Let Us Therefore be thus Minded

Introduction and Reading of Philippians 3:1-16

0:03 This sermon was preached on Sunday morning, November 8th, 1981, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now will you turn with me in your own Bibles, please, to the third chapter of Philippians, the third chapter of Paul's letter to the Philippian Christians.

0:25 For the sake of the number who are visiting with us this morning, perhaps just a word of explanation is in order. For many months now we have been conducting a careful verse-by-verse study of this very rich letter of the Apostle Paul written to the church at Philippi. And we are presently, in our study, examining verses 15 and 16 of chapter 3, but since those verses are the conclusion and application of a rather lengthy paragraph, I am assuming some acquaintance with that paragraph in opening up those verses. I believe it would be helpful if we were to follow the train of thought, and I shall read in your hearing verses 1 through 16 of Philippians chapter 3. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed, is not irksome, but for you it is safe. Beware of the dog.

1:33 Beware of the evil workers. Beware of the concision or the mutilators of the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Now you will notice a biographical section begins with verse 4.

1:56 Everything is the Apostle Paul speaking of himself. I, I, I, all the way. Through to the end of verse 14. And though I myself might have confidence in the flesh, if any other man thinks to have confidence in the flesh, I yet more circumcise the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law, a Pharisee, as touching zeal, persecuting the church, as touching the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless.

2:31 How be it? What things were gained to me, these have I counted loss for Christ. Yea, truly, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I suffer the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of mine own, even that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God, by faith. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings becoming conformed unto his death, if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect, but I press on, if so be that I may lay, lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold, but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before,

3:51 I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as we can, as many as our perfect, be thus minded. And if in anything you are otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal unto you. Only whereunto we have attained, by that same rule, let us walk.

Paul's Pastoral Roles in Philippians 3

4:20 Now as I have already indicated, we come this morning to examine in detail the apostles' words as given to us in verses 15 and 17. Let us therefore, as many as we can, as many as we can, as many as we can, as many as we can, as many as we can, as many as we can, as many as are perfect be thus minded. And if in anything you are otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal unto you. Only whereunto we have already attained by the same rule, let us walk.

4:56 Now as I have indicated, these verses, verses 15 and 16, are the conclusion, and the application of the lengthy paragraph beginning in verse 1. And we need to catch something of the thread of thought and the force of the Apostle's mind if we are to appreciate the significance of these two verses. Now, in a real sense, the Apostles were pastors or shepherds of the church universal. They were given a unique authority and office to function in this capacity, and their activities and their writings demonstrate the loving discharge of pastoral concern and pastoral function. In the very section read in your hearing, we see Paul, first of all, as a concerned pastor, issuing a stern warning in verse 2 against the influence of the Judaizers. He says, beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the flesh mutilators. And here is a concerned pastor issuing a warning, lest the sheep of his flock there at Philippi be infected or set upon by the false teaching of these Judaizers

6:19 who were telling Christians that Christ was not enough, that they must add to their faith in Christ circumcision, and all of their faith in Christ circumcision. All of the trappings of the Mosaic system. Then we see Paul, the master pastor teacher in verse 3, setting the Judaizing teaching in contrast to the marks of the true people of God. An effective teaching method is the method of contrast, and he says, we are the true circumcision, or the true people of God who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh.

7:01 Well, then we see not only the concerned pastor warning, the master pastor teacher giving this statement of contrast, but we see the wise pastor, knowing that he has a place of esteem in the estimation and affection of the Philippians, he then gives this bit of personal spiritual biography, all the way from verse 4 to verse 14, drawing out, those specific incidents and characteristics of his own life and experience, which are calculated to undercut many of the main principles and teachings of the Judaizers. And so he moves all the way from his privileges inherited as a strict Jew, to his attainments accomplished as a strict Pharisee, and says that with regard to all of these things, he counts them, but loss he regards them as done, that he might be found in Christ, having a perfect righteousness, that is none of his own doing, but is wholly the doing of God in Christ, and received by faith alone, and that he has a passion to know experimentally, not the trappings of the Jewish religion, but the person of Christ, and fellowship and communion with Christ. And then he concludes with that marvelous statement,

