Book 40

 

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 1 * PART 1 * BOOK 40

Fellowship In Resurrection Power

We trust the Lord will just open the Scriptures to everyone’s understanding as we teach. We realize that there’s so much confusion out there today, and people are hungry for the Word. Someone asked me the other day if we were going to get all the way to end of this Bible study before the Lord comes. There’s no way because once we finish going this direction, see there’s a lot back here that we skipped. I didn’t even touch the Minor Prophets, or the whole Book of Psalms and Proverbs, so I could live to be a hundred and never exhaust this Book. So we’ll just keep going until the Lord either comes or takes us off the scene, whichever may come first.

As we begin book number 40, we’ll be turning back to where we left off in the last lesson and that was in Philippians chapter 3. For maybe new listeners I always try to emphasize Paul’s apostleship to the non-Jews. We are to rightly divide the Scriptures in such a way that we don’t have everything all mixed and jumbled up, and that’s the key, of course, to understanding the Bible. I had to point out to a lady the other day, where she had a question on something that Isaiah had written. And as I read what she was referring to, and you could tell by the text that it was written to the Jew, I pointed that out to her, and she said, “Well I never saw that before.” You can’t take things like that and say, “that’s for us,” because that was written to the nation of Israel under the Law. Today we’re not under Law, but rather Grace, so a lot of these basic fundamental truths get mixed up with that which didn’t even pertain to the Church Age believer, and consequently we do have so much confusion.

So Philippians is one of Paul’s prison epistles. As we pointed out when we began with Ephesians that these prison epistles just sort of a step up into a higher plane of theology than the epistles he had written earlier. Those latter were pretty much elementary, and fundamental so far as salvation is concerned, but when we get into these prison epistles of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon, this is deeper water, this is higher ground. Paul is dealing primarily now with these letters with “our position in Christ, and what are we in the Body of Christ.” We are somebody, and regardless of our station in life in the secular world, yet in God’s eyes we are somebody special. I’ve said it to my classes in Oklahoma over and over, “Everyone of us have somebody out there that no one can reach, but you or I.” And so we have to be ready to share the Gospel with that person when the opportunity presents itself. And the only way you can be ready is to know the Scriptures. Be skilled in the Word of God. So let’s now continue on where we left off in last taping and that was in Philippians chapter 3, and we got down through verse 3, but let’s just start reading in verse 1 to pick up the flow.

Philippians 3:1a

“Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord….”

Now remember the circumstances that Paul is writing in. He’s in prison, right next door to Nero’s Palace, and the guards that are actually chained to him were some of the most vicious Roman soldiers who had probably survived some of the great military campaigns. These were tough characters, but yet after being chained to the apostle Paul for maybe 24 hours they became believers. And as we’ll see again toward the end of the Book that Paul’s ministry actually penetrated right into the inner halls of the wicked man Nero. So never forget that he’s in prison, he’s chained to a Roman guard, but yet he can say, rejoice in the Lord.

Philippians 3:1b

“…to write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe,” Paul says all these things just simply make sense to you. Now here comes a word of warning. And it’s just as appropriate today as it was when he wrote it in probably about 64 or 65 AD.

Philippians 3:2

“Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.” Now of course the concision there that he was making reference to were the Judaisers, and their constant promotion of the circumcision of the flesh, to Paul’s little congregation of Grace Age believers. Now with that in mind let’s read verse 3.

Philippians 3:3

“For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”

Now this circumcision, of course, is a spiritual circumcision which he refers to in one of his other letters, which is the cutting off of the old Adam, which was superfluous, and you and I as believers don’t need old Adam, we have the new nature. So Paul alone deals with that old Adam or as we call it that old sin nature. So Paul says, “Beware of those things, because we’re not concerned about circumcision in the flesh, but rather we’re concerned about the spiritual circumcision which is something only God can do. Now let’s move on into new ground in verse 4.

Philippians 3:4a

“Though I might also have confidence in the flesh….”

Now you want to remember that whenever the Jews in Judaism promoted circumcision, and keeping the commandments, what were they emphasizing? The flesh. It was what man could do of his own volition. See, that was as far as it could go, but we’re not under the fleshly influence in this Age of Grace, but rather we under the influence of the Spirit of God. We’re in a whole new ball game. So looking at verse 4 again.

