Holding Fast, Philippians, 2:14-16

will be in verse fourteen through sixteen and Paul is continuing on dealing with this issue of the unity of the church there. Think about this a little bit. Here's part of the church and they've been taught from the time they were little. You're Romans. That Philippian jailer, probably because of the history of Philippi, we know that There were a whole bunch of, like, second and third generation Roman soldiers. So you can imagine, from the time these guys are little, they're thinking, I'm a Roman soldier, I'm a Roman soldier, and it's just drilled and drummed into their heads. At the same time, who was the first convert? Lydia, who was a seller of purple, apparently of Jewish background. There's some things here that don't mix real easily, okay? And some other issues appear to have been coming to the surface, too. So Paul is not letting loose of this issue. He's continuing to bring home the truth in here. So let's take a look at what Paul's got in here.

He says in here, Do all things without grumbling or disputing, so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory, because I did not run in vain, nor toil in vain."

One of the things that stands out here as you look through here, there's a couple of so that's. And the so that's are good connecting words that also serve to divide this passage into three parts. He's saying basically you're going to do this, and then so that there'll be this result, so that there'll be this ending consequence. So we're going to do that in three parts here. We're going to say, do this now. Do all things without grumbling or disputing. That's part one.

So this happens. So you'll prove yourself to be blameless and innocent children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life. With the result then, After the second, so that, in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory, because I did not run in vain, nor toil in vain. See that? So it's three parts. It just falls naturally into those three sections. I'm going to start off here. Do this now.

And what does he say? Do all things. He doesn't just stop there, does he? He doesn't say, hey, do all things. Sometimes you feel that way, huh? Do all things. Today. That's not his point. Do all things, and he's not looking at the stuff to do, but the way it's done. It's what's going on in the midst of that doing. And so we could draw that, do all things. See, here's this green circle here. That's the all things you're going to do.

Whatever that is. Whatever all things is. What does he do? Grumbling or disputing? No. Not that. Without that. Cross those off. Those aren't in the box. Those aren't in the circle. Those are not to be a part of the all things that you do. Or you could put it this way, grumbling and disputing are outside. They're without. They're not inside the circle at all. Either way, you get the idea. Here's the all things, grumbling and disputing aren't a part of it. You get that pretty clearly from what he says, don't you? Let's take a look at, there's key words there.

This is a very interesting word, grumbling or murmurings in the King James. This is as interesting as the Greek is gangousmos. No. It's the idea of grumbling, grudging, griping, murmuring, expressing dissatisfaction. The bottom line is it's the opposite end of being cheerful. But here's what's interesting.

This is a word that's intended to sound like a noise that is present. And we have similar words. If I say pop or boom, okay? The sound of the word is to convey the idea, doesn't it? It gives the idea of the sound meaning the explosion. This word here, have you ever heard somebody imitate whispering? There's kind of that sound. This is intended to throw that kind of sound out. Like that. Here's this word.

It's the idea, and it's funny, as you find it in ancient writings, it shows up in a couple of different contexts, It shows up like a noise that is subtle but present, like a dove cooing or bees buzzing in the background. That's the idea that comes across there. It's the idea of a noise that's just under the surface. Isn't that interesting? Fascinating word.

There's the Greek Old Testament. Now, the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, but for those Jews who had kind of gotten apart from the rest of the flock, so to speak, They translated a couple of centuries before the New Testament. They translated the Old Testament into Greek. And so from that Greek Old Testament, they used the same word, and I give a few references there in Exodus 16, but it's also used elsewhere. That's just an example. It describes the behavior of the people of Israel as they're out there grumbling and murmuring out in the wilderness. Get the picture?

They're out there, I don't like this, we should have never left Egypt, and you know, And it's amazing, one of the things they expressed that they missed was the onions and the leeks. They even said, we want to go back. But a lot of this was under the surface. It was grumbling. They were out there doing this or that task, and it was murmuring and grumbling and griping and grousing. And of course, people never do that anymore, right?