8:28 that we examined last week, in which he clearly states, that though he is satisfied with the righteousness of God in Christ, though he is ravished with his present knowledge and communion with Christ, he is very conscious that he has not attained to the perfection for which he has been marked out by Christ, and he stretches out after that goal for which God has marked him, and he longs to reach that goal of perfection, a goal that will be reached at the resurrection, as we read in verse 11. Now we behold, not Paul the concerned pastor, Paul the master pastor teacher, Paul the wise pastor, but Paul the earnest pastor preacher, as he is going to apply all of this teaching in the way of exhortation, consolation, and admonition. For you will notice in verse 15, he drops the use of the eye, he is no longer giving his testimony, and he now exhorts, let us therefore. And Paul now demonstrates himself to be the earnest pastor preacher, who is not content that people hear a warning, and that they be given substantial truth by which to relate to that warning,

The Initial Exhortation: 'Let Us Therefore Be Thus Minded'

9:58 he now lays upon their consciences duties with respect to the warning and the instruction given. And he does so in terms of three very simple and obvious units of thought that are in the passage. First of all, we have an initial exhortation. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded.

10:22 Then we are given a tactful word of consolation, and if in anything, you are otherwise minded, this shall God reveal unto you. And then we have a final admonition only, whereunto we have attained, by the same rule, let us walk. Let us now seek to open up and understand and come to grips with what the Spirit of God has given to the church in these words. First of all then, the initial exhortation.

10:56 And you will notice, that it has a peculiar class designated as its recipients. Let us examine as we look at this initial exhortation, first of all its recipients, and then its directive. Who are the recipients? To whom is this initial word of direction given?

11:17 Well, they are described in these words, Let us therefore, as many as are perfect. This initial word of exhortation comes to a class of people in the church at Philippi who are described as the perfect ones. Now, who are they? In what sense can they be called perfect?

Defining 'Perfect' as Spiritual Maturity

11:46 How do we square this description with Paul's acknowledgement in verse 12 with regard to himself, not that I have already obtained or am already, not that I have already made perfect? Why does he now turn around and assume that there is a group of people at Philippi who are perfect? Well, some say he is using irony. That one of the ways that these Judaizers influenced people was to say, if you would be perfect or complete, you must go on and become circumcised, etc.

12:20 Well, I don't believe there is a bit of irony here. You can answer these questions by simply taking a Strong's, or a Young's Concordance, and looking up the usages of this word translated perfect in the New Testament, the word teleos, and you will find that the predominant usage, not the exclusive, but the predominant usage, is a usage not to describe the absolute perfection of God, or the final perfection of the saints of God when they come to heaven, though the word is used in that way. But the primary use is to set forth the state of maturity as opposed to a state of infancy or immaturity. It is used to describe manhood in contrast to babyhood. Now let me just show you three texts in which this is very clear, and this exact same word is used. 1 Corinthians 14, and verse 20.

13:28 1 Corinthians 14, and verse 20. Brethren, be not children in mind, yet in malice be ye babes, but in mind be teleos, in mind be perfect, in mind be men, as the 1901 translates it. So you see, teleos, or perfect, is in contrast with the state of childhood and babyhood. Now you'll find a similar emphasis in Ephesians chapter 4.

14:07 Ephesians chapter 4.

14:12 Paul speaking of the purpose for which God gives pastors and teachers to his church, namely for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of ministry, unto the building up of the body of Christ, till 4.13, we all attain unto the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto, and here's our word again, unto a perfect or a full-grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, now notice the contrast, verse 14, that we may be no longer children. And so the contrast is between the full-grown, the teleos, the mature man, and children. And the final example, Hebrews chapter 5 verses 13 and 14. Hebrews chapter 5 verses 13 and 14. For everyone that partakes of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food is for teleos men, for mature, for full-grown men,

15:29 even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil. So you see the contrast again between babes and full-grown men. Now why have I taken the time to emphasize that? Well, certainly not for filler. For you see all kinds of heresies, heresies are taught when men impose upon a biblical word a meaning which that word may have in its common usage among themselves. And so you have the perfectionist that says, now look, perfect says perfect means perfect. I believe the Bible, therefore we can be perfect.

