Well, this evening we are continuing our series of studies in Paul's Epistle to the Philippians. And as I mentioned previously, Philippi was a Roman colony in northeast Greece. Greece or Macedonia. And we read of the Apostle Paul's first visit to the city in the Acts of the Apostles in chapter 16. We also read in Acts 20 of a further visit and some scholars believe that there may have been a third and possibly even a fourth visit. And many of us will remember Philippi as being the place where the jailer and his household were soundly converted, also as the place where the Lord heart. And as I have also mentioned previously, it is thought that Paul wrote his epistle to the saints of Philippi for five reasons. He wanted first of all to thank the saints of Philippi for a gift that they had sent to him. Secondly, he wanted them to know why a man named Epaphroditus, whom the Philippian saints had sent with the gift, was now being sent back to them. Thirdly, he wanted them to know more about his own situation in Rome and those that were with him. Fourthly, he wanted to exhort the fellowship to unity. And fifthly and finally, he wanted to warn them against In our last study, our fifth study, we considered the first 11 verses of Philippians chapter 3, and when we came to a conclusion, we noted that it would be good if our desire was the same as the Apostle Paul's desire. He said, 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. Well, this evening, in our sixth study in this epistle, we'll be considering the remaining verses of chapter 3, commencing with verse 12, which follows Paul's concluding wish in verse 11, that he might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. And verse 12 reads thus, Not as though I have 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. In our last study we saw that Paul wasn't doubting that he would be included in the resurrection of the saints on that great and glorious day to come. Rather, he was acknowledging that he, like ourselves, must pass through many trials and tribulations on our way to heaven. He was on his way to glory, but he wasn't there yet. It was not as if he had already attained what he was looking forward to, or that he had yet been perfected, fully sanctified. It would be required of him, and of us, to suffer other things before we are ready for glory. But Paul did see himself as someone who was following after, following the example of his Savior, the Lord Jesus. And the Greek word used here also has the sense of someone chasing or pursuing, as in a race. And we shall see this theme continue in the next verses in our study. But verse 12 of our study concludes with these words. if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus." Paul had been apprehended or laid hold of by the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus, just as we might perhaps refer to a criminal being apprehended or caught. And the Lord took possession of Paul. And from that day onwards, Paul's outlook changed. Paul now had an interest in the things of Christ, and he wanted to emulate Him, to have communion with Him, and to pursue all that was godly, to apprehend such things as would be to the furtherance of his walk with Christ. But Paul knew that he hadn't yet arrived where he wanted to be. We see this from the next two verses of our study passage, verses 13 and 14. Who wrote this? Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended it, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press to hold the mark. for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. So Paul continues to stress that he's not yet got to where he wants to be in his Christian life, but that he is pursuing his goal. And he wrote something that every believer amongst us, I believe, would do well to take to heart, irrespective of whether we've been believers for many years or for just a relatively short time. This one thing I do. Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark, or the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. This one thing suggests, does it not, that it was something that was of primary importance. Something that was to be pursued at all costs, and at all times. Now Paul, we know, had undergone much in his Christian life. You only have to read the Acts of the Apostles to know this. And he could draw on what we might call his life experience more than most people. But, we see that rather than dwelling on those things, he now concentrated on, or prioritised, that which later came. forgetting those scenes which are behind and reaching forth unto those scenes which are before. Now, I would suggest that Paul was using a figure of speech here known as Hyperbole. He would never actually be able to forget all his past, those scenes that were behind, But he could compartmentalise them in such a way as to give greater priority to what lay ahead, reaching forth under those seams which are before. In some bracelets in our own day, there's a length of tape of some sort across the finishing line, and the first person to break the tape is declared the winner. It's believed that in Paul's day, races held in the Olympic Games, for example, there would have been a mark on the ground denoting the end point of the race, and thus runners would have been striving to be the very first person to reach that mark. And that's what Paul's got in mind as a comparison when he wrote, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. He was likening himself to a runner in a race, as we know that this was something that he did in one of his other epistles. In 1 Corinthians 9 and verse 24 you'll find these words that Paul wrote to the saints at Corinth. Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible man, but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly, So fight I not as one that preacheth the air, but I peep under my body, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, when I preach to others, I myself should be accosted. And we see there too enough a reference also to a prize to be won, a prize, which in Philippians we find described as the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Now, believers are all called to God by an effectual calling, something which cannot be resisted. And it is a high calling, inasmuch as God is on high. And some have felt that there is an illusion here in respect of someone who was the judge at games such as the Olympic Games. Some judges were seated high up, and it was their job, as it were, to give prizes to those who won the races. they may have given crowns to the winners. This reminds us of scriptures such as the first chapter of James, verse 12, which reads thus, Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them above him. And also in 2 Timothy 4 verses 7 and 8 which read, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also that love is appearing. Lastly we have 1 Peter 5 and verse 4 which tells us this. When the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Hopefully you will have noticed that we are told about three crowns. A crown of life, a crown of righteousness, and a crown of glory. Expressions of what awaits all those who endure to the end and are saved. And it's all because we are in Christ Jesus. The prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Every blessing that comes to us in this life and the next is only as a consequence of our being. in Christ, from the moment we put our trust in Him, and ever since, for time and eternity, God views us as in Christ, and He treats us accordingly. And you know, this is a very wonderful truth, and we can be apt to lose sight of it sometimes, but if we could just grasp hold of it, it will surely be to our profit. Now up to this point in our study, we've seen Paul explain how he looked at things. And now we see that he goes on to exhort his readers and themselves to look at things in the same way that he does. To be thus-minded, as he puts it. He goes, let us therefore, as many as can be perfect, be thus-minded. And if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Now the Greek word, which is translated here in the authorised version as perfect, could also have been translated as mature or even perhaps full grown. It seems to me that Paul was saying that he expected that believers who were experienced would readily appreciate the truth of all that he had been writing and would therefore be of the same mind. They would be thus minded. But he appreciated that there might be some who wouldn't initially be able to fully grasp the truth of what he wrote. Those who in respect of some things might be, as he put it, otherwise might. And for many such people his earnest desire was that God would reveal to them the truth of what he had been writing to them. And you know we might find ourselves in a similar situation. There might be people whom we know, who seem to have trouble in understanding what we might consider to be fairly basic, straightforward truths. And the best thing that we can do in some situations is to leave it with the Lord to trust that he will reveal those truths to them. One example that explains the mind is of those who have difficulty in accepting and understanding what we might refer to as the doctrines of grace. That's just one example. Now we all know that there are some who have reached what we might call a certain level of Christian maturity, even if not everyone would agree with everything that he had written. And to such people he wrote this, nevertheless, where to we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. There was a level of attainment, a level of understanding of the Gospel of Jesus, and Paul wanted that level to be maintained. He wanted the saints of Philippi to continue to be in agreement with what they agreed on. As he put it, to walk by the same rule, and to mind the same thing. Now, if I was to ask you if you thought that your fellowship, in your fellowship you walk by the same rule and you mind the same thing, I wonder what answer you would give. You know, walking by the same rule and minding the same thing, engenders unity, does it not? You know, there are some fellowships where there have been great divisions, which in turn has led to great heartache. So we should determine in our fellowships to do all that we can do to avoid such heartache. But we ever have to bear in mind that there will be some things in respect of which we will never ever be able to compromise. Now Paul was of the opinion that, if all those saints of Philippi were to follow his example, it would help them in their Christian walk. And he also believed that they should be able to recognise those who were like-minded. Thus he wrote these words, Brethren, be followers together of me. And Mark then went also, as he had asked for, as an ensemble. Now we need to be clear that Paul wasn't in any way suggesting that he himself was to be considered as the supreme example for believers. For we know that our supreme example is the Lord Jesus Christ and him alone. Paul wanted people to follow his example only in so far as he himself was following the Lord Jesus Christ and was living his life in a way that was pleasing to God. Paul never wanted to be the leader of any particular party or faction, as it were. And we see this, do we not, in his first epistle to the Corinthians, in verses 3-7 of chapter 3, where we find these words. For here I get carnal. For wherewith there is among you envy, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, all good men? For while one saith, I am a poor, and another, I am a