God is not willing that any should perish. After God saved Paul, God used him to show us that we can not be saved through our lineage, or good works.
For example, in verses 4-6, Paul is laying his past life out before us. And, if anyone had a right to boast in their lineage and accomplishments, he had every right to boast.
Look what he says in verses 4-6, we read, “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: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.”
Paul was saying, if LINEAGE and GOOD WORKS will save a man, then he had more reason to brag than any other man. However, in verses 7-11, Paul tells us he recognizes, that all these past accomplishments and his lineage are as dung before God.
Look at these verses. We read, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win 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, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”
In these verses, he is expressing an earnest desire to be found in Christ. But in the following verse, he is pressing on toward perfection, and recommends his own example to other believers.
Look at verse 12. “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.”
Paul, with all his accomplishments and lineage, saw himself as a man who had not yet arrived when it came to perfection.
So that we can grow in the Lord, let me show you four things we need to look at. We need to-
I. LOOK BACK AND THANK HIM.
Look at verse 13a, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:...”
When it comes to the PAST, Paul reveals to us THREE things. Such as-
A. WE SHOULD LOOK AT THE PAST.
Some would tell us that we should not look at the past. But God gave us a memory, so that we can remember things in the past. So evidently, God wants us to LOOK BACK.
WHY DOES GOD WANT US TO LOOK AT THE PAST? Why? Through the years, He has been good to all of us. He does not want us to forget what He has done for us.
Illus: This is one of the reasons His Word teaches us that we should periodically have communion in our church services. He said as often we do this, we are to do it IN REMEMBRANCE OF HIM.
But what is so sad today, is that many have spiritual Alzheimer’s disease, and day after day goes by, and they never remember the great price He paid for their sins, nor how He has blessed them in the past.
WE SHOULD LOOK AT THE PAST, but also-
B. WE SHOULD LEARN FROM THE PAST.
God would have us to LOOK, but God has a purpose in wanting us to LOOK. We are to look, so we may LEARN from the past.
Illus: Do you know the reason I do not stick my hand in an electric socket? Because I can remember a time when I did such a dumb thing, and it sent electricity all through my body. I said to myself, during that hair raising experience, if I can ever get rid of this electric socket, I WILL NEVER DO THIS AGAIN!
Listen, if we could not look back at the past and learn from our mistakes, we would have to repeat those lessons. And there are some things we have learned the hard way, and we certainly do not care about repeating those lessons.
Thank God, He made us so that we can look at the past, and see our mistakes, and LEARN from them. We should LOOK AT THE PAST, LEARN FROM THE PAST, but also-
C. WE SHOULD LEAVE THE PAST.
God would have us to LOOK, LEARN, and LEAVE the past. There are some, who feel they must continue to talk about past failures and sins. They continuously live in the past.
Illus: These people remind me of a small child with a comfort blanket. There comes a time, when Mom and Dad realize the child is getting big enough to depart from it, but just try and take that comfort blanket, and you will hear some of the most pitiful crying you have ever heard in your life.
Also, we have some who cannot grow in the Lord, because, like a baby clinging to his comfort blanket and refusing to give it up, they are still clinging to their old sins. They refuse to turn loose! God cannot forgive them of these old sins, because they are not willing to turn loose of them.
God’s Word says in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Listen, once we have truly repented of those sins, we need to put the past behind us. Men will hold our sins against us to the day we die, but Christ forgives, and Christ forgets. Once we repent of those sins, they are FORGIVEN and FORGOTTEN in the sight of God.
The old sinful man that committed those sins, is now dead and buried with Christ. He is a new Creature in Christ. After all, the person who did all those awful things is dead, and a new man has taken his place!
Rom. 8:33 34, “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”
We are to LOOK BACK and THANK HIM for saving us! Also, we are to-
II. LOOK AHEAD AND TRUST HIM.
Look at verses13b 14, “...reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize....” Paul looked back, and he was able to learn from his mistakes, failures and sins. But most of his life was not spent LOOKING BACK. Paul spent most of his life LOOKING AHEAD. How did the apostle Paul LOOK AHEAD? Look at-
A. HOW HE LIVED.
Look at these words, “…reaching forth unto those things which are before…” HE WAS "PRESSING" FORWARD.
"Press" is the word dee o' ko which means "to pursue after a thing in order to lay hold on it."
Illus: Paul almost gives you the impression he is like a child that is reaching into a cookie jar. As he reaches into the jar, he cannot quite reach the cookie at the bottom of the jar. But he gives you the impression he is on his tip toes, and he is reaching in as far as he can reach, to lay hold on that cookie.
