I want you to turn with me to
a couple of scriptures here by way of introduction. Hebrews
11 verse 35. We read, women received their
dead raised to life again. And others were tortured, not
accepting deliverance. that they might obtain a better
resurrection. And others had trial of cruel
mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sewn
asunder, sewn in two, tempted, slain with the sword. They wandered
about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, and
tormented. Look at Acts chapter 14. Acts chapter 14, verse 19. It says, there came thither certain
Jews from Antioch and Iconium who persuaded the people. And
having stoned Paul, they stoned him and drew him, drug him out
of the city, supposing he'd been dead. Howbeit, as the disciples stood
round about him, he rose up. Came into the city and the next
day he departed with Barnabas to Derby and when they had preached
the gospel to that city and had taught many they returned again
to Lystra and Iconium and Antioch from where those men came that
stoned him and left him for dead they went back there and preaching
the gospel, confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them
to continue in the faith that we must, through much tribulation,
enter into the kingdom of God. And I want to show you something
just as miraculous and just as amazing. Look at Acts 28. Acts 28. Those things, when I read those,
I am amazed at the miracle of God's grace, that those things
really happened. Now look in Acts 28.23, here's
something else that just absolutely amazes me. Acts 28.23, And when they had
appointed him a day, this is Paul, there came many to him
into his lodging. to whom he's in prison here,
and many came to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of
God. He preached to them, persuading
them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses and out of
the prophets from morning till evening. Now get this, here's
the amazing thing. And some believed the things
which were spoken. John 6. John 6. In verse 66. John 6. Just as amazing. John 6, verse
66. From that time many of His disciples
went back and walked no more with Him. Then said Jesus unto
the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him,
Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. Listen to this. And we believe
and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living
God. Now let me show you something else just as amazing. Acts 1.
Acts 1, verse 14. Acts 1. Verse 14. This is just as astonishing. Acts 1, verse 14. This is where all of these disciples
of Christ are in the upper room and Christ has now returned to
the Father. Now listen to this amazing miracle. Verse 14. These all continue These all continue with one accord
in prayer and supplication with the women and Mary, the mother
of Jesus, and with His brethren. Look over at Acts 2, verse 41. Acts 2, verse 41. Then they that gladly received
His word were baptized, and the same day there were added unto
them about three thousand souls. Here's this amazing thing, verse
42. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and
fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers. Now turn
to Philippians 1 with me. Philippians chapter 1. Does it
strike you, be honest now, does it strike you with the same amazement
when you read that some believed and that They continued, as it
does when you read that some received their dead raised to
life again, and others were tortured not accepting deliverance. Do
you stand with the same utter amazement when you hear some
believed, as you do when you hear some were sewn in two and
wouldn't accept deliverance? What about when you hear some
continued in the faith? Does that cause you the same
amazement as when you hear some were endured cruel mockings and
scourgings even unto death and yet wouldn't accept deliverance? It should. It should. Because you're called on to believe
on Christ. You're called on to continue
in Christ. And you're called on to suffer
for Christ, even if it means unto death. Just as you're called
on to follow after holiness. Just as you're called on to walk
after righteousness. Can you do any of those things? We believe. The Lord doesn't
believe for us. We repent. The Lord doesn't repent
for us. Follow after holiness. The Lord
doesn't do that for us. Those that suffered, suffered.
