all things
and do count them but dung that I may win Christ. All the riches of the flesh. all the pleasures of nature,
all that man could desire for himself in this world, I count
but done that I may win Christ, that I may know Christ and be
found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of
the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness
which is of God by faith, that I may know him. This is life
eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus
Christ whom thou hast sent, that I might know him and the power
of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, that I may
know God in his Son by the power of his grace that raises men
from the dead, even as it raised Christ from the dead, that I
may know my fellowship, my participation in all that he suffered as my
substitute, being made conformable unto his death, if by any means
I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead, not as though I
had already attained, either were already perfect, But I follow
after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended
of Christ Jesus. Now if this man Saul of Tarsus
counted all things but loss and counted them but done, how much
more should you and I count all our past but lost? All of that which is called in
scripture our vain conversation, our vain manner of life, our
empty, meaningless, worthless existence. And that's what it
was when God saved us by his grace. A meaningless, empty,
worthless existence. That's what it is to live without
Christ. It is to live in a vain conversation. a meaningless life, a worthless
life, a life that makes no contribution of any kind to anyone that's
of any real value. That's a worthless life. That's
a worthless life. How much more are we to count
all our past but done? Certainly, Paul includes in this
all things present as well concerning this temporal life, but it's
speaking specifically of things past. Let us learn to look upon
ourselves just that way. I go back years ago, and I suppose
it's so now when I was in high school and college, evangelistic
teams and evangelistic folks on television and so forth, they'd
get folks who had been football players, or baseball players,
or basketball players, and they'd be converted, and they'd say,
oh, look what he gave up to serve the Lord. I'll tell you what
he gave up, hog manure. That's all, nothing, nothing. We didn't have anything to offer
God, nothing to give God, nothing that would make us any kind of
an improvement toward God. The apostle once wrote of himself,
The least of all the Apostles a man not worthy to be called
an Apostle because he persecuted the church He spoke of himself
as less than the least of all Saints and that wasn't a pretense
of humility That was genuine humility And as he was an old
man about to lead this world He said that he was the chief
of sinners You see this man never forgot that but only grew in
the awareness of what he was by nature and what and where
he was when God saved him by his grace. And in the light of
that, he counted all things but done. Three times in the book
of Acts, the Holy Spirit holds the Apostle Paul before us as
an example of God's grace in a man, an example of conversion,
an example of faith. an example that we ought to hold
in high esteem and we ought never to forget our past. We were once
dead in trespasses and in sins. Our depravity in some cases manifested
itself in horrid outward acts of evil and wicked Our depravity,
in other cases, manifested itself in acts of horrid self-righteousness,
as was the case with Saul of Tarsus. I hope we never forget
this fact. I pray for grace never to forget
what I am by nature, what I was, and where I was when God saved
me by His grace. So tonight, let's look back and
do some counting. Come back to Isaiah 51. Isaiah
51. Hold your hands here in Philippians,
we'll be right back. Isaiah 51. Hearken to me, ye that follow
after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord. Look unto the
rock which you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit which
you dig. God dug us from the pit of fallen
humanity, from the pit of corruption, from the cesspool of iniquity,
men and women dead in trespasses and in sins, men and women without
any claim on God, with nothing to offer God in our vain conversations. And from that, he made us the
sons of God. Let us never, never forget. I've often told you the story,
Mr. Spurgeon, related of a young
preacher who had become pastor, and he went to visit one of the
older men in the congregation who was quite wealthy. The man
had succeeded in business and was very wealthy, and he was
going through the man's large house, had a huge estate. And
as he walked through the house, he saw one room, then another.
Then he came on a room back of the hallway, that had just a
dirt floor and bare wooden walls, and rather than art and so forth,
just had things, pictures like you'd have on a calendar, that
kind of stuff hanging on a wall, and crude furniture. And the
young pastor asked the man, said, I don't understand. What is this?
He said, oh, pastor, that's my remembrance room. He said, I
want to come in here often and sit and remember where I came
from. and it will do us good constantly
to remember where we came from. We were like all other men, children
of wrath by nature, God-hating rebels, people living with our
fist in God's face when God saved us by His grace. The Word of
the Lord constantly teaches us to remember what we are by nature
and where we were when the Lord called us by His grace. Listen
to this word in Deuteronomy 15. Thou shalt remember that thou
wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed
thee. That's Deuteronomy 15, 15. You
see, everything in the Word of God, all worship, All service,
all sacrifice, all giving, everything in the Word of God is motivated
by God's free grace, by redemption and grace in and by Christ Jesus
the Lord, motivated by the thankful remembrance of God's goodness. John Newton, who wrote so many
of our great hymns, who wrote Amazing Grace, How Sweet the
Sound that Saved a Wretch Like Me, had hanging on the wall in
front of him, in front of his desk in his study, this verse
of scripture, Deuteronomy 15, 15. Thou shalt remember that
thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God
redeemed thee. He hung it there so that as he
prepared his sermons, as he prepared his messages, as he wrote, as
he corresponded with people, as he wrote his hymns, he would
have that constantly reminding him of God's great goodness to
him. One day, his friend William Jay
came to visit Newton at Olney, and they visited for a little
while, and Newton had before him a letter from a man who lived
in the village where William Jay was pastured. And he asked
him, said, do you know this man and called him by name? And Jay
said, oh, yes, I know him well. He was once regular in attendance
at the house of God, but he has long since abandoned those things.
And I have no hope of him ever being saved. I would despair
of anyone being saved to be him. And Newton replied to him, perhaps
the Lord has changed him. He writes a very penitent letter.
And Jay said, I can only say that if he were, If ever he should
be converted, I should despair of no one. And Newton responded,
I've never despaired of anyone since I was converted myself.
Remember, remember you were a bondman and I redeemed you. And remembering
count all things but loss. for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus the Lord. Let nothing compete with Christ
for your affections. Let nothing compete with your
Redeemer for your devotion. Let nothing compete with your
Savior for the attachment of your heart to him. Oh, may God
the Holy Spirit constantly bring to our memories his marvelous,
amazing grace in delivering us from our bondage and melt our
hearts continually before the throne of His grace. All right,
look at our text again, back here in Philippians chapter 3. Look back and remember the past.
We ought to forget it too. And that's my next word, forgetting. Count everything but done for
Christ And then we're told in verse 14, forgetting those things
which are behind. And forgetting is every bit as
important as remembering. Paul was not governed by the
memory of his past. He didn't erase his past from
his memory, but his past didn't rule over it. His past didn't
hold him down. His past didn't cause him to
live in gloom and hamper his present usefulness. Some people
seem to have a horrible love for that which is morbid. I've
received in recent weeks, and I hope the dear lady hears this
message, lengthy, lengthy letters from a lady who's just Dwelling
constantly on past. I got a note from her this morning
and say she's on her deathbed and rehearsing all the past Some
people actually think that such morbidness is in God is godliness. But the fact is it's ungodliness
Again, hold your hands here in turn to Romans chapter 6 almost
chapter 6 it runs directly contrary to the Word of God Romans 6 verse
8 If we be dead with Christ, we
believe that we shall also live with him. Knowing, verse 9, that
Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more. Death hath
no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died
unto sin once. But in that he liveth, he liveth
unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves
to be dead indeed unto sin. but alive unto God through Jesus
Christ our Lord. You look at yourself as God looks
at you in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in
your mortal body that you should obey the lust thereof. That you should obey it in the
lust thereof. Don't let your past reign over you now. Don't do that. Children of God,
learn this. May God teach us this. And it's
something we need to be taught constantly. Past is past. Past is past. That's how God
views it. And that's how we ought to view
it. Don't dwell on it. Don't stew over it. And don't
act as if your transgressions somehow are greater than God's
grace. Paul put his past behind him. Let me do the same. He had blasphemed
God. He had blasphemed Christ. He
had persecuted the church. He lived in constant desire to
wipe the earth of the name of Christ. But it was all behind
him now. All of it under the blood. with Harold Martin, one of, he
was the first deacon I knew where I served at lookout. And a faithful
man he was. His last words on this earth,
he said to me, he called me preacher. He said, preacher, it's good
to come here and know that everything is under the blood. everything under the blood. Under the blood of Jesus, safe
in the shepherd's fold. Under the blood of Jesus, safe
while the ages roll. Safe, though the worlds may crumble. Safe, though the stars grow dim. Under the blood of Jesus, I am
secure in Him. Just as we are to forget our
past transgressions and our past failures, let us also be wise
and forget our past successes, our past triumphs, and our past
usefulness. We must not live on old experiences
and rejoice in old labors. Paul had preached the gospel
in Asia and Turkey. But he didn't sit back and say,
I've gone to Asia, I've gone to Turkey, let someone else go
to Macedonia and Achaia, send someone else to Greece. No, he
was ready to go wherever God opened the door, even in his
old age. Sadly, there are many who have
no usefulness because they fondly dream of what they used to do. They fondly dream of what they
used to do, and they talk about what they used to do. Let us
not do so. We can't relive the past. And as we ought to forget our
past transgressions, we ought to forget our past deeds of usefulness,
if we have any at all, and rather live presently for our God. And
we need to get something more. Oh God, give us grace to forget
one another's past faults, failures, and offenses. How petty it is
to cherish offenses. How petty. That dear lady there,
she's been married to me for 46 years, come June. And I'm
like you, I wonder how on earth she's done it. She's a patient,
patient lady. What offenses she's had. Often injuries that were not
intended by words misspoken or words misunderstood or deeds
misunderstood. And if you cherish them, you
live in misery and make others miserable. Forget past failures. Forget past offenses. Forget
misspoken words or even intentional words forget Unintended injuries
even intentional injuries leave those things behind Not long
ago Spoke to someone as I just can't worship here as long as
so-and-so's here And I responded by saying well, I reckon you
can't worship here Surely you don't expect me to
tell someone they can't come here the gospel because they've
done something that offends you How silly how absurd how absurd? We offend much every one of us
I'm the primary example And I beg your forgiveness of
that But let us never presume that we somehow or another are
owed something because of that. Rather, forget the past and each
esteem other better than himself as one with Christ Jesus the
Lord. Here's the third word, press. Whatever our failures, whatever
our successes, let's put them behind us and press on. Paul
was single-minded, governed by one thing. Being governed by
just one thing, he pressed on toward the goal for the prize
of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let me ever be
found pressing on, never looking back, never stepping aside, never
quitting, pressing on toward the mark for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Look here, verse 13. Brethren,
I count not myself to have apprehended. I haven't arrived yet. I know
the goal that's out there. I know what God's promised me.
I know what God's working in me. I know what God's going to
do. I haven't attained that yet. But this one thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind and reaching forth into those
things which are before, I press. I press. That's a strong word.
I push hard. I strain myself toward the mark
for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Blessed
are those people. Blessed is that man. Blessed
is that woman. Who is occupied with just one
thing. If that one thing is Christ Jesus. Blessed are they who are occupied
with just one thing. if that one thing is Christ.
The man who was born blind said, one thing I know, whereas I was
blind, now I see. Our Lord Jesus spoke of Mary
and said, Mary hath chosen that better part. One thing is needful,
and Mary chose that. David said, one thing have I
desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell
in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. behold the
beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. What is that one
thing Paul's talking about here? It's the one thing that motivated
him, inspired him, the one thing he just had to have. It's exactly
what he just described in verses 8 through 12. He's talking about
attaining to the resurrection of the dead. attaining to all
the fullness of the grace of God in its consummation when
finally we have arrived at perfect likeness to Christ Jesus the
Lord. Everything I know about Christ. Everything I've experienced of
God's grace. Everything I know about the gospel.
Everything I know about this book. compels me constantly to
seek total, absolute commitment to Christ. To press after that. And Bill
Raleigh, everything on the earth rivals it. Everything on the
earth opposes it. Every relationship, every responsibility,
every work, every activity, everything on the earth stands against it.
God give me grace that I may commit myself to my Redeemer
who committed himself to me in the totality of his being. Is that what he did for us? He
committed Himself to us in the totality of His being. Everything
I know about our Redeemer, everything I know about the grace of God,
everything I read in this book compels me and my heart desires
constant, constant communion with my Redeemer. Oh, to know His presence. his
fellowship, his direction, all the time. To live in uninterrupted
communion with the Savior. These things I know are beyond
the reach of our experience in this world. I'm fully aware of
that. And I'm fully aware that while
I live in this body of flesh, I will never have the kind of
commitment to my Redeemer that He deserves and He demands and
I desire. Not going to happen. And I don't have to remind you
that communion with Him. That sweet communion with Him. I'm not going to try to pretend
things exist that don't. More often than not, Bobby, it's
just not there. More often than not, I think
about everything else. More often than not, my mind's
a thousand miles away from here. More often than not, I live in
coldness, indifference, apathy, and my heart's as hard as stone. I wish it were so. That's just
fact. That's just fact. But oh, how
I long for perfect communion with Him and total conformity
to Him, to be like Him. Oh, to be like Him. Is that what we want or isn't
it? Honestly, truly, is it or isn't it? If I know God, that's
what I want, to be like Him. and there's no possibility of
it happening while I'm here. No possibility of that kind of
conformity that He deserves, He demands, and I desire. But
blessed be God, these things we soon shall have in the completion
of His grace in resurrection glory. But the fact that they're
unattainable here, should never make us content with anything
less. Let us not be content with anything
until we've arrived at that goal, the prize of the high calling
of God in Christ Jesus. All right, here's the fourth
word, walk. Let us walk by the same rule,
look at verse 15. As we anticipate the days that
God has appointed for us, be they many or few. As we anticipate the days that
lie ahead. And for most of us, they will
most certainly be far, far fewer than the days that are gone. Frank, I can't tell you how excited
I am for you. Starting working Cornelius down
there. Oh, I'm excited for you in that
congregation But I wouldn't trade place with you for the world My days are about done Yours
too Yours too You who are aging? Our days are soon to be ended
But while we walk on this earth, let us walk by the same rule
in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, as Paul describes
it in Romans 4. Look at Philippians 3 15. Let
us, therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded. And if in anything you'd be otherwise
minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless,
whereunto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule. Let us mind the same thing. Walk
by the very rule by which we began our walk, looking to Christ. Minding the very thing that consumed
our hearts and minds when first we were called by His grace,
Jesus Christ and Him crucified, His glory, His glory. I don't guess, Lindsey, I've
ever talked to you much about your personal experience of God's
grace. Do you remember when first the Lord revealed himself in
you? Do you remember the excitement?
The excitement that stirred your soul? The excitement that pumped
your heart? The excitement that gave a spring
to your life of speaking of his glory, his grace, honoring him,
serving him? Let us walk by the same rule. Paul looked backward and forward
as he walked with God by faith. The fact is that's exactly the
way we're to view history. History is marked by B.C. and A.D., before Christ and in
the year of our Lord. He's the hinge of everything.
In our lives, he's the hinge of everything. Before Christ,
nothing. In this, the year of our Lord,
everything. Before Christ, death. In this,
the year of our Lord, life. Before Christ, condemnation. In this, the year of our Lord,
no condemnation. Before Christ, emptiness, benefit,
meaninglessness. in the year of our Lord, grace
and righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Let us
then walk as those upon whom the ends of the world have come,
living for Christ, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
unto eternal life. And that brings me to the last
word, look. As we conclude the year and anticipate
the future, Let us do so counting and forgetting, pressing and
walking and looking. Look at verse 17. Brethren, be
followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as you
have us for an example. For many walk, of whom I have
told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are
the enemies of the cross of Christ. Whose end is destruction, whose
God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who
mind earthly things. They're motivated by their lust. Their glory is their shame. They live only for what they
can get. They're enemies of the cross
of Christ. But our conversation, for our conversation, our life
is in heaven. How can he say that? How many
of you say it? Our life is in heaven. Christ
is our life. Our life is in heaven. Watch
what it says. From whence also we look for
the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our life is yonder. And from
there, the lofty throne of heaven, we stand on the tiptoe of faith
and look with expectancy for Christ. looking for him who shall
change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his
glorious body according to the working whereby he is able even
to subdue all things unto himself all things in the earth in hell
and in me. All things in the world and in
you. He's able to subdue to himself. We stand in Christ, kept by grace,
walking by faith, looking for God our Savior to finish the
work He's begun in us in His glorious second advent. Oh, what
a blessed hope this is. Soon, our Savior will appear. And when He does, He will change
our vile body. This is what it's talking about.
Everything connected with earthly humanity. Our vile body. This body in which we live and
by which we perform all the evil we perform. This body filled
with that which will bring about corruption in time. This body
that corrupts. This vile body. Oh God, teach
us so to view life in this world, this vile body, this vile existence. I don't mean to view things this
way so as to become morbid and useless. I mean view things this
way so as to view them as they really are. Merle Hart, your existence in
this world, at best, is a vile existence. Some of you fellas, I presume
most of you ladies haven't, but probably most of you fellas have
been around at some time or another when you had to clean out the
septic tank. And you want to get away from it as quickly as
you can. And you walk away from it and you can't get away because
the stench is still with you. And you go and you pull your
clothes off and you take a shower, and the quicker you get the clothes
in the laundry and they're washed, the better off to get rid of
the stench. That's what he's talking about.
Life in this world, at best, is a vile existence. But soon,
our Lord Jesus will change our vile body that it may be fashioned
like unto his glorious body. How on earth is that going to
be? According to the working whereby he is able even to subdue
all things to himself. blessed counting and forgetting
and pressing and walking and looking. Looking to the Lord
Jesus Christ who soon shall appear in his glory and change our vile
body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body. Amen.