Okay. But one of the things to clue you in, there's a few places in this passage, and this is one of them, where Paul draws on words from this Greek Old Testament, and he's basically giving them a picture that says, without grumbling and complaining, this is the character of what you saw among those Jews who were out in the wilderness wandering, and they were griping and grousing and muttering under their breath, and complaining to one another, and complaining to the Lord, and complaining to Moses, and there was this constant undercurrent of this noise of griping and mumbling and muttering and whispering. Disputing is the next word that comes up. Dialogismos, and you can recognize the word dialogue in there, can't you?

The only other thing is that this isn't just a nice conversation. This isn't just back and forth. It has the idea here of this kind of back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. and and you could you could kind of describe it in modern vernacular. Did not get to did not get to did not get to write like that. You've heard that. I kind of like that. That's a dialogue. That's the deal of these months disputing. Yes, he was. No, he wasn't. Yes, he was. No, he wasn't. You know, yes, I do. No, I don't that kind of thing back and forth.

The bottom line is he's not telling them, okay, we don't allow this. It's church policy. We don't allow the grumbling and griping and disputing. That's just not allowed. See here, it's in the doctrinal statement. See, that's not the point. The idea here in bringing this up is that it just isn't consistent with the life of Christ. That's the bottom line. Okay? It's not just because it's church policy or Paul thought it was a great idea that they not do this. it's inconsistent with the life of Christ.

So he goes on to explain what that looks like. So now we've looked at the first part, the do this now, the do all things without grumbling or disputing. Simple enough, right? Piece of cake, no problem understanding that. So now he goes on to the next part, the so that's. So this happens.

So let's take a look at the details in that next part. You notice as you look at this next section, it kind of breaks down into certain bullets. There are some headings there as we look at the ideas that Paul has presented, and these are those headings. Now we're going to take it one step farther as we look at this, and you have this also in your handout as well. Applying to and for the believers, but what else do you notice in there? Intermixed with it is what in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom and in the world those two?

Items are not for the believers Those are the two items that describe the rest of the people that they're around And so he's he's putting those right together, and we're going to see why in a minute Okay, blameless and innocent And the Greek words there, amemptos, not blamed, and then the second word after kai, ekaraios, the not blamed is pretty simple.

The idea is it has the a in front of it, means a negation, or not. So, not blamed, not able to be pointed fault at. It's interesting that ekaraios is one that was used in both Around the household if you had wine that was like they would take wine and dilute it for example at the last supper When Jesus offered the wine they would dilute it with substantial amounts of water. Hey, that was a mixing of liquids Also the metal workers in those days if they would mix metals This this is a word to say the metals were not mixed. Okay, so it means single-hearted impure as the metaphorical sense of it single-heartedness purity That's what he's communicating to them Why is he putting these two together?

The first one points to external purity. Nobody can point blame at you. But he says, we need to go beyond that. The second one talks about the condition of the heart. It's not looking at what other people say. It's, how am I myself, by myself, before the Lord. So he puts those two together and it's dressing the external and the internal issues. The next phrase that he puts into this package here, in this middle section here, is the children of God. And one of the things that really stands out interesting, that phrase, I mean, we think, okay, children of God, I know what that means.

That phrase, it's interesting, it's always either Paul writing or saying it, saying it in the case of Acts 17, or John. Those are the two apostles that made use of that phrase. Isn't that interesting? It doesn't even show up in the other Gospels. So this is a special usage.

And so we see it here in the Philippians 2.15 passage, the last in the biblical sequence of Paul's usage of it, this children of God idea. It comes along with a couple things. One is it's a phrase that assumes that the believers are related to God as his children.

We have a positional relationship with the Lord, don't we? Does that mean that we always, every moment, act like or exhibit that position? No. He's not telling the believers at Philippi, you're no longer Christians because you're not acting like that. But what he is telling them is that you have this positional relationship.

So what he's looking for is that in their condition, based on their position, people ought to look at you and see a likeness. Okay? Looking like him because we're related to him. Okay? There should be a family resemblance, is one way to put it. Okay?

Family resemblance. I was at a church over in California, and it was a church where my dad happens to be. And I came visiting, and they said, boy, look at that. There's Vern's dad, there's Vern, there's this family resemblance, and it was unmistakable. Okay? He's making the same comparison here. Spiritually speaking, there should be a family resemblance.

