Growing Up

Text: Philippians 3:10-14

10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

11  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

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.

13  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,

14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Allow us to wake up every day with these words: This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

1.       By knowing Him and the power of the Resurrection

d.      In this day and age we need to understand the importance of living for God.

e.      Jesus said if any man come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

f.        We must understand the importance of getting to know God personally. You must get to know Him for yourself. It is not enough to learn what someone else believes about Jesus.

g.       John 4: 39-41

39  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.

40  So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.

41  And many more believed because of his own word;

h.      Get to know God for yourself. I challenge you to read the Word of God. Let HIM teach you the Bible, and He will do it.

i.         Holy knowledge is obtained by experiencing daily problems, and learning how to allow God to help you.

j.        Pastor: I really didn't understand a lot of things until I began to suffer.

                     i.            The stings of people talking about me, being disloyal, taught me how to stay close to God. If I didn't, I probably wouldn't be here today.

                   ii.            God says if you draw nigh to Him, He will draw nigh to you - Jeremiah 33:3 - one of the Pastor's favorite Verses

k.       Philippians 3:11 - If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

                     i.            One must shed off the old way of thinking, the old way of life, in order to really suffer with Him and truly understand what it is like to walk with Him.

2.       By reaching forth, unto those things that were before.

a.       Church is like school. You can come to church, sleep during preaching,. Don't pay attention, and then when you go home and start experiencing spiritual battles, and then you won't know how to deal with them.

b.      Philippians 3:12 - 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.

                     i.            Understand this - truthfully, we have not obtained our goal to the fullest extent yet.

                   ii.            Everybody is imperfect. There is no perfect human being, and if you spend all your time judging other imperfect people, you won't be spending time working on your own issues.

                  iii.            It is a full time job trying to keep yourself in order. You won't have time to worry about what others are doing with theirs.

                 iv.            NOBODY'S PERFECT!  The only perfect One is Jesus, there is no one else other than Him.

c.       Many people allow their imperfection to stop them from ever seeking God. Do you not understand that if you are imperfect, you are exactly the kind of person that God is looking for.

d.      Luke 5:30 - But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?

                     i.            You know what people said about our church? That the only people who go to that church are down-and-outers. I thank GOD for that!

                   ii.            If you are a down=-and-outer, then church is the right place for you to be.

e.      Luke 5:31 - And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.

                     i.            Isn't that awesome, that Jesus said I didn't come for the righteous, I came for the drunkards, the drug addict, I came for the prostitutes!

f.        Walking by faith restrains us from reaching for the things that were before

g.       Hebrews 11:13 - These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

                     i.            The Israelites didn't even have what we have, but they "saw" it. Abraham had vision and he embraced it! Are you persuaded that there is a better place, that heaven is made of gold, that one day you are gonna see Jesus face?

                   ii.            Once you are persuaded, it will change the way you think, the way you talk, and the places you go!

                  iii.            Hebrews 11:14-16

14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

15  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.

16  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

d.   Do you know God has prepared for us a city? Why do we spend out time worrying, complaining, judging? When all that stuff, when we get to glory, we are going to realize it's just foolishness.

e.   All of your money, and everything you worked for, is going to burn. All we are going to take with us, are the people we influenced, the people we witnessed to.

h.      Hebrews 12:1-2

1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

                     i.         What kept Jesus going? It was the joy that was set before Him. In the end, your life is represented by a little line on a piece of paper. The day of your birth, and the day of your death, summed up by one little line on a piece of paper.

                   ii.         What will people think about you when they look down at your faith.

                  iii.         People say it doesn't matter, it does. Your testimony matters very much.

3.       Mark them, which walk, so that you have us for an example.

   i.            Philippians 3:17 - Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

                     i.            In other words, so others can follow our example as we follow Christ.

                   ii.            Paul told Timothy to be an example to other believers, in Word, conversation, in conduct, in charity, which means living those who treat you good, and ALSO love those who treat you good, in spirit, that means proper attitude.

                  iii.            Having faith, that means trusting God in good times and bad times

 ii.            Purity, that means sexual purity, and also purity in other matters of life

                     i.            Sexual purity is simple, that you keep yourself pure until your married.

                   ii.            This isn't just for the girls, but for the young men too!