Philippians 3:4a

“Though I might also have confidence in the flesh…”

As a good Jew, remember, and here Paul gives seven reasons again why he could boast in the flesh. Now when I look at things and I find seven, and we had seven of them back in the Book of Romans, then again I always have to be reminded of the intricacies of the inspired Word of God. Now Paul didn’t sit down and rack his brain as he was writing, and asked himself, “How can I lay out seven things? Because seven is a nice number in Scripture.” I don’t think that even entered into his mind, but rather I think the Holy Spirit just let these things roll through his mind and they came off his secretary’s pen as he dictated. It all just came rolling out and after the fact we have seven again, God’s perfect number, and here they are.

Philippians 3:4b-6

“…If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: (now here they come) 5. Circumcised the eight day, (that’s number one) of the stock of Israel,(that’s number 2) of the tribe of Benjamin, (that’s 3) an Hebrew of the Hebrews; (that’s 4) as touching the law, a Pharisee; (that’s number 5) 6. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; (or that assembly of believers up there in Jerusalem. That’s 6) touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless, (that’s 7)

So we have seven things that he had going for him as a good Jew. Now remember that the verse that’s coming is, “he’s going to count all that as dung in the King James or trash is a better word.” But let’s go back up to verses 4, 5 and 6 and see what the man is talking about that he has so much going for him in the flesh as a good Jew and yet it amounted to nothing when it came to the Spirit.

Philippians 3:4

“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:

In other words at that time when he was a Judaiser he was just about at the top of the heap when it came to religious people. There just weren’t any more religious than Saul of Tarsus, and so he lists these seven things then that coincided with that position as a good religious Jew.

Philippians 3:5a

“Circumcised the eight day, (according to the Law. That’s what the Law demanded) of the stock of Israel,…”

Now that word stock when you chase it down, do you know what that really implies? He wasn’t just a half-Jew, it wasn’t just his father who was a Jew, but both father and mother. He was a Jew through and through. Now keep all this up here in your computer (brain) because it’s going to really come to a boil when he says, “that he’s chucked all of this.” So here he is one of the primary families of Israel.

Philippians 3:5b

“…of the tribe of Benjamin,…”

Not many Jews were able to name their tribal ancestry, but for some reason or other Saul of Tarsus still could do that. He knew that he was still of the tribe of Benjamin. Now that brings something to mind that I hadn’t intended to do, and I hope I can find it. Sometimes I walk into a buzz saw when I try to find some of these things. So hopefully I can find this one also. It’s back in the Book of Genesis chapter 49. Now I just can’t dogmatically say that this is what he’s talking about but I sure think in my own mind that’s it’s ringing a bell of some kind. This is where Jacob pronounces his blessing on the twelve sons, and he goes through the whole list from the eldest, which of course was Ruben up there in verse 3, and he brings you all the way down to the youngest which was Benjamin in verse 27.

The main reason I like to teach is to get people to think about things they might never otherwise think about. Now keep Saul of Tarsus and the kind of a man that he was as a great religious persecutor of Israel. And one I refer to as a raging bull while on the road to Damascus. He couldn’t get there fast enough to arrest those Jewish believers. Now look at this verse as Jacob looks down the halls of time.

Genesis 49:27

“Benjamin (as a tribe) shall ravin as a wolf; (does that ring a bell? Wasn’t that old Saul of Tarsus? I believe that when the Lord inspired Jacob to say this, this was exactly what the He had in mind, that there was a Benjaminite coming that would fulfill this prophecy to the exact degree.) in the morning he shall devour the prey, (his persecuting. How he just ravaged those Jewish believers) and at night he shall divide the spoil.”

Do you know what I think that is? That’s the reference to the rewards the man is going to get in glory someday for having gotten Christianity off the ground. Now you may not agree with me, but I have to think that this was already back in the mind of God as Jacob was rehearsing the prophecies concerning the twelve sons. Well that was just a little free for nothing, so let’s come back to the Book of Philippians. We’ll be continuing on in verse 5.

Philippians 3:5b

“… an Hebrew of the Hebrews;…”

Now let’s look at another verse where he says much the same thing over in II Corinthians chapter 11. I always say that when Scripture repeats itself, whether it’s within a verse or two, or whether if it’s within a Book or two it’s there for a purpose of repetition, and repetition is the mother of learning. So we have to understand the make up of this apostle.