Because it's true, positionally, you have that relationship. That's there. It's real. Now, this is a fascinating word. This one. Amomas. Above reproach. It goes beyond just saying, you know, okay, you're an upstanding citizen or something of that sort.

It is a word that is used, here's the Greek Old Testament again, it's used in the Greek Old Testament to describe the sacrificial animals that were without blemish. Starting to get the picture here? The next one, Hebrews 9.14, Jesus himself is used, is described with this word, amomos, he's without blemish. You know as well as I that those sacrificial animals had to be without blemish in order to qualify as sacrificial animals. Otherwise, what do they say? Sorry, you can't use that one. That's no good. It's got this blemish or that one. Exact same word used to describe Christ being without blemish. Paul is calling the Philippian believers to be the same way. Isn't that amazing? The Philippian believers are to have a character like Christ without blemish. That same qualification that in him qualified him to be the sacrifice, the sacrifice in our place.

Now, the crooked and perverse generation. Here's another one where it pulls out of the Greek Old Testament again. This describes the nation of Israel in the wilderness, and this is where Moses describes them. A crooked and perverse generation, he uses exactly the same phrase. Only, the crooked and perverse generation, who is it? It's not the Jews this time. Who is it? It's the fellow citizens of Philippi. You see that? Those are the ones that are crooked and perverse. So let's take a look at those words. This crooked and perverse.

Scolios. Recognize that word? Ever heard of scoliosis? A real crooked, you know, backbone? Okay. Scolios. That's where that comes from. Diastropho is the next one. And that one has the idea of being twisted. Scolios is crooked this way. The next one is like this, twisted, spiraled.

And what this is doing, this is telling the Philippian believers, Paul recognizes that these people that they're living amongst are not easy people to get along with. These are not nice folks. They can be nasty as they were nasty to Paul. tell lies about him, get him whipped based on false accusation, and then have him put in prison, and with the stocks on top of it.

So it's interesting, this exact same word for crooked is used in Acts 240, and twisted in Acts 20, 30. So those words are used elsewhere in Scripture to convey this idea of crooked and twisted. Now, he's not talking about a physical condition, is he? He's talking about a moral and a spiritual condition, And it's because these people in Philippi, lo and behold, surprise of surprises, have the sin nature. And that sin nature acts this way and is this way by character. That's why it's called the sin nature. That's the way it's going to show itself. Let there be no surprise.

Something else. We've looked at this before, but I've underlined three different parts, and there's a reason. If you look at those places that have been underlined there, what do you notice? What you see is there's first in this section, in the midst, the next one, among whom, and the third one, in the world.

Now, as you examine this, you get the impression that perhaps the saints at Philippi were having a tendency to withdraw. They say, this hurts. I go out there among those people, and they're crooked and nasty and perverse, and for me to be a believer among them and tell them about Christ, they don't want to hear it. And their response is not to be ignoring the believers, but their response is to be crooked and perverse. They're twisted. They will tell lies about them. They will make false accusations, just like they did to Paul.

And so the believer's response, you get the impression from looking at this, the believer's response, it appears as, I'm going to withdraw a step or two, this hurts, this is a little tough. But Paul comes back, he says, you're to have this character, and he comes back in the midst, among whom and in the world. Guess where that puts you? Right where it's going on.

Have you noticed that over the centuries, Christians, and I'll put it this way, those among Christendom, have at times wanted to kind of isolate themselves, to seclude themselves, kind of pull apart and say, you know, if we just pull away from the world here and just isolate ourselves, it'll be just a whole lot nicer.

We can stay just really holy, staying apart. And matter of fact, we'll even have buildings that pull us apart and we'll have special orders. And over the centuries, Christians have done that. Christians of all kinds have done that, have isolated themselves.