1.       It's a shame before God to see so many kids growing up without their dad in their lives. Young men need to learn how to keep themselves sexually pure, and young girls too!

                  iii.            The Bible says it is good for a man not to touch a woman, but to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife.

1.       That means if you ain't married to him, you shouldn't even be touching them.

                 iv.            A lot of young people think it's okay to go ahead and stick it where ever they want to stick it.

                   v.            The church too needs to understand that as a child of God you need to live with standards.

                 vi.            Yes we're all imperfect, but don't use it as an excuse to do the wrong thing. Don't leave here saying "Oh, Pastor said it's okay for me to drink because no one is perfect!"

iii.            You can go ahead and leave here angry at me, but what will happen is the Lord will show up at your door going, "I'm still here, telling the truth!"

iv.            We always need to be an example of true Christianity. That doesn't have any bearing on what car you drive or what's in your bank account.

 v.            We need to get around people who are going to lift us.

vi.            Philippians 3:15-16

15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

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

                     i.         Understand that this comes with maturity. Verse 15 says as many as be perfect. Perfect doesn't mean sinless perfection. On this world you will never have sinless perfection

                   ii.         God doesn't even expect you to be sinless perfect, but there is another perfect He wants you to be, and that is a MATURE perfect. Maturity begins when you realize that you're not God

 g.            We get so messed up in our minds, when situations come into our lives that we have no control over, and then we stop praying to God.

                     i.            Once you get through those situations, you begin to grow, because you realize that He's sovereign, and you're not. Then you become humble.

                   ii.            Humility doesn't come without price. When you see a humble person, you know they went through some stuff to get it.

1.       Humility comes from the process of going through hard times.

4.       Let us mind the same thing.

 a.            How can you do that? In Verse 20 - For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ:

b.            Keyword is savior. We must ALWAYS seek the Lord.

 c.            1 Corinthians 7:35 - And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.

                     i.            How many of you know that it's easy to get distracted. How many of you know that you can't serve the Lord if you come to church worrying about what others are wearing.

                   ii.            It isn't Norristown Baptist Church, it's the Lord. It's not the preacher, it's the Lord, it's not the deacon, it's the Lord

                  iii.            Your service HAS to be toward God, it can't be toward me, because eventually you will come to church and I will offend you, and then you will never come back again.

                 iv.            Man will break your heart. Sometimes this has to happen, because God has to show you that you can never put your trust in no man.

d.            You put your trust in your pastor, you will NOT be serving god long. Do NOT put your trust in me.

 e.            Wise men are not always wise, and spiritual people aren't always spiritual. Bible-believing Christians don't always live like Bible-believing Christians.

  f.            Pastor: I'm not what I ought to be, but I thank God I'm better off than I used to be. That's why we are still here.

h.            If we always seek the Lord, this will allow us to stay focused.

 k.            Philippians 4:6-7

6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

                  i.            Sometimes people claim the peace of God without doing what needs to be done to obtain it.

  l.            Colossians 3:1-3

1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

m.            2 Timothy 2:3-4

3  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

4  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

                     i.            Who chose you to be a soldier? Were you man-chosen, or did God cause you to be a soldier?

                   ii.            This is why you can't get entangled with the affairs of this life!

                  iii.            In Christianity today, we need some SOLDIERS that will stand on the front line, and say though it is rough, be like Job and say though He slay me, YET I WILL TRUST HIM!

                 iv.            No man that warreth entangles himself in the affairs of this life, and people that do won't be warring for long.

   l.            Paul said demons have forsaken me, falling in love with the things of this world.

                     i.            So many people have fallen away because they began to love the things of this world.

m.            Where does our help come from? The Lord says He is a very present help in times of trouble.

n.            Hebrews 2:18 – For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

                     i.            The word succor means aid, relief, help, this means He will help you in times of trouble.

                   ii.            Isn't it a shame that Jesus doesn't treat us the way we treat each other?

                  iii.            Since He knew what it's like to be tempted, he will help us, forgive us, in times of trouble!

o.            I am here today because I serve a Savior, that is able to look beyond our action and see our need. If it wasn't for that, NONE OF US would be here today!

p.            The Word Christian, you take Christ out of it, and 'I ain't nothing!"

q.            We need to forgive and love, even as Christ loved us, so much that He died for a sinner.

Some would die for a good man, even would die for a righteous man, but HE came and died for the sinner!