I want us (Crossroads) to be alive, and on fire for God and the Gospel of God. Growing in faith together as a body, as a family.

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1 To me, I really liked the watching the end of the last superbowl (Jan 2017). Patriots and the Falcons. I studied near Boston, so I often root for the Patriots. I realize they and their quarterback Tom Brady are very controversial. Some like them and many hate them. I am not really into following sports, but the last few minutes of the Superbowl were incredible. The come back. It was amazing, and yet, it was what Tom Brady does best. Come back. Give it his all with precision and talent under great pressure. You see, I really think this thing called Church, or Christ s body of believers (including Crossroads) is living in the end times. Maybe we are thousands of years from Christ s return, but I personally believe it will come very soon. And, Scripture warns us that it will get harder and harder for Christians to keep the faith during the end times. Matt 24. Can you picture the book of Revelations where there are warnings given to the 7 churches? How about a letter being written to our congregation. What would it say? Think of Abraham and Sarah- both old, yet given a promise that seemed so unattainable. Being given the promise to have a baby in their old age? I am pretty certain Sarah may have gone through menopause. It says she was very old and past the age of childbearing. She laughed to herself. After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure? I want us (Crossroads) to be alive, and on fire for God and the Gospel of God. Growing in faith together as a body, as a family. So let us read the passage. Phil 3:1-14 Page 1 of 1

2 Philippians 3:1-14 Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. 7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken Phil 3:1-14 Page 2 of 2

3 hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. NIV from biblegateway.com Phil 3:1-14 Page 3 of 3

4 If I were to sum up four ideas I see that this passage addresses today, I would say it would be: 1. Rejoice always. 2. Realize that there is only way for salvation- that of knowing Christ and having faith in Christ and live in his power- the power of the resurrection. 3. We are to forget what is behind (our sin and failings. Our successes and claim to fame, our good works of righteous living.) While at the same time pushing ahead to the goal for which Christ is calling us heavenward. 4. We need to be willing to suffer and die for Christ. I think I struggle with a misconception that I find difficult to throw off about suffering and wanting the live out the all American Dream. How about you? Tell story about AIMING AT THE RIGHT TARGET from a sermon by Philip Green. Philip Green a preacher said: Some of our deeds are of great value, especially those done in dependence upon God for His glory and honor. Some of our deeds are worthless. They accomplish nothing of eternal value and will be quickly forgotten after we are gone. He goes on to say: Matt Emmons had the gold medal in sight. He was one shot away from claiming victory in the 2004 Olympic 50-meter three-position rifle event. He didn't even need a bull's-eye to win. His final shot merely needed to be on target. Phil 3:1-14 Page 4 of 4

5 Normally, the shot he made would have received a score of 8.1, more than enough for a gold medal. But in what was described as "an extremely rare mistake in elite competition," Emmons fired at the wrong target. Standing in lane two, he fired at the target in lane three. His score for a good shot at the wrong target? Instead of a medal, Emmons ended up in eighth place. (David Mordkoff, American Emmons Misses Out on Gold by Firing at Wrong Target, ) The preacher (Philip Green) concludes that: It doesn't matter how accurate you are if you are aiming at the wrong goal. My friends, I'm afraid many of God's children are going to get to the end of their lives and find that they have been aiming at the wrong goal. They have been aiming for a comfortable life, and they may have hit the bull's eye, but there will be no medal. Oh, they'll get into heaven because of their faith in Christ, but there will be no reward from a Father who will fairly evaluate the value of each one's work. So I want to encourage us to consider our ways. our lives. I can tell you it is no fun to evaluate and be found wanting. But, I am convinced that there are a lot of voices out there saying give up. Christianity is wrong thinking. This Christian religion, philosophy is of a past era. Everyone knows it is not real and valid for today and this bold new world. I can tell you that these voices come from one source- Satan, who is an enemy of Christ. Satan wants to discourage us or distract us, or get us at odd with one another. Satan might sow seeds of thought into our mind for us to have us think we can go this path alone. God and me, (we say to ourselves) we ll make it through life in my private life. Forget trying to attempt getting along with others and get much out of church, or be too radical for Jesus. I just want enough of Jesus on Sunday mornings and to be comfortable and secure in life. Phil 3:1-14 Page 5 of 5