Paul is not looking to that at all as the model. Do you see that? He underscores it with these Philippian believers, and he keeps talking about the character of Christ in them, and right in the middle of it, and he salts it again and again, in the midst, among whom, in the world. He wants those believers, whatever the cost, to be out there, not isolated, not secluded, not thinking, okay, I'll maintain my holiness, and by the way, it's easier, if I keep myself isolated and don't get all mixed up in this thing, because after all, sometimes it's a little tough." He says, nope, that's not what we're looking at here. It's right in the midst of it. When you're among whom, and by the way, this in the midst and among whom, that's the same words that he uses and Peter also uses in describing the elders being among the flock. It was the idea of a shepherd being right in the midst So what this is saying is that certainly there are times for us to gather together like this, aren't there?

But, there is also a great need for us to have this character of Christ right out there among the people with whom we live. Elbow to elbow, shoulder to shoulder. Among those people, even though he describes them as crooked and perverse. Even though he describes them as worldly.

Now that's tough, isn't it? Think about that. That's tough duty. Okay, now, what's the next thing he has here? Appear. The King James has shine here, and actually the idea is both. It is appearing, because it's first appearing, is appearing to shine. It has that sense mixed in with it. Now, what does he combine that with? What's the shining or appearing show up with? This word light, the Greek, And I want to underscore something because this isn't Foster.

Remember about a month and a half ago, I think it was Wayne and Phil and Andrew and I stood up here and we sang a song to Ben. And that song was a real distorted version of Beautiful Dreamer if you were here for that. If you weren't, you missed something or maybe you didn't. I won't debate you on that. Anyway, the guy who wrote that song was Stephen Foster, okay? That's not what this word is, this is foster, okay? Foster. So just remember that, okay? Alright, now.

This word is used, here's another one from the Greek Old Testament, okay? It's used for the luminaries on the days of creation. When those heavenly bodies that light up the world were created, This word comes forth, and that's what he calls to mind to these Philippian believers. He says, you are to be as those. You are to appear to shine as these lights, these luminaries. And notice in that Genesis passage, those light bodies were the standard.

They're to mark out dimensions of time, and they're to define their life. So this is not Hiding, okay? This is not going into hiding. Here's the other interesting thing. This is the only other use of the word foster in the New Testament aside from Revelation 21-11. And so here's this word, foster, it's describing the light of the New Jerusalem having the glory of God.

How about that? You as believers, here's this word that communicates the glory of God, a heavenly body, You as believers, who are heavenly beings, who have the glory of God, that light is to shine in the midst of those crooked and nasty and perverse people that you live among. How about that? Ever rub shoulders with any crooked and nasty and perverse people? Hopefully they're not here, but anyway.

What he's focusing on here, this is an extraordinary use of words. He has picked his words very carefully. And they're profound words. They're words that are rarely used in either the Old or New Testament in this way. And now here's this word that in the whole New Testament is only used again speaking of the glorious light of the New Jerusalem. That is an amazing word to pick.

Let's take a further look here. Holding fast. Now this one, I gotta tell ya, this one I just, I, it drove me nuts. And the reason is, You'll find holding fast in some translations, the New American Standard and the New King James has holding fast. And you'll find holding forth in the King James and actually some of the newer translations as well.

And so I was looking at that and I said, well those really communicate a couple of different ideas. What's this all about? And so I kept looking and looking and looking and looking and looking and just spent a long time trying to dig through this thing because I thought, well, this is not clear. What's going on? A couple things I discovered.

One is I'm glad I'm not someone who has to translate the Bible with the constraints that most of these translators have because the publishers will come to them and say, hey, look, you can't use a whole paragraph to say something. You've got to just come up with a couple of words and go. Keep it concise. But this is one that's a little tough to do that with. Or at least the translators seem to struggle with it. And let me step you through what I found with this.

In the past it's been translated holding fast, and that's what the New King James, New American Standard, and some others. And that kind of has the idea of, it's appealing to tenacity, doesn't it? Holding fast, holding on to something tenaciously. The other one is holding forth, it's kind of almost like implying evangelism. You're holding forth the word of life, right?

So that kind of brings that out. But as I looked at this, I said, well, first of all, those are two real different ideas, or at least they don't stand solidly as the same. And it also just seemed, it was okay, but it didn't seem to satisfy where I saw the meaning of the word elsewhere. So, literally, it means simply to hold upon, or it has the idea to give attention to.