The Lord didn't do that on their behalf. They did that. How did
they do it? How did they do it? Look with
me at Philippians 1.29. For unto you... He's speaking
to the brethren at Philippi. For unto you it is given in the
behalf of Christ, to glorify Christ. Now here's two things, not only
to believe on Him, that's given to you, to believe on Him, but
also to suffer for His sake. I want to look at these three
obvious divisions here in this one verse today. First of all,
unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ. The reason that God
gives grace to any sinner is to glorify his anointed. Christ, the Son of God, the Lord
Jesus Christ. It's to glorify Him. It's in
the behalf of Christ. In Matthew 3.17, when our Lord
was baptized, the scripture says, lo a voice came from heaven saying,
this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. He never said that ever. Never. And He hasn't said it
of anyone but Him since then. Look over at Matthew 16. Matthew 16. They went up into the Mount of
Transfiguration. Peter did. And it says, Matthew 17, verse
2, The Lord was transfigured before them, and His face did
shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light. And behold,
there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with Him. Then answered Peter, and said
unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If thou will,
let us make here three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses, who
represents the law, and one for Elias, who represents the prophets. And while he yet spake, behold,
a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the
cloud which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased. Hear ye him. This is the one of whom Moses
in the law and the prophets were speaking about. Now here He is. Don't go back to Moses and the
law and don't go back to worshiping the prophets. Hear ye Him. And when the disciples heard
it, they fell on their face and were sore afraid. And Jesus came
and touched them and said, Arise and be not afraid. And when they
lifted up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only. because it's given unto you in
the behalf of Jesus Christ. Everything that God does, God
does to glorify His Son. Colossians 1.14 says, in Christ
we have redemption through His blood. By Him laying down His
life, we've been bought. We have forgiveness of sins.
They're put away by Him. It says He's the image Hebrews
1 says the express image, but he is the image of the invisible
God He's the firstborn of every creature By him all things are
created in heaven and earth visible invisible thrones dominions Principality
powers all things are created by him and for him He's before
all things By Him all things consist. He's the head of the
body, the church. He's the beginning. He's the
firstborn from the dead. That in all, in every bit of
this that's just mentioned, He might have the preeminence. It's done in the behalf of Christ. That he might have the preeminence.
For it pleased the Father that in him all fullness dwell. No other reason needed. No other
reason needed. It pleased the Father. Now, here's
the second thing there in Philippians 1.29. In the behalf of glorifying
Christ, it is given unto us to believe on Him. To believe on
Him. What is given so that a sinner
can believe on Christ? What is given so that a sinner
can believe on Christ? It would be much easier to say what's not given to it.
What's given to a believer is power and life and birth. John 1.12 says, As many as received
him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even
to them that believe on his name, which were born, not of blood,
not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of
God. He gave them life, and He gave them power, and they believed
on Him, received Him, and were born of God. He gives revelation,
understanding, willingness to come to Him. Listen to Matthew
16, 17. The Lord said to Simon Barjona,
flesh and blood hath not revealed unto thee that I am the Christ,
the Son of God, but my Father which is in heaven has done this.
It's come to you by revelation. You know what that means? It
means you can't seek and find out Christ and believe on Christ
yourself by your seeking. God has to reveal Him. But God
will reveal Him. If you're His, God will reveal
Him. This is taking all of the power out of my hands and out
of your hands. You know why? Because it's given
to glorify Christ. That's why it's given is to glorify
Christ. That's why you can't earn it
because that don't glorify Christ. It's given to glorify Christ. The gift of faith and repentance
from dead works. Ephesians 2.8 says, By grace,
we know that's from God. Are you saved? We know salvation's
of God. Through faith. And that faith
is not of yourselves. It's the gift of God. If He don't
give it, you ain't got it. And you ain't gonna get it if
He don't give it. Now that's just how it is. Why?
Why does it have to be that way? Your ways are unfair, the unregenerate
man said. No, it's that way because it
is given to glorify Christ. Well, when they heard these things,
they held their peace and glorified God saying, God also to the Gentiles
granted repentance unto life. If your conscience is not purged
by the blood of Christ, through the Holy Spirit, by the sanctifying
work of the Holy Spirit, you'll never turn from your dead works,
looking to your dead flesh, boasting of your dead obedience to God,
of those dead and dying corpses of righteousness that you cling
to, you'll never let them go if God doesn't give you repentance.
Why does it have to be that way? because it's given in the behalf
of Christ, that Christ will be glorified. Isn't that what you
claim that you want, oh self-righteous man, is for Christ to be glorified?
I love how people will fly in the face of God being the author
and finisher of salvation. They'll fly in the face of that
and it's always because we stand for the glory of God. Okay then,
let's do that. It's given so that Christ will
be glorified. Christ only. Christ only. There in Philippians 1, look
back up there at verse 11. We saw this Thursday night, but
Paul spoke about growing in love, in knowledge, in having our senses
exercised, that we might be able to approve things that God approves
of, that we might be sincere, that we might be made so we don't
want to offend Christ until the very day when Christ comes back.
And in verse 11 he says, this is going to happen by being filled
with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, which
are given in the behalf of Christ, that Christ might be glorified
unto the glory and praise of God. Do you see that? So that's
got to be given, and it's given in the behalf of God. This is what Peter said, according
as His divine power hath given unto us all things. all things
that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him
that hath called us to glory and virtue. James said, Every
good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down
from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning. Of His own will begat He us with
the word of truth. He has given that Christ be glorified. Now, here's the third thing.
It says there in Philippians 129, unto you it's given in the
behalf of Christ. Now if you really want to understand
the context here, Paul is saying in verse 28, don't be terrified
by your adversaries. Because to your adversaries,
when they behold that you are not terrified by them, that is
to them an evident token that they don't have what you have.
They're being destroyed. They haven't received the grace
of God to know you and trust you. Trust Him and believe Him.
And they'll recognize. It's an evident token to them
of perdition. But when you aren't afraid, it's an evident token
to you that you've been saved. Because you're just like Him.
You wouldn't believe on Him if it hadn't been given to you to
be steadfast and believe on Him. And that of God. Why? For unto you it is given in the
behalf of Christ to believe on Him, but not only that, it's
also given to you to suffer for His sake. It's given to you the
power, the steadfastness, the constancy to be able to suffer,
to be... I'm not talking about... You
walking out here and somebody saying, well, I don't agree with
what your people preach down there. And a group of folks out
here at a restaurant somewhere laughing at you or saying something
like that. I'm talking about you standing there and the same
folks breaking out a McCulloch chainsaw, and they fixing a saw
you half in two. And you just sit there and say,
no, I trust Christ. That's got to be given to you
to do that or you won't do that. And it's no less and it's no
greater a miracle of God's grace. than the first hour you believed
in Him, and every hour since that you continued in Him, and
every desire you have to walk honorably before Him, to cleanse
yourself of this world and the self-righteous thoughts that
you can somehow come to God by something you've done, to want
to be rid of everything that has the stench of man's pride
and rebellion. You want to be freed from it.
You want to be free from the sins of immorality. You want
to be free from those things. And every desire you have that
is honoring and glorifying to Him, from the first hour to that
suffering unto death for His namesake, has to be given unto
you in order for Christ to be glorified. You got that? Now, let me show you that in
a couple of places. Turn over with me to 2 Corinthians
4, verse 10. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 10. Paul says here, we're always... I want to... let me turn over
there because I want to begin reading in verse 7. 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 verse
7 Now for the person who's gonna preach This is what Paul said
and this holds true for anyone that's gonna that is a witness
that that is a believer That's gonna bear witness of Christ,
but listen, especially for his pastors. Listen to what Paul
said 2nd Corinthians All right, bear with me just a minute Is
2 Corinthians still in the New Testament? 2 Corinthians 4. Alright,
I'm there now. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 7. We have this treasure, Paul said,
in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be
of God and not of us. We are troubled on every side,
but not distressed. We are perplexed, but we are
not in despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Cast down, but not destroyed. Always bearing about in the body
the dying of the Lord Jesus. Paul was stoned there And he
appeared to have died in his flesh. He was rejected by men. He was scorned. He was beaten. He was ridiculed. He was stripped
naked in public and shamefully treated. And he said, over in
Galatians, he said, let no man trouble me anymore because I
bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
what he's saying here. We're always bearing about in
the body the dying of the Lord Jesus. that the life also of
Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live
are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake in the behalf
of Christ to glorify Christ that the life also of Jesus might
be manifest in our mortal flesh. Why? Because it's given unto
us by God to bear it, to bear up under it. Now, look here in
verse 12. So then, and this is done through
the preaching of the gospel, Christ might be glorified through
the gospel that's preached in you, in your hearts who believe. Look now, verse 12. So then death
worketh in us, but life in you. It's for you, he's saying, that
we undergo this. We having the same spirit of
faith according as it is written. I believed, therefore have I
spoken. We also believe, therefore we
speak. If you believe God, if you trust
God, I guarantee you, what Paul is saying is, we can do this
because we believe God. We trust Him. Trusting Him is
relying absolutely upon Him to do all things through you. And Paul said, we trust Him.
So we're able to do this. He said knowing that he which
raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus and
present us with you For all things all these things that we're bearing
about are for your sakes that the abundant grace of It's being
given to us. They beheld Paul. Remember Thursday
night we looked at how Paul came out of that prison still beaten
and bruised and bleeding and he went to the house of Lydia
and he comforted them. Why? Why did God do that with
him? Why did God give him that strength to bear that suffering
to go and comfort them? Right here. The abundant grace
might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory
of God in the behalf of Christ, that Christ might be glorified.
Those men could sit there and say, there's no way. that anybody
could do what these men did other than the grace of God. God, we
thank You for the grace of God, for bringing these men to us
to preach the gospel to us, for showing us that Your grace indeed
is sufficient, for showing us that nothing can separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ. Thank You, Lord. It
goes back to Him glorifying Him. And He said, that's why I did
it this way. He's going to receive the glory
for the whole thing. From the hour you believed to
the preacher that came and preached it to you. To the day that they
tie you to a stake somewhere. He's going to receive the glory
every part in between. Now look, verse 16. Paul says, for which cause? We
faint not. We just don't faint. But though
our outward man perish, It's dying. Paul said, you can look
at my body and see what the flesh has done to it. You can look
at my body and see what God-hating, Christ-hating men have done to
my body. It's perishing. And my own sinfulness,
it's perishing every day. But the inward man that's been
created after God in righteousness and true holiness that's been
made new by the Spirit of God dwelling in it, he says it's
renewed day by day. It's getting newer. It's getting
closer and closer to perfection. Getting closer to the day of
perfection, when I'll be made perfect, conformed to Christ. And he says, for our light affliction,
which is but for a moment, worketh for us. Here's what's happening
as this is happening. Paul said it's working for us
a far more exceeding eternal weight of glory Not not necessary
meaning that that We're gonna we're gonna get something better
when we get to glory because we've suffered what he's saying
brethren is is even as we are suffering this is working for
All things work together to good for good to them that love God
to them who are the called according to his purpose He said, Tribulation
worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope,
because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. He says,
even during this, they're for a moment, but they're working
for us, in that little moment, a far more exceeding eternal
weight of glory. Why? Because as the suffering
increases, so does the vision we have through faith, while
we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which
are not seen. For the things which are seen
are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
I can't think of a better illustration of this than when Stephen has
been preaching the gospel to these men who hate the gospel.
And they begin to stone Stephen. And think of how it would feel
to have somebody pick up stones, heavy stones, These stones you
see stacked up out here that make fences. And begin to cast
them down upon you. And they begin to plummet upon
you. These stones plummet upon you.
And in that moment, it says He was filled with the Holy Ghost,
and He looked up into heaven, and He saw Christ seated there,
or standing there at God's right hand. And nobody else saw it.
Those that had the stones and were throwing them, they didn't
see it. All they saw were the things you could see with your
natural eye. But he was made to see Christ in that moment.