In this verse Paul‘s concerning himself with the divisions in the Corinthians Church. Some said, “Well we’re not going to follow that guy Paul, but rather we follow Christ’s earthly ministry teaching only.” Others said, “Well we’re going follow what Peter preaches.” Still others wanted to follow what Apollos taught. So Paul has to come back in II Corinthians especially, defending his apostleship, that he was the one given to us Gentiles from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and that he is our example in the Church Age today as we’ll see in Philippians 3:17 when we get to it. So he always had to defend his apostleship, his authority – and here is one of the primary ones.

II Corinthians 11:22-23a

“Are they (all these other leaders of the divisions) Hebrews? so am I, Are they Israelites? so am I, Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. 23. Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more:“ So where does that put him? Head and shoulders above everybody else. He is the apostle of the Gentiles as he declares in Romans 11:13. Now back to Philippians. chapter 3.

Philippians 3:5b

“…an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, (and remember the law was fleshly. What was he?) a Pharisee;”

Now you all know what a Pharisee was. He was that self-righteous who pulled his robe around himself, and said, “Well I don’t commit sins, I’m above all that.” And consequently they showed their utter depravity in doing it, but this was Saul of Tarsus. He was a religious Jew to the hilt. He loved temple worship, he loved his Old Testament, but he loved it with a blind ignorance. See this is what’s so true of so many people even today. Oh they’re religious, they love their religion, they’re sincere, and I respect them for that. But the only problem is,“they’re sincerely wrong!” And as Saul of Tarsus had to find out when he met the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, he melted like hot butter. Why? Because all of a sudden he was confronted with the same God that he thought he was trying to stamp out, and now he has to come back with a whole new approach to his previous lifestyle as a Jew of the Jews,Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Now verse 6.

Philippians 3:6a

“Concerning Zeal, persecuting the church;…”

The word church here is so unfortunate, it should be persecuting the assembly. I’ve taught this over and over the last 9 years on television, that the word Church is not always the same group of people. I guess maybe I should take the time to do that again today, because if there’s anything that confuses the masses it’s this one word, “Ecclesia”. Ecclesia is always translated Church, or in a place in Acts it is translated I think correctly, as an assembly, but see this assembly was a group of Ephesians rioters. They were pagans, so they certainly weren’t Church.

So the word Church, “Ecclesia really the true definition is, “a called out assembly.” In other words they were a group of people who were no long part and parcel of the masses, but they’ve been separated from the masses. Let’s look at Acts chapter 7 to show you what I’m talking about. And I think this is what Paul is talking about when he tells us to rightly divide the Scriptures. Don’t just take the word Church and consider it as the same group. They are different and you have to separate them, and here of course is the most obvious. Here Stephen is rehearsing Israel’s history, and he takes it all the way back to the call of Abraham, and now he’s all the way up where they were coming out of Egypt.

Act 7:36

“He (Moses) brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs to the land of Egypt, and to the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years. 37. This (speaking of Christ now in his fulfillment of the Mosaic type) is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. 38. This is he, (speaking of Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified Christ) that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the Mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:”

In other words all the way up through the Old Testament whenever there was a person in the Godhead speaking or dealing with some element of humanity, who was it? It was God the Son, it was Christ, and here it’s so evident. Look at verse 37 again.

Acts 7:37

“This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.”

Well how did Moses know what to say, except the Lord had implanted into his thinking. So it’s always the personality of God the Son who is speaking. Now look at 38 again.

Acts 7:38a

“This he, (the One you crucified) that was in the church in the wilderness…” (but not a New Testament Church)

I’ve only heard one guy try to make it into a New Testament Church, and he tried desperately. He twisted every Scripture you could think of to try and make it fit, but it just won’t fit, because this is not a New Testament Church. It’s a called out assembly to be sure, but of what kind of people? Jews. So this assembly that was called out of Egypt is the nation of Israel under Moses’ leadership, and here the word Ecclesia, instead of being translated Church should have been translated a called out assembly, because that’s what Israel was. We can look at another one in Acts chapter 2, and this one also is so often interchanged with what Paul calls “the Church which is His Body”. But you see Acts chapter 2 doesn’t include the words “which is His Body,” because it’s not. Now here in Acts chapter 2 we have the Jewish feast day of Pentecost, and let’s look at verse 47. Remember these were all Jewish believers.