Now we're getting somewhere. Let me show you a couple examples. Here's this Acts 3, 4, and 5, and here's Peter and John. They're entering the temple. Remember, this is Acts 3, so this is like the next chapter after the church has begun there in Acts chapter 2. So they're going into the temple, and here's Peter and John, and they see a lame man as they're entering. And Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on this lame man, and they said to him, Look at us!

And he began to, and here's this word, epical again. He began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something. Ah, giving attention. Do you see that? And just so you know, that's where it was. Okay? That's the place. This is a model of the temple, and it's right there where this took place. Okay?

Now, the next thing, second, excuse me, 1 Timothy 4, Paul uses this word again. And I especially like this one because First of all, it's Paul using it. And that helps in interpretation, because if Paul uses it, you see how Paul uses it. How does Paul use the word when he uses it?

That's helpful. The other thing I like about it is there's aspects of it that relate also to the passage we're looking at. And I think it gives further confirmation of what the idea. Here's 1 Timothy 4, 15 and 16. Paul's writing to Timothy and realizing that he's kind of given this second to last letter to him so far as we know, and he's giving a kind of a handoff to him.

He says, take pains with these things, be absorbed in them so that your progress will be evident to all. Isn't that similar to what he's told the Philippians? That basically you're going to have this character out in front of the people? And what does he say? And this is Epico again, pay close attention. Okay? And that is similar to this use, give them attention, before. You see that? Does it make sense? So now he says, pay attention to what?

To yourself and to your teaching. Your own life, that is the application of the truth, and to your teaching, the truths that you hold to. Doctrine and teaching. But in application, not just in theory. For as you do this, you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

But get the idea here, both of these passages give the insight into what this word Epico is talking about. So thinking about that, what this is saying is instead of holding fast to the Word of Life, yes, that's a part of the idea, and holding it out, yes, it's going to do that, it's giving attention to.

Giving attention to the Word of Life. And think about that for a minute. If I give attention to the Word of Life, and this Bible, God's Word, okay, is the word that I look at in order to behold the Lord Jesus through the word. It is by giving attention to the word of life that I grow from glory to glory. And by the way, you too. Okay? And so that's why as I look at this passage and I see how this is used, I turn from being puzzled to being excited because then I see, ah, now I see what this is saying. giving my fixed attention to the Word of Life so that through my attention to the Word of Life, I might be beholding the Lord Jesus Christ in the Word, growing from glory to glory.

He's telling them 2 Corinthians 3.18. Make a note of that. Now, here's the next part. He says, do this now, so this happens, and then the final section there with this result. In the day of Christ, I will have reason to glory, because I did not run in vain, nor toil in vain."

What's interesting is that Paul uses this idea of doing something in vain, either running or laboring in vain, a number of times here in the New Testament. He uses it once in 1 Corinthians, once in 2 Corinthians, three times in the book of Galatians. Apparently he was real concerned with doing something in vain with those people.

And he uses it again here in Philippians 2.16, and then twice as he writes to the church at Thessalonica. And so he has this concept, running or laboring was not something you wanted to do for nothing. Ever done something and you think it was doing something, when you get all done you find it isn't doing anything?

That's a bad feeling. And he's saying, look, I'm going through all this stuff and I don't want to do it for nothing. I don't want to do it in vain. He's laying that out there. This is not something with the intensity and effort that is going into this. This is not something to be wasted. It's not something to be cast away.

The only thing is, I ask you to recall that moment when you did something and you look back and you say that was all for nothing. This is an eternal issue. It's not just, you know, gee I thought I changed the tire and put a new tire and it's flat too. It's not just something like that. This is something, this counts for eternity. He didn't want to do something in vain.

Something else that he does here is he makes reference to this athletic term, treco. Ever take a trek? And he's used, at least once in each chapter, an athletic term. And as we continue to go through the book of Philippians, we'll take a look at some of those, especially as we get into the middle of Chapter 3 and he makes multiple references to those athletic terms. One of the reasons I think he does that, there's two things.

Because there was a main roadway passing through Philippi, there were a lot of both foot and chariot races that went through Philippi and they saw it that way. The other is what you see in the background here is the theater where they would have athletic events at the theater as well.

So both of those laboring in vain and running in vain would be pictures that the people at Philippi would understand well. One of the things we pointed out to the group here in the church history class is that the Romans, and they did this without any machinery, this is done without CAT or any of the heavy equipment companies, they built about 54,000 miles of roads by hand. And many of the roads were built by Roman soldiers, so those people knew labor. They knew working hard.

And the other point that he makes here in this last part, and it's the third time he does so here in the book of Philippians, is he makes reference to the day of Christ. And we saw it previously in chapter 1, verses 9 through 11. He says, And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ. having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. And you can see reference to the day of Christ in that Philippians 1, 6 passage we looked at as well. The bottom line is this day of Christ is looking beyond things here and now.

There will come a time when we as believers, he's not looking at unbelievers now, but there will come a time when we as believers will stand before the Lord. And as we saw at the end of Revelation, The Lord is not coming to believers with the idea of, boy, are you going to get it. That's not what he's coming to believers with.

It says at the end of Revelation, he says, I have my reward. He is looking to reward. This is a moment described in 1 Corinthians 3 here in this passage, 12 through 15, and the surrounding verses, of course, as well, that focus upon how the Lord will go about doing that, looking for reward. The Lord is looking for, how can I reward you?

And it will be a matter of looking at those things that are in vain and those things that are not. One of the things that Paul's trying to get them a perspective on is, look, right now you're going through a tough time with the other people that are around you. The people around you in Philippi, many of them are nasty folk. And it says you're having to struggle with each other. And I'm urging you to strive together.

But keep in mind that whether you're relating to other believers or to unbelievers, that the perspective is the day of the Lord. I'm living this day for that day. That's the perspective that He wants them to have in focus. And you know, the world's not going to give us that perspective, is it? The world's going to try to tell you, okay, you've got the cradle and you've got the grave, you've got everything in between, make the best of it. The world's going to give you that perspective, and beyond that, the world kind of throws up its hands. Paul's not doing that.

He's saying this all the more is the perspective to keep in mind. It's what happens when we're done here. That's the part that really counts. Therefore, do things now in such a way that the things that really count will then be valued for all their worth. Let's take a look at this. This is the kind of expanded and explained portion here.

In keeping, excuse me, in verse 14. Keeping with the spiritual unity which each of you already has in your position in Christ, okay? And that's this is basically he's continuing on with the issues that he had before Do all things and the idea is it's a present tense continuous, okay? Do all things? Continuously in your condition, okay right now you have it you have a position. That's not an issue I don't have to talk to you about your position in terms of something that has to happen or not happen That's untouchable and unchangeable. But do all things continuously, in your condition, without an undertone of grumbling.

Remember that word, gangousmos? Gangousmos, gangousmos, gangousmos. This subtle undertone of griping and grumbling and grousing and murmuring and mumbling. Without this undertone of grumbling or disputing, founded on suspicion and doubt. That dialogismos, the back and forth. which springs from and produces spiritual death. Where does it come from? Spiritual death. What's it going to result in? Spiritual death.

Let that be outside of all that you do. Do all things. In verse 15 there, in order that you will become people whom nobody can find blame, because this is the external observation regarding external behavior, and unadulterated at heart. This is the unmixed. This is the idea, remember, of the mixing of the wine and the water, or the mixing of metals? Not mixed. Pure at heart is what he's trying to get across there. You're being related to God, being evident to others, and being as free of blemish as Christ himself. This is the amamas. As free of blemish as Christ himself. Is that possible for a Christian? Can that be? Only by Him. Only by His righteousness. Right? Only by His. Don't try to do this at home. Okay? You heard that before? Don't do this at home. Don't try this at home. Okay? Don't try this at home. Except by His righteousness. Then don't just try it. Okay?