16:07 Oh yes, perfect means perfect. But the question is, what does God mean when he says perfect, which means perfect? Well, by letting scripture interpret scripture, we have seen that perfect doesn't. not mean the attainment of that perfection of the world to come, but it is perfection in terms of maturity as opposed to a state of immaturity. When you speak of a perfect one-year-old child, you mean everything that an ordinary, full-grown one-year-old should have in the way of physical faculties, alertness, and sensory perception that one-year-old has. When you speak of a perfect five-year-old, you're speaking of a relative perfection, and it is in that sense in which the word is used. Now then, the recipients of this initial exhortation are those at Philippi who are described as the perfect, and Paul classes himself among them. The same Paul who said in verse 12, I have not yet been perfected in terms of what I shall be.

17:15 When God has completed his work in me, now he says in another sense, I am perfect. I am perfect in the sense that I am a mature man in Christ. I am not a babe, and he assumes that there are many at Philippi who are in the same category, and so he says, let us therefore, including himself with them, as many as are perfect. He knew that at Philippi, there were not a few who had come to a place of settled maturity in Christ and spiritual adulthood. You see, they were not fascinated with the novelties of doctrine held forth by the Judaizers. They were not in any way brought to envy or to thirst after some promise of easy elevation to maturity by ritual and ceremony. In the language of Ephesians, it says, Ephesians 4.14, one of the marks of spiritual manhood is that we are no longer like little

18:23 children captured by every little trinket and toy that is held before our eyes. That you be no longer children tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine and the slight of men. You see, little children are so gullible, so gullible. One of the marks of childhood is its gullibility.

18:45 And Paul says, Paul says the mark of maturity is non-gullibility. There is a settledness in Christ and in his truth that makes us impervious to all of the seduction of those who would parade error and seek to draw disciples after them. But Paul, the realistic pastor, while apparently assuming that there were many at Philippi who had come to this maturity, he does not assume that every single member of the church in Philippi is there, or else his words are meaningless. He marks out a certain segment of the church and says, let us as many as are perfect, assuming that not all were. Now when people romantically say, oh, that we could be like the apostolic church, well, we are. We have some who are perfect, some who are mature, some who have come to manhood in Christ, and we have others who have come to manhood in Christ. And we have others who are yet babes. Babes only because they have newly come to faith in Christ, and their spiritual babyhood is not morally reprehensible. Paul would never rebuke them for their babyhood.

The Directive: 'Keep Minding This Thing'

20:02 There is another condition of babyhood that is the result of grieving and quenching the Holy Spirit, and that kind of babyhood is rebuked in 1 Corinthians 3 and in Hebrews chapter 5. But for whatever reason, whether newness in the faith or arrested growth, apostolic churches had babies and men, as this church has babies and has men. And Paul was no romantic when it came to his pastoral work, and so he addresses his initial exhortation to as many as were perfect, those who were mature or adult in spiritual perspective. Now, what is the directive that he gives to them in this exhortation? What does it demand? Well, look at the text. As many as are perfect, he says, let us be thus minded. A more literal

21:05 rendering would be, let us keep minding this thing. Now, of course, the questions that arise immediately are, what is this thing? What is this thing? What is this thing? What is this thing?

21:15 What is this thing? What is this thing? What is this thing? What is this thing? What is this the thing? And what does it mean to keep on minding this thing? And those are fair enough questions. And, of course, the thing that they are to mind at least goes back to the language of the immediately preceding context. Look at verse 13. Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold but one thing. And you'll remember last week I informed you that the verb I do is not there. It's supplied for smoothness, but the rendering without it is more forceful. But one thing, forgetting the things that are behind and pressing on to the things that are before, I move on towards the goal of the prize. He says, as many as

22:05 are perfect, let us be minding the one thing. Let us be minding this thing. What thing? That whole spirit.