Acts 2:47

“Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”

It would have been so much better if the translator would have used “a called out assembly” here rather than Church. These Jews were called out from the masses of Jews who had rejected Jesus of Nazareth. But this little assembly of believers had recognized Him for what He was. He was the Christ, the Messiah, and that’s all Peter proclaimed to them that day.So this called out assembly cannot be called the Church which is His Body, and it doesn’t call it that. But rather it just simply says, “And the Lord added to the church”(Ecclesia) or the Lord added to that called out assembly of Jews, people that were becoming believers.

Now let’s look at one more which really shakes up this translation, and that would be in Acts chapter 19. Of course here we’re in Ephesus and as a result of Paul’s preaching so many of those idolaters were becoming believers. They were throwing away their idols and literally wrecking the business of the idol makers, the silver craftsmen. So he was causing a riot here in Ephesus.

Acts 19:29-32a

“And the whole city was filled with confusion; and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul’s companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theater. (Can you picture it? Now those theaters back in the ancient times had doors much like our football stadiums of today. So I can just see this mass of people just filing into that open-air theater. Now verse 30) And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples (his followers, certainly not the twelve) suffered him not. 31. And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into the theater. 32. Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the (Ecclesia) assembly was confused:…”

Here they translated it assembly, but they could just as well put in the word church. It would be no more obnoxious as the called out Jews from Egypt or the called out Jews at Pentecost. So here is a good way to chase down words and realize that they don’t always mean the same thing.

 

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 1 * PART 4 * BOOK 40

Philippians 3:4-16 – Part 2

Now coming out of verse 11 in the last lesson, Paul’s whole hope of everything is that out resurrection from among the dead. It’s amazing how that Paul’s tenure of speech has changed. In his early letters, he was expecting the Lord to come in his lifetime, he really was. In fact a lot of people accuse him of being against marriage and so forth back in I Corinthians chapter 7. Well it’s wasn’t that Paul was against marriage per say, but rather he thought the Lord was in such close proximity of coming, then why cumber it up with marriage responsibilities and so forth. Well I’m about getting to that place today myself. (as the audience laugh) Les says, now that’s got nothing to do with Iris. I’m talking about entering into marriage. Our television audience will love that one won’t they?

But anyway this was where Paul was looking, he just thought the Lord was coming any moment, but you see now by the time he writes Philippians and death is just around the corner, he doesn’t feel that way. So now he realizes that he will more than likely go through the valley of death, and will be waiting for that out resurrection from among the dead. Now verse 12.

Philippians 3:12a

“Not as though I had already attained, (in other words, you don’t immediately arrive) either were already perfect…”

The Christian life is not an instantaneous perfection, but rather we grow in Grace and knowledge. We begin our Christian life as a baby begins the physical life, and we feed on the milk of the Word, and then as we progress hopefully we get into the deeper things of Scripture and get to the meat of the Word. But it is a growth process from the beginning until the end, so that’s all Paul is saying here. He knew that even the great apostle that he was, he did not suddenly have it all. And of course after you study the writings of Paul and his life, we realize that his early letters of Romans, Corinthians, and Galatians did not have these deeper doctrines that we find in these later epistles.

I feel Paul picked up the deeper things while he was in prison in Caesarea, while most people would think those were wasted years for Paul. But I don’t think they were wasted at all, I think that while he was languishing there in prison waiting to go to Rome, the Holy Spirit unloaded all these truths on him, so that when he gets to that prison experience he’s ready to start unfolding these prison epistles. So looking at verse 12 again, Paul says, “he’s not already perfect.”

Philippians 3:12b

“…but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”

Now let’s back up a few pages to the Book of Galatians chapter 1, and here is what I think Paul is making reference to in Philippians. In verse 14 we find that Paul was that religious Pharisees, keeping the tradition of the forefathers.

Galatians 1:15

“But when it pleased God, (the Sovereign God who’s in control of every life) who separated me from my mother’s womb, (so God put the finger on Paul before he was ever born.) and called me by his grace.”

Saul of Tarsus didn’t deserve what he got. Saul of Tarsus didn’t deserve the preeminent apostleship that he was given, but it’s all of Grace. I was so thrilled last Sunday at our Church. We had a guest preacher and he used the Book of Philippians for his text, and as he opened his sermon, he said, “never forget that the one greatest man that ever lived other than Christ Himself was the apostle Paul.” When he said that I almost stood up and shouted. I know not many people feel that way about Paul, but he is by far the greatest man that ever lived. Moses was great, and Abraham but I don’t think any of them can hold a candle to this man. And how he suffered for the sake of the Gospel, but it all begin when the Lord had His finger on him even while he was still in the womb. Then verse 16 is what he was apprehended for.