And Paul says, every time we come into suffering like this,
we're made to see Christ through faith. Stephen saw Christ the
same way you see Christ, through faith. and he was made to see
him more as his suffering increased and the exceeding eternal weighty
substance of glory he could see it now the more it increased
right up into the moment that he died, and then the weight
became reality. He was there in the presence
of Christ. You see what I'm saying? You
understand why? That's what Paul's saying, for the things which
are seen, these are temporal things, but the things which
aren't seen, these are eternal things. These are things that
last. Well, look over at Philippians 3 with me. Philippians 3. Now, I want to show you this,
that through giving us faith and through giving us the gift
of steadfastness, which if you think about it, faith is the
first thing. And when he's talking about suffering
here, he says the same suffering you saw in me, the same conflict
you saw in me. Thursday night, we looked and
saw how when he was writing the Philippian letter, he's talking
about back there when he was beaten at Philippi and stripped
and beaten, he's saying that same kind of conflict, that's
what he's talking about. So he, and this, he's at Rome
now, and before this suffering's over, he's going to die. Paul
here, he's going to die eventually by this type of suffering. So
really what you're looking at is the beginning to the end. The beginning to the end. He's
saying it's given to you to glorify Christ. And you're going to be
able to believe, you're going to be able to grow, you're going
to be able to walk, you're going to be able to To walk honorably,
you're going to be able to even suffer, even under death. If
it pleases God that that's how you die, you're going to do it
glorifying Him. That's why he said, I know and
I'm persuaded that Christ is going to be glorified in my body
whether it's by life or death. Either way, He's going to be
glorified. Why would God do this? Because here's how it causes
us to grow as we're continually upheld and given for the glory
of Christ, given faith and given repentance and continually given
steadfastness. Here's what it does. Look at
Philippians 3. What it did from the beginning with Paul and what
it does from the beginning with every believer, it results in
this, verse 8. Yea, doubtless I count all things
lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my
Lord. That's what it does. You go back sometime and read
Philippians chapter 3 and see all those things that Paul was
putting confidence in before and he said, I count all those
lost now. All those things make up everything
right now you're trusting in if you don't trust Christ only.
Those things he said I count done are all the things you trust
in if you don't trust Christ only All right, and he says I
count them lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
my Lord and he says for him I've suffered the loss of all things
and count them done that I might win Christ now He's using racing
terms, right? He's already started here. He's
using a terms of one who is in a race. I want to win I want
the prize And he says, and I want to be found in him, not having
mine own righteousness, which is of the law. That's the only
kind of righteousness there is. It's the righteousness which
is of the law. And he's saying here, I don't
want it to be by something I've done in the law. I want it to
be by what he's done. According to the law according
to his righteousness that which is through for me I get it through
the faithfulness of Christ and what he did the righteousness
which is of God Manifest in Christ Jesus that comes to me by faith
by believing on Christ that I might know him now listen to this for
10th verse here it is that I may know him and and the power of
his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made
conformable under his death. Now, the righteousness here is
of God's purpose, is of God's power, it's of God's accomplishment
at Calvary, it's imputed to the believer, it is the righteousness
that's freely given in the behalf of Christ, that Christ might
be glorified. He did it. But Paul says here,
I don't want just a mere doctrinal righteousness, a mere knowledge
of this righteousness, but I want to know Christ. I want to know
Him who earned this righteousness that is in charge to my account.
I want to know Him. Didn't he know Him already? Didn't
Paul know Him already? He believed Him, didn't he? Sure
he did. Knowing Him caused him to count
all those other things lost, but he said, but I want to know
more of Him. I want to know Him. and the power
of His resurrection. You know what His resurrection
accomplished? You know what the power of His resurrection accomplished?
It accomplished our justification. It made us freed from all condemnation. It meant God is satisfied. It
means victory over death is won. It means all who are given faith
in Christ are robed in Christ's righteousness. We're assured
of the hope of blessed immortality, eternal life by His resurrection. But Paul is saying here, I want
to know more than the doctrine of it. I want to know by experience
the power and efficacy of His resurrection working in me. I want to know, in other words,
that Christ lives in me in the life I now live. I live by His
power working in me. The day people, some folks get
bent out of shape when you, and I know why they do. I've heard,
I had a man take me to task one time and he said, well, I came
out of a church, this fellow's down further south, but he said,
I came out of a church up in New Jersey that teaches you that
when you're born of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit enables
you. And so now you go back to Mount Sinai and you have to obey
the law and this and that. Well, I can understand why you
have a problem with that, but brethren, The word enables, not
a bad word because the power of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled
to believe on Him. We are given faith to believe
on Him. We believe on Him, don't we?