This is exactly how the apostle Paul lived his Christian life. He was “pressing” as hard as he could press, to lay hold on the things of God that were before him.
He said in 1 Cor. 10:31, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” And that is exactly what he did. Whatever he did, he did for the glory of God. We looked at how Paul LIVED, but also look at-
B. HOW HE LABORED.
If we love the Lord, we are going to LABOR for Him. Jesus Himself said in John 9:4, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”
Do you know why we can not afford to waste any of our time in laboring for the Lord? Because of two reasons -
(1) BECAUSE OF OPPORTUNITIES.
We all have opportunities today that we might not have tomorrow.
For example, we all have looked back and said to someone, “Years ago, I could have bought that piece of land for $500.00, and the other day it sold for $500,000.00.”
Opportunities come our way, but those same opportunities may disappear next week, and never again will they be within the scope of our reach. We all should press forward as hard as we can, because the opportunities we have today, may be gone tomorrow. Also, we should press forward-
(2) BECAUSE OF OLD AGE.
Did you know that everyone here has one thing in common? That is, none of us are growing younger, we all are growing older.
Illus: We all have looked back and said, “When I was young, I could bench press 300 to 400 pounds. But now, I can hardly press the bar that holds the weights.”
WHAT HAS HAPPENED?
Old age is setting in, and you can no longer do what you once did. Listen, you can walk across the street and talk to a lost neighbor today. As the years go by, and if you live long enough, the only way you are going to get across the street, is for someone to carry you.
Because of these two reasons, OPPORTUNITIES and OLD AGE, we need to take advantage of every opportunity that we have available to us.
Paul was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Christians that ever walked on this earth. We looked at how he LIVED and how he LABORED, but also let us look at-
C. HIS LOVE .
One of the most dominant, visible things in our lives, should be our love. That love should be reflected in two ways:
(1)LOVE FOR GOD
Matt. 22:36 37, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THY GOD with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”
The Lord Jesus said this is the greatest commandment of them all. You are to love THE LORD THY GOD, WITH ALL THY HEART, AND WITH ALL THY SOUL, AND WITH ALL THY MIND.
This is the way the apostle Paul loved the Lord. He loved Him with all his heart. And, if we are going to grow in the Lord, we are going to have to love the Lord the same way. Also, if we are going to grow in the Lord, we are going to have to have a-
(2) LOVE FOR GOD’S PEOPLE
Matt. 22:38 39, “This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
John 13:35, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
Some professing Christians in God’s church, have not grown one iota, and they will not, until they learn to love GOD with their whole heart, and until they learn to LOVE GOD’S PEOPLE.
We LOOKED BACK, and LOOKED AHEAD, but let us also -
III. LOOK AROUND AND SERVE HIM.
Look at verse 14. We read, “....the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Illus: Every time we elect a new president, it is his job to select good men and women to serve in his cabinet.
Once he makes his choice, he notifies them that they have been selected to serve in his cabinet. Some of these men and women are wealthy people, but they cease doing what they do, because they recognize there are some things greater than money.
They recognize this is one of the greatest callings in this life they will ever be called to do. But the greatest call in this life, is for God almighty to call men and women to serve Him.
A. WE ARE PARTAKERS OF A HIGH CALLING
(1) WE ARE CALLED FROM SIN TO SALVATION
1 Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”
(2) WE ARE CALLED FROM DEATH UNTO LIFE
John 5:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; BUT IS PASSED FROM DEATH UNTO LIFE.”
B. WE ARE PARTAKERS OF A HOLY CALLING
WE ARE CALLED TO BE SEPARATE FROM THE WORLD
2 Cor. 6:17,18, “WHEREFORE COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM, AND BE YE SEPARATE, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
AS BORN AGAIN CHILDREN OF GOD, we should be doing our best to live for the Lord, and bring honor to His Name, by separating ourselves from the world and its filth. God’s desire is that we grow in holiness, until we resemble Him.
We should LOOK BACK and THANK HIM, we should LOOK AHEAD and TRUST HIM, and we should LOOK AROUND and SERVE HIM.
Conclusion:
Paul was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Christians who ever walked on this earth. It could be, because he took these three looks.
I. HIS LOOK BACK.
II. HIS LOOK AHEAD.
III. HIS LOOK AROUND.
Note: You can hear Dr. Odell Belger preach many of these sermons on Youtube. Just type Youtube Lykesland