Galatians 1:16-17

“To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; (or Gentile or the non-Jewish world) immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood; 17. Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, (the exact opposite direction from Jerusalem) and returned again unto Damascus.”

What does this all show us? That here was a man now that wasn’t going to be the apostle of Israel as the twelve were, but he’s going to be the apostle of the Gentile world. And that’s why I’m always hammering away at the authority of his apostleship. Let’s go back a little further to Acts chapter 9, and this will be another reference of how he was apprehended by Christ Himself. He was stopped in his tracks because God had something special for the man to accomplish.

Acts 9:1-4

“And Saul, yet breathing out threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2. And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 3. And as he journeyed, (a Sovereign God interrupted and intervened in the affairs of this man) he came near Damascus and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4. And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul why persecutest thou me?”

And for sake of time come all the way down to verse 10 where we find Ananias. a Jew living in the city of Damascus, and the Lord speaks to Ananias.

Acts 9:10b-15a

“Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. 11. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth. 12. And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. 13. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: 14. And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. 15. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles,…”

And see, Saul never forgot that, and the farther he went in his ministry the more that was confirmed. Now on your way back to Philippians let’s stop in the Book of Romans chapter 11, and let’s read verse 13 to show you what I mean. This is a verse that Jerry had never seen until he saw it in our class many years ago, and told me to keep showing people this verse, because it makes all the difference in the world.

Romans 11:13a

“For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles,…”

Do you see how plain that is? Paul doesn’t include the twelve, because he is the apostle of the Gentiles, Peter and the twelve were the apostles of the Jews. (Galatians 2:9) Now let’s come on up to Romans chapter 16 for a moment. These are verses that again affirm his authority as the apostle for this Church Age, or this Age of Grace, or the age of the Gentile.

Romans 16:25

“Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, (secret) which was kept secret since the world (age) began.”

Or since Adam was created. This Gospel that Paul is preaching to the Gentiles was unheard of throughout all of human history. The Jews had no comprehension that God would save Gentiles without making them proselytes of Judaism. Over and over I have to make comment of the fact that this man was apprehended to be the apostle of the Gentile world.Remember the doctrines for this Age of Grace come only from Romans through Philemon. All the rest of Scripture is for us, we teach it, we believe, we trust it, but when it comes to basic doctrines for us today, you have to go to Romans through Philemon. You start dabbling in the rest and you’re going to get confused, and you start mixing these things and it just won’t make sense. But keep them separate and it all fits. Now back to Philippians chapter 3, and let’s look at verse 13.

Philippians 3:13a

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended;…”

Do you know what Paul is saying? “I didn’t have a thing to do with my being stricken on the road to Damascus. That wasn’t my doing. I wasn’t out there looking for God, but the Lord apprehended me.” And you know it’s the same way today. For a moment let’s look at John’s gospel chapter 3. And while you’re looking for that just stop and think, while Adam and Eve sinned and sewed fig leaves, did they go down the trail yelling Lord where are you? What did they do? They went and hid. They weren’t looking for God, He was the last one they wanted to see. Now look what John tells us. This is the Lord Himself speaking.

John 3:19-20

“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20. For everyone (the non believer whether they want to admit it or not) that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”

Now that’s mankind’s state until the Light came in. This was Saul of Tarsus’ state. He wasn’t really seeking the Light, but rather he was trying to stamp out something that he thought was in contrariness to the Light, although he didn’t have the Light himself, but he also didn’t know he didn’t have the Light. His religion had no light, and it’s no different today. For the most part, people do not seek the Light of the Truth. Most people will say, “Leave me alone, I’m comfortable, I’m getting along just fine.” But one day they’re going to wish that somebody would have prevailed upon them, but nevertheless mankind does not apprehend the Light of their own volition.

Philippians 3:13a

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,…”

Can we really forget? No we can’t forget, but God can. See, when God forgave us, does He remember our past? No, that’s been wiped clean forever. Now we can still remember, it’s there, but we don’t have to let those past things control our present. In fact as I was looking over these Scriptures last night I couldn’t help but get the thought, this is almost psychology 101. How in the world can you be a happy productive person if you’re constantly wallowing in the sorrow of past mistakes?