6 That is not God s voice, nor the biblical teaching. God wants us to grow in community. There are various individuals in the Bible who had lapses in their older lives. David, Solomon, Hezekiah, and Noah, It is important that we realize we all have a tendency to wander from the truth. That we need to draw near to God and his truth. We need to learn well from our mistakes. Consider with me for a moment David and Bathsheba, Solomon with the many wives, and foriegn gods that he worshipped. Hezekiah was a godly king. He trusted God and was delivered by God, when he was threatened to have his country destroyed. He was told he would die at a young age, but he asked God, and God gave him more life. Yet, after that, he sinned in showing off his kingdom s valuables. Finally, Noah had worked 100 years preaching and obeying, but then he got drunk after the flood. I am reminded that Christ said that with the increase of evil, the love of most will grow cold. May we be active in the faith. I read that: If you are a Christian, you are not a citizen of this world trying to get to heaven; instead, you are a citizen of heaven making your way through this world. Quote by Vance Havner. In a nutshell, this is really what we all yearn for our eternal home! This world is NOT our home! We are sojourners in a foreign land; illegal aliens as it were; yearning for our real comfort zone ; a comfort zone which this world neither welcomes, nor helps us to prepare for it. Phil 3:1-14 Page 6 of 6

7 Paul says in Philippians 3 to watch out for those who want you to be circumcised and obey the law. Are you aware that there is a movement in Mexico as well as other places that are encouraging Christians to give up on Christianity and go back to Judaism? To learn hebrew and the scriptures in hebrew. They claim that the NT is corrupted. Paul is addressing this very issue here in this letter to the Philippians. Paul, in an unusual manner boasts about how good he was, but for the purpose of showing that it (his life work, good deeds, zeal, family background, roman and jewish citizenship, all meant nothing. His righteousness was considered by him to be the same value as dung. He said that he only trusted in knowing Christ and having faith in him. It is not an intellectual knowing, but a relational knowing. To experience the power of his resurrection, and the participation in his suffering and death. How are we doing in this area? How is our personal relationship with Christ coming? Are we growing closer? Or growing colder? Honestly? How are you doing? If you are growing closer, then there will be fruit and excitement for the things of Christ. Wanting to talk with others about him. All else pales in comparison. My only righteousness is found in Christ. Our good works, character, family back ground, knowledge of the bible, passion, does not make us righteous in Christ. Not that those are bad things, but in comparison to knowing Christ and depending on his provision for us to make us righteous before God Phil 3:1-14 Page 7 of 7

8 I am glad Paul says Not that we have already attained all this, but we press on, forgetting what his behind, and straining onto what is ahead. Press on towards the goal to win the prize. for which God has called me heaven ward in Christ. I don t think Paul is talking about our salvation in speaking of the goal, but rather any crowns, or treasure stored up in heaven. I am kind of out of order with explaining this passage. Let us look at the first verse. Rejoice in the Lord. Paul says It is no trouble for him to write the same things again, and it is a safeguard. Rejoice. Let me tell a story I found on the internet. Margaret Sangster Phippen wrote that in the mid-1950 s her father, British minister W.E. Sangster, began to notice some uneasiness in his throat and a dragging in his leg. When he went to the doctor, he found that he had an incurable disease that cased progressive muscular atrophy. His muscles would gradually waste away, his voice would fail, and his throat would soon become unable to swallow. Sangster threw himself into his work in the British home missions, figuring he could still write and he would have even more time for prayer. "Let me stay in the struggle Lord," he pleaded. "I don t mind if I can no longer be a general, but give me just a regiment to lead." He wrote articles and books, and helped organize prayer cells throughout England. "I m only in the kindergarten of suffering," he told people who pitied him. Gradually Sangsters s legs became useless. His voice went completely. But he could still hold a pen, shakily. Phil 3:1-14 Page 8 of 8