That being true while you are right in the very midst of people, who by character are morally and spiritually crooked and twisted. You are right in the middle of these people. There is absolute recognition that these are morally and spiritually crooked and twisted people. No denying that. He's not saying, just stay away from those folks, you'll be fine. He's saying, right in the midst of those kinds of people, this character. Right there. Right where it counts.

Among whom you appear as shining lights in the darkest world. The kind of shining light that is the glory of God in Revelation 21. The kind of shining light that is this mark the whole universe kind of light in Genesis chapter 1. That kind of shining light.

And in verse 16, everyone among you giving their utmost attention to the message which springs from Christ who is our very life and the only hope of life in them. He's your life, and He's their only hope of life. Right? Doesn't the world want to offer all sorts of hope for life? Isn't that what the commercials are on the television? And every place else that you go? They're saying, life, life, life. If you just buy this, you've got life. He's saying, nope. Christ is their only hope.

So that in the day when all believers stand in judgment before Christ, I will have reason And notice what I insert here is Paul's idea. Paul isn't saying, you Philippians, you be good Christians so I'll look good on the last day. I don't think that's really all he's trying to say. And so I put it this way. On the day when all believers stand in judgment before Christ, I will have reason in your having been rewarded as well. You see, for Paul's appearing before Christ not to be in vain, They have to be rewarded as well. Does that make sense? He wants them to have, right now, to be living by the life of Christ so that they're rewardable and therefore His efforts as well stand up.

To glory, because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain, because you did not run in vain nor toil in vain either. This is one thing that's amazing to look at, but Paul isn't one to just say, how do I make this look good? Because he knows the Lord sees everything. He wants their lives, he wants their lives to be standing solidly on the very righteousness of Christ and nothing less. That's rewardable. And for him, that's all he wants to build into them, the very life of Christ. as He has exhorted them, to fix their attention on the Word of Life, to give their attention to the Word of Life, that in beholding Christ they may grow from glory to glory. Having built on that foundation, His efforts are rewardable.

He doesn't want this all to be in vain. I think as we look at this passage, you kind of think, okay, that's great, what do I do with that? And so it's easy to just say, I know. I know how I'll do this. I just won't grumble and mumble and dispute. I'll fix it that way. Is that what he's got in mind? I don't think so. We've got to take the whole thing. He's saying, alright, we've got this circle and we don't want grumbling and griping and mumbling and muttering and complaining in the midst of it. Certainly not.

But, ultimately, it's the very character of the life of Christ, this amamas, this without blemish, that only comes from Christ Himself. By fixing our attention upon the very Word of Life, that is the means and the way where life is lived by us. There is no shortcoming on the Lord's giving us life.

One of the verses we've taken a look at here at this church numerous times is John 10.28, and this is where it says, These people cannot destroy themselves unto eternity. They can't lose their salvation. And no one can pluck them from my hand. He prefaces that with, I am constantly giving them life. See, we don't have to plead for the Lord to give us life. He's constantly giving us life. He's just simply asking us to fix our attention, to give our attention to the Word of Life, to behold Him through His Word. In that there is growth. In that there is growth from glory to glory. And that's the kind of glory that will produce that foster, this light, that is the light of the New Jerusalem. Right here, right now, among crooked and nasty and twisted and perverted people.

Isn't that amazing? Isn't that something? He has given them a rich word here. And so, the horrible, nasty people that you get to spend time with, wherever they're at, gas station, store, Going down the highway? Oh boy, down the highway is something, isn't it? All those places, all those places are places to say, hey, you know, I don't care which digit that guy is flashing at me, I'm beholding the Lord. Okay? I'm beholding the Lord in the midst of it.

And we have this marvelous opportunity because the guys who are driving down the road ticked off are only looking at the here and now. We're looking at that day, and so we're living this day for that day. Independence upon Him. Let's pray. Lord, what a marvelous thing that You have done here. We can fix our attention upon You, and we in the midst of doing so, Lord, can be those lights. Not to make this world a better place necessarily, that's not our job. But Lord, so that we can look forward to that time when you have a better place that you've already set up and put in motion. We thank you for that. We thank you for all the faithfulness that we can depend upon that is in you and the righteousness that is yours. And we just thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.