That reminds me of an antidote I read years ago. This young man was working under this rather harsh taskmaster, and the boss was just really chewing him out one day, and the young man said, “Well boss tell me, why don’t you ever make mistakes?” The old boss looked at the young man and said, “Experience.” Well the young man said, “How did you get experience? “By making mistakes” the boss said. See that’s exactly the way it works. We’re going to make mistakes, and if we learn from them, hey that’s good psychology, that’s what mistakes are for, so that we learn from that experience. But to wallow in the sorrow and misgivings of past mistakes, hey you’ll never amount to a hill of beans. So the apostle Paul is right on when he says, “forgetting those things which are behind.”

Now don’t think for a minute that Paul forgot the horrible persecution that he brought on those Jewish believers. We know he did because he said, “I wasted the Church.” So it plagued the poor man all through his ministry, but he didn’t let it stop him from being a productive apostle. He did not let it drive him into a mental disarray. So he says, “forgetting those things which are behind.” You just simply can’t change things that have past, so there no use worrying or fretting about it. We all make mistakes, some of them greater than others, but you don’t correct them by stewing over them. You don’t change the situation. You go on and just learn from those mistakes, and that’s exactly what Paul is saying here.

Philippians 3:13b

“…forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,”

Now when you come on into verse 14, like Paul does so often in these letters, what’s he alluding to? The Olympic races. So again he throws us the image of those runners going down the track.

Philippians 3:14

“I press (leaning forward as far as possible to hit the finish line first. And that’s the analogy that Paul is drawing. There’s no lackadaisical running here, this is full speed ahead. ) toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

What greater prize could we work for. Now Paul’s not talking about working for salvation, as that’s impossible, but rather he’s talking about the rewards that will be waiting for him. Well we could go into I Corinthians chapter 3 and look at rewards but we won’t take time for that. I would like to at least finish this chapter, and we’ve got a lot of material in here yet. Now verse 15.

Philippians 3:15a

“Let us therefore,…”

Because of the picture that he has just drawn of the Olympic runners putting everything in their race. My goodness! We’ve got to look at some of these things, so let’s go back to I Corinthians chapter 9.

I Corinthians 9:24

“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, (the race of your Christian life then) that ye may obtain. (the prize, the reward.)

We don’t know what it’s going to be, but we know that there’s going to be reward that we just can imagine, because of our running the Christian life. Now verse 25, and here’s another analogy to the Olympics.

I Corinthians 9:25a

“And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things…”

Now that word temperate is a key word for Christian living. Temperate means to maintain a balance. You don’t go flip flopping from way over here to way over there, but rather we maintain a balance. Even in their training they did not train so hard that they decimated their body, but on the other hand they weren’t so careless that they were out of shape either. So they played it temperately, and were ready when the race day came.

I Corinthians 9:25b-26a

“…Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; (usually the winner in the Olympics won just a leaf that was all dried up and was put between the pages of a book when they got home) but we an incorruptible. 26. I therefore so run,…”

Not for salvation, but rather for rewards. A lot of people don’t like that concept but that’s Pauline. Once we’re saved, we’re to run, we’re to work, we’re to strive, we’re to do everything we possibly can to win the prize in the high calling of Christ Jesus.

I Corinthians 9:26b-27

“…not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: (or shadow boxing I guess we’d call it) 27. But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection; lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

Or put on the shelf like you would a cracked pot that could not be used for anything else. If they had a beautiful pot that a lot of work had gone into, but then discovered it had a crack in it, the owner would put those pots on a separate shelf to be sold as simply a vase to decorate. So that’s what Paul is saying, “I don’t want to end up on the shelf as a cracked pot,” and that should be our attitude also. Now back to Philippians chapter 3 again. Now verse 15 again.

Philippians 3:15

“Let us therefore, (as believers) as many as be perfect, (maturity as a result of Christian growth) be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, (other than growing in our Grace and knowledge) God shall reveal even this unto you.” In other words, when we start having hang ups that are not in God’s good purposes, He’ll show them to us. Now verse 16.

Philippians 3:16

“Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.”

Now all that is really saying is that once we’ve entered into a salvation experience, we’re a child of God, we’re a member of the Body of Christ, and we’re to be a testimony of His Grace. We’re not to be out there causing turmoil and dissension and so forth, but we walk by these same rule, and what are they? I maintain that Christianity is as practical as the day is long.