9 On Easter morning, just a few weeks before he died, he wrote a letter to his daughter. In it, he said, "It is terrible to wake up on Easter morning and have no voice to shout, "He is risen!" -- but it would be still more terrible to have a voice and not want to shout. Paul says: Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Philippians 3: 1 I want to ask: How are you doing with rejoicing always? I definitely have not obtained it yet. But I am pressing on These words by Paul are not cheap, nor are they naive. Rejoice always (1 Thess. 5:16). The shortest verse in the English New Testament is, Jesus wept (John 11:35). They are not contradictory! Our Savior could weep and yet have the fullness of joy, even as He faced the cross (John 15:11). Paul commands us to weep with those who weep (Rom. 12;15), and yet to rejoice always. The Bible says that godly people are marked both by mourning (over sin, Matt. 5:4; James 4:9; 5:1) and yet by irrepressible joy. Scripture acknowledges that discipline and trials are not joyful at the moment, but that afterward they yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness if we submit to God (Heb. 12:11; John 16:20-22). Phil 3:1-14 Page 9 of 9

10 I found some advice in a sermon by Steve Cole on how to rejoice. 1Have a good relationship with Christ. 2 Walk in submission to the HS. 3 Look at one s trials through the lens of scripture. 4 Deal with relational conflicts 5 Sing praises to God. 6 Serve the lord with gladness. 7 Focus daily on the Lord and his promises. 8 Live by faith not by feelings. Are we living behind a kind of Christianity that says we have Christ plus more? Is our Christianity only just a small part of our real lives, or is our central mission really to serve and love God and do his will? You can do whatever to me (PAUL said in Philippians) because it is Christ and his gospel message that is important. In a sermon by David Platt on Philippians 3, he suggests that we need to consider if we are living a wasted life focused on good things, but not on the right things. Help us to sacrifice of the wasted life, to give up all treasure. How are we going to impact the inner city? if the least reached places of the world are the most dangerous places. Phil 3:1-14 Page 10 of 10

11 Later I found on the internet that the great missionary statesman CT Stud said that he was told by the church not to go as a missionary because it was too dangerous. I found a quote Christianity that costs nothing produces the same. Easy christianity does not bring about much fruit. illustration PHILIPPIANS 3:8 RELIGION OR RELATIONSHIP? I found on the internet the following. I looked later for the source and could not find it again. The 19th-century Danish theologian Soren Kierkegaard identified two kinds of religion -- Religion A and Religion B. The first is "faith" in name only (2 Tim. 3:5). It's the practice of attending church without genuine faith in the living Lord. Religion B, on the other hand, is a life-transforming, destiny-changing experience. It's a definite commitment to the crucified and risen Savior, which establishes an ongoing personal relationship between a forgiven sinner and a gracious God. This difference explains why for many years British author C. S. Lewis had such great difficulty in becoming a Christian. Religion A had blinded him to Religion B. According to his brother Warren, his conversion was "no sudden plunge into a new life, but rather a slow, steady convalescence from a deep-seated spiritual illness--an illness that had its origins in our childhood, in the dry husks of religion offered by the semi-political churchgoing of Ulster, and the similar dull emptiness of compulsory church during our school days." Phil 3:1-14 Page 11 of 11

12 We all face two pivotal questions: First, are we bogged down in the empty ceremonialism of Religion A? If so, we must receive Jesus as our Savior. Second, is our relationship with Christ growing more deep and vital? -- Vernon C. Grounds You can have tons of religion without one ounce of salvation. May we live for God with our whole heart. May we find our joy in knowing Christ personally and knowing that our salvation is not based on works, but rather on what Christ has done for us. His goodness and dying on the cross. May we be willing to put him first in our lives. May we be about our father s business. Phil 3:1-14 Page 12 of 12