pollice, are ye not carnal? Who then is poor? Who is a pollice? But ministers by whom ye believe, even as the Lord gave to every man. I have planted, a pollice haughted, but God gave the increase. So that neither is he that planted anything, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase. So we see clearly there what Paul thought about those things. But what the Apostle did want was that believers would follow his example in matters of faith and practice. And not only his example, but the example of all those who were of like mind. For example, he followed those together with me, and marked them which walked so, as he had asked for an ensemble. Paul was exhorting believers to mark out those who walked uncorrectly, to recognize them as such, and to be able to differentiate between them and those people whose example was definitely not to be followed. And this warning was necessary because at that time, as will be the case in every generation, there were those who would lead others astray if their example was followed. Paul knew this as we see from his description of them. For many 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. It seems that there were a considerable number, many, who were capable of leading God's people astray in Philippi. And Paul often had occasion to warn the Philippian saints about them, people of whom I have talked to often. Their evil influence was such a threat, that Paul wept or lamented over him. He wrote, and never tell you, even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. And this last description, enemies of the cross of Christ, can cover a fairly wide range of meanings. For example, it could describe those who taught that faith in the atonement death of the Saviour Calvary was insufficient. and that in fact it was necessary to continue to observe various Jewish practices. Or it could be further learned, she thought, that it wasn't actually necessary to live such a strict Christian life. Now in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 9, verse 23, we see that our Saviour said these words, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily. And so, when Paul writes of those whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things, he is clearly referring to the common people, who have no desire to take up the cross daily. Such people were destined for destruction, for eternal separation from God in the fires of hell. Rather than worshipping the One True God and serving Him, they were only interested in serving their own fleshly lusts. Their God was their belly. And they were guilty of shameful practices of which it appears they were crowned, whose glory is in their sin. Some commentators feel that this may have indicated participation in debauchery as connected to idol worship, as the word shame is a word often associated with certain items. Now the final description of those who were the enemies of the cross is that they minded earthly things, meaning that they were more concerned with the things of this world than of the world to come. Now, as we've been considering those words, 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 mine to earthly things. Did this remind anyone of any false teachers that we may have come across, or that we may have heard of? For example, did anyone think about those televangelists, or such life whose interest seems to be more in the captains of this world, and some of whom are great receivers? Others may have occurred to you, and even though we might be accused by some people of a spirit of negativity, it's appropriate. that we should be reminded of the fact that false teachers are still around, and we should mark them, we should recognise them for what they are. Did you register the fact that Paul would often warn the Philippian saints, showing us that we too need to be often warned about the danger of false teaching? If you look at church history, you'll find a steady flow of people trying to introduce heretical views into the church. Some of them succeeded, leading to cults such as the Russellites, whom we now know as the Jehovah's Witnesses. We also have the Christian scientists, we have the Christadelphians, all of which originated in once sound churches. And even in mainstream denominations which still theoretically subscribe to biblical truth, we have seen decisions, have we not, made in our own day which fly in the face of biblical teaching. And churches will be under pressure more and more to conform to what the world sees as progress, but which all true believers will realise is contrary to the Word of God. Now the false teachers were more described as those who mind earthly things, were contrasted by him with true believers, who though they lived on earth, nonetheless were heavenly minded. He wrote this, for our conversation is in heaven. From this also we look to the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. And the word translated in the Orthodox version as conversation is a word which could alternatively be translated as citizenship. Our citizenship is in heaven. Although as believers we have to live upon the earth for a time, we know that this world is not our own. We are strangers here, we are pilgrims here. We are on our way to heaven, our heavenly home. Even though we're not there yet, our citizenship is in heaven. We already belong there. Here, we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come. A city whose builder and maker is God. And it's from Heaven that we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Saviour is now in Heaven at the right hand of the Father, where we know He ever is to make intercession for us, His people. And there He will remain until that day when He will return to this world and gather all His people to Himself. That great