And in that time when God gave you, when He exercised His power
in you and turned you from dead works to the true and living
God and caused you to believe on Him, and you turned, repented,
and believed on Him, You experienced the power of God, didn't you?
You experienced the true power of God to where you were able
to say, God did this. I didn't do this. God did this.
Because for X number of years, I've been cussing God and exalting
myself. God did this. I didn't do this.
God turned me. Well, Paul says, I know that.
I know the power of that resurrection. I know that. And I want to know
more of it. I want to continue to know more
of it. And he says, in the fellowship of his sufferings. It does mean
that I want to suffer for Christ. It does mean that I want to know
that I was in him when he suffered at Calvary. But how am I going
to know I was in him when he suffered at Calvary? How am I
going to know that? You're going to know that whenever
you enter into suffering and He upholds you because He dwells
in you and you dwell in Him. You're going to be made to know,
He saved me. I'm His. You're going to know
the fellowship of his sufferings experimentally, personally, that
he truly is upholding you. Isn't that what the text says?
Look back at Philippians 1.28. In nothing terrified by your
adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition,
but to you it's a token of salvation in that of God. He said, I want
to know the fellowship of that suffering, so that when I come
into it, I know I'm His. Peter said, if you be reproached
for the name of Christ, happy or blessed are you, for the Spirit
of glory and of God resteth upon you. He's saying if you're reproached,
if you bear it, if you make it through being reproached and
don't deny it, be happy because the power and glory of God rests
on you. On their part, he's evil spoken
of, but on your part, he's been glorified. Why? Because he's
given unto you That christ would be glorified that you would bear
up under it and paul's saying here I want to know that now
here's the end look at this next thing in verse 10 Here's the
end to which knowing him and and experience the power of his
resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings Here's what
it's working towards being made conformable to his death What
is that? How was christ when he died?
hebrews 12 says who for the joy that was set before Him, the
glory of God and His people, salvation of His people, the
joy set before Christ, He endured the cross. He endured the cross. He endured the cross. He never turned from God. He
never went away backwards. He continued steadfast. to the
cross, and laid down his life, and declared God just and justifier,
and brought salvation, completion for his people. And Paul says,
I want to be made conformable to that kind of faith, to that
kind of steadfastness, that come what may, for the glory of God,
and the good of my people, and the good of his people, I will
walk right into the fire. I'll walk right into the fire
for Him. Remember what He said there in
Hebrews 12? Lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily
beset us and run the race with patience, looking to the Author,
the Beginning, and the Finisher, the One that will perform it
until the day of Christ. In all points of view, looking
to Him. Listen to what he says here in Philippians 3.11. Tell
me it doesn't sound like the same thing. 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. I run the race, if that I may
apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself
to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind, laying aside those weights and the sin
that so easily beset me, and reaching forth looking forward
to the author and finisher of faith, reaching forth unto those
things which are before. I press, I run, I strive toward
the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus. I want to win Christ and be found
in Him, he said. That's what this suffering is
doing. That's what it's doing. When
it's given to you to believe, and it's given to you to suffer,
just like you're filled with the fruits of righteousness,
all by Jesus Christ, for the glory of Jesus Christ. And the
evidence that you're following after Christ, who is your holiness,
who is your completion, is that you have no desire to speak of
any holiness in you, any holiness obtained by something that you've
done, but only of Christ. And that's when Christ has truly
been made sanctification unto us, when our desire is to know
of Him, to rejoice in Him always, and to truly follow after Him
who is our holiness. Now, here's the application,
Philippians 3.15. The Word is mature. If you've
experienced this, if you understand and you know Him and you've experienced
the power of His resurrection, fellowship made a partaker of
His suffering. He says, let us be thus minded. And if anything you be otherwise
minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. I love that. I love that. If you've got a
mind for something else, God will reveal that to you. He started
this work, didn't He? He's continuing it, isn't He?