22:15 Spiritual perspective that Paul himself has indicated was his perspective. He's classified himself among the mature. Paul has gone beyond being enticed by the promise of some easy path to spiritual maturity. He's gotten beyond being enamored with someone who comes along claiming some new doctrine, some new insight, some new experience that will somehow shoot him off like a rocket into dimensions of spiritual reality hitherto unknown. No, no. Paul says in this passage that having been laid hold of by Christ, his great passion is to lay hold of everything which God has purposed for him in Christ. And he is committed to the end of his days to a Christian experience that is marked by the agony, the concentration of a runner seeking to win the prize. And he says, let all who are mature keep on minding this thing that is set the mind and the concentration of all of your being upon this same perspective. To mind means more than simply

23:36 giving a little mental attention to something. This word for minding something means to have the thought and the life regulated by a given perspective. It's the word used in Romans 8.5. They that are of the flesh do mind the things of the flesh.

23:54 They just don't give an occasional mental concern to fleshly things. No, no. Their mind, the entire being is taken up with fleshy things. Paul says, let us mind this one thing. Let us set our minds and give our lives to this one thing. Now, I trust the meaning of the exhortation is clear to you. Paul exhorts the mature to manifest that maturity by sharing precisely the same views, attitudes, and disposition which he described in the previous section.

24:35 That's it. Let us, as many as are perfect, be thus minded. Let us be minding continually the same thing. What is the mind?

24:48 What is the mind? What is the mind? What is the mind? What is the mark of a spiritually mature man? Well, in a very real sense, the answer can be contained in this statement. He can go through the thoughts and principles of Paul's spiritual autobiography in verses 4 to 14 and make them his own in truth. He can say, whatever advantages I inherited by birth, whatever attainments I may have come to by my own, I will not be able to attain them. I will not be able to attain them by my own efforts in morality and religion. I count all of those gains but loss that I might gain Christ and be found in him. My friend, if you can't say that, you know nothing, probably, of spiritual life at all, let alone of spiritual maturity. And when you can go on to say with Paul, my great desire is that being found in Christ, I may have a perfect righteousness, totally external to me, based in no way upon my own works. And in the joyous knowledge of that righteousness, I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his sufferings, knowing that I'm marked for perfection at the day of resurrection

26:08 and I won't have it until that day. Yet I seek it with all of my being. When you can go through verses 4 to 14 and say, though not in degree but in kind, Paul's spiritual disposition and perspective is mine, then you are thus minded. And you have attained by the grace of God to spiritual maturity. Let us, as many as are perfect, be thus minded.

The Tactful Consolation: 'God Shall Reveal Unto You'

26:41 You see, spiritual maturity is not primarily a matter of how much objective truth you've been exposed to and how much is sunk into your cranium. Spiritual maturity is far more determined by how much of that truth has seized upon your entire being so that your very life is a living embodiment and transcript of that truth. And being a realistic pastor, it's amazing to see people who are only two years in the Lord, who manifest all the signs of being full-grown men, and others who profess to have been in Christ for twenty years, and who manifest all the signs of being full-grown men, who are still little whimpering, thumb-sucking babies. It's tragic. It's tragic. But Paul, the realistic pastor, assumed that would be true, even in a church such as the church at Philippi. And I'm sure it is true here as well. But then he goes on from his initial

27:48 exhortation to give what I have called his tactful word of consolation. His tactful word of consolation. You say, now, how do you see that? Well, look at the text. And, if in anything you are otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal to you. Now, this part of the passage has an assumption and an assertion. And together, it makes up a tactful word of consolation. Now, what's the assumption? Well, Paul is assuming by the words, And, if in anything you are otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal to you. And, if in anything you are otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal to you. And, if in anything other you are thinking or minding, he's assuming that even amongst the mature, there may still be some fine-tuning yet to be done in their spiritual perspective. Let us, as many as are perfectly thus minded, and, if in anything you are otherwise minded, if there are yet some areas of your thinking, your perspective, and disposition that do not line up perfectly with Paul's own expression of his maturity in Christ, he assumes that

29:07 those things can be present and someone still be in a state of spiritual maturity. There may be further refinement that can only come in the crucible of experience and by greater illumination. And so, Paul does not blame them. He does not rebuke them, as he does in 1 Corinthians 3.

29:29 He assumes that such a condition may be present. And then he asserts what, to me, is one of the most wonderful promises in all of the Bible. Look at it. Even this shall God reveal unto you. Paul asserts his confidