Sermon
Notes, May 27, 2018
Rev. Garry McGlinchy
Pastor Garry's sermon, the seventh
in the series Jesus Is Lord, was
titled "Hold Fast and Press On."
It was based on Philippians 3:1-17.
In everything we do, we take inventory in one way or another. In this passage of scripture, Paul is telling
us that we need to take an inventory of our spiritual lives.
In verses 7-9, he gives us an
example using his own life.
"Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of
Christ." He was a supreme example
of Jewish manhood doing everything he had been taught, but his life was changed
by his experience on the road to Damascus.
After his encounter with Jesus,
he made a 180-degree turn-around on the road of life. He found that obedience to the law did not
give him the meaningful relationship with God that he had sought his whole
life. He considered all that he had previously done to be garbage.
In verse 10, he says "I want to
KNOW Christ." Knowing is more than
studying, or intellectual facts and principles. Paul wanted to know intimately,
in a deeply personal way, who Jesus was.
He wanted to see the world as God does, from Christ's perspective. He
wanted to know God, not just know about Him.
He wanted to know Jesus as his best friend. That's the relationship he was trying to have
by keeping the law, but he didn't find it there. Right relationship with God comes not from
keeping a list of rules, but from FAITH in Christ Jesus. The Protestant Principle, forged during the
Reformation, puts it like this: "Justification by grace through faith
alone." We protest that we can't do anything on our own to win God's favor,
not even by keeping the Old Testament law.
We must trust in Christ's blood alone for our salvation. This idea comes from passages in Romans, such
as Romans 1:16 & 17, quoting Habakkuk 2:4.
Paul wanted to know Christ in His
suffering (verse 10). Jesus reminds us
that the servant is not greater than the master. (John 15:20) Jesus suffered; we must share in His suffering
when we do the work He has given us. We
also share in Christ's resurrection (verse 11).
His resurrection guarantees our resurrection. What the Father did for Jesus He will do for
us. The power God used to raise Jesus
from the grave will also be used to raise us from our graves. Our resurrection is all part of our
relationship with Him!
Verse 12 says, "I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took
hold of me." The Christian life
always involves a give and take between what God does and what we do. We need God, completely. However, God does not allow us to be couch
potatoes. We must do our part to
cooperate with God's grace. We need to
hold fast to lessons we have learned.
Take inventory and see what we need to do to grow spiritually. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what you need
to do to take your spiritual growth to the next level.
Paul
wanted to be fully grown, not a baby Christian.
All his energy was focused on embracing Christ's vision for him. Mature Christians focus on Jesus and His desire
for them to be what He has called them to be.
He sees the potential in us.
People think they're fulfilled by realizing their dreams. But real fulfillment is realizing God's
dreams for us. Don't quit one lap short
of the finish line!
We
are pilgrims on a journey. On this
journey, He wants us to progress. We are
not done until God takes us home. In
verse 14, Paul says, "I press on..."
That's what we are to do, press on.
JESUS IS LORD!
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