He'll reveal that to you too. Nevertheless, whereto we have
already attained, let us walk by the same rule. Let us mind
the same thing. What rule? What is it? How did
you get here? Christ, this is my beloved Son
in whom I'm well pleased. Don't go back to Moses and don't
go back to Elias. Hear ye Him. Now look down at
verse 20. For our conversation is in heaven. You see it? From whence also
we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 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." Do you believe that women receive
their children from the dead? Do you? Do you believe an axe
head came off of an axe handle into the water and it swam in
the water? Do you believe that three boys
refused to worship the idol god of Nebuchadnezzar and he heated
a furnace up seven times and threw those three boys in there
and they came out of that fiery furnace and didn't even have
a hair on their head singed? Do you believe that? Do you believe it? You believe God
did that? You believe Christ did that?
If you don't, you don't believe Him. He said, you don't believe that
He'll raise you either. If you don't believe this, you
don't believe He'll raise you, and you don't really believe
you'll actually come into a judgment and have to answer for your life.
You don't really believe it. But He says here that He's able
to subdue all things unto Himself. He subdued you, didn't He? And
made you believe it. I'll tell you what, if you knew
the blackness of this heart that's standing before you, if you could
just know it, and know that God gave me a willingness to believe
Him, you'd say, everything else downhill. Everything else ought
to be easy for Him to do. I'm telling you. He says, stand fast, therefore,
in the Lord. Be confident that He which began
the work will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Well,
how do I actually do this thing of standing fast and pressing
toward the mark? How do I actually do it? Now,
get this thing as practical for me as you can get it because
I gotta know what this is. Now, don't just send me out here
with some theoretical, natural thing. I gotta know how this
comes about because if I'm gonna practice this, I gotta know what
you're talking about. Alright, here it is. Philippians
4, 4. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice. There's the first thing. Here's
the second one. Let your moderation be known
unto all men. Now that's not talking about
don't get skunk drunk, although that'd be good, don't get skunk
drunk, but don't get worried about stuff. Don't get all bent
out of shape when things don't look like you're fixing to be
sewn into. What does he say? The Lord's
at hand. Be careful for nothing. Don't
be anxious. Don't be carried away by this
world, by the waves. But in everything, by prayer
and supplication, with thanksgiving, don't forget to thank Him for
everything that you prayed for yesterday. With thanksgiving,
let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passeth
all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus. And there's one more thing, one
more thing. Finally, brethren, whatsoever
things are true, whatsoever things are honest, Whatsoever things
are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, if
Christ be in you, think on these things. What are those? Those things
which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in
me. Do, and the God of peace shall
be with you. They're heavenly things. They're the things that we see
by faith. They're the things that's been
revealed to us in His Word. They're pure things. If they're
pure things, I know they aren't right here in this flesh. I know they're spiritual things.
Think on those things, he said. Think on them. What have you seen me do right
here since I've known you? Tried to press upon you to think
on these things. And he said, now think on him.
Think on him. And that is God's way. And through this suffering and
through him giving it to you to suffer, to glorify God so
you can bear up under it, he's going to make it so these things
become real. These things become your desire. These things become your delight.
These things aren't grievous. This becomes lighter and lighter
and easier and easier to bear. It becomes your bread and your
water. It becomes your very sustenance. And the more it does, the more
those things that you once called food, and life becomes poison
and death to you. And the more you long to just
trust Christ as He conformed, as He trusted His Father, you'll
be made conformable to His death. Trust Him. Trust Him. That's why these things are so.
That's why it's given to you. Because that glorifies Christ
Jesus the Lord.