day spoken of in the Scriptures. and there should be an expectation of this great event. We who are believers should be looking for the second coming of Christ. We should be, should we not, anticipating it. Now, one lesson that we as believers need to learn is to hold things in balance. I was hoping that believers shouldn't place too much emphasis on one thing at the expense of another. You know, there are people who get so engrossed in their consideration of the Lord's Second Advent that they spend insufficient time considering other equally important issues. But it's equally true to say that some of us may not have spent enough time thinking about our Saviour's triumphant return. When was the last time that you or I gave sufficient thought to that great day when our Saviour will come again? Sometimes we can get so bound up with our present circumstances that we forget the bigger picture. We should be looking for the Saviour. And you know, this was seen in Paul's letter to Titus, in Titus 2 verse 11. Looking for, verse 13 sorry, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our Saviour left his home in heaven once to come to this world to save his people from their sins, and he is coming again to take them to be with him forever. What a glorious prospect it is, and one that some of us should perhaps reflect on more often. Now one final thing to consider before we move on to verse 20 is that in some sense we are already in heaven. That is amazing. If you turn to Ephesians 2 verses 4-7 you'll find that he's right. But God, who is rich in mercy, for whose great love we are with, He loved us even when we were in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by Christ our Saviour, and hath raised us up together, if we have it, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding vision of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. You see, the saviour is in heaven at the right hand of his father, and because we are in Christ, in some sense, we have a place within there already. Now the final verse of our study this evening is directly connected with what believers can expect on that great day when we are asked to go to be with him. For on that day the Lord Jesus shall change our body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the work in whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. If you were to go into the street and ask those that you met if you thought that they had viable budgets, you can imagine the reaction that you would get, and you could even end up getting arrested. Even amongst people that we know well, we might think about asking such a question. And yet, the fact remains that this is how the Bible, does it not, describes our mortal budgets. Viable. Alternative translations of the Greek word translated as vion are lonely or humiliated, and it may be that you could come to terms with one of those words more readily to describe your own body. Of course, the description of the body here in Philippians as vion is not so much referring to the body's physical appearance, but to its defilement with sin. As a result of Adam's sin, all mortal bodies are subject to death and decay, and yet are begin to die from the moment we're born. Those of us who are a bit older can testify to the gradual wearing out of our bodies as the days and years go by. But one day those bar bodies are going to be changed, and we shall all have glorious new bodies. which will be fashioned like the Saviour's own resurrection body, immortal body. And we read about this, do we not, in the first epistle to the Corinthians, in chapter 15 of that epistle. And we read in verse 35 on this. But some men will say, how are the dead raised up, and with what body do they come? Thou thought, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die. And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but their grain. It may tarnish at the wheat or at some other grain, but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh. But there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies and bodies terrestrial. But the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars. For one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption. It is raised in corruption. It is sown in dishonor. It is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness. It is raised in power. It is sown a natural body. It is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul. The last Adam was made a living spirit. Had we it, that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural, and afterwards that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy. The second man is of all from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy. And as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. Quite a long passage but I think it was worth having a look at. Our bodies are going to be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the work in whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. And this reminds us, does it not, of the power of our risen saviours. We saw this power highlighted in our studies in Colossians 1, verses 16 and 17, which read as, For by Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. So we've heard of the Saviour's creative power, we've heard of His sustaining power, and now His power to recreate us, to give us completely new bodies. Aren't we looking forward to that day when we shall receive completely new bodies? Well, we've come to the end of our study this evening, and I trust that we will aim to be like Paul, who said, Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Well, perhaps in the future, whenever we see runners in a race striving and straining to be the first one to get to the finish line, we might remember how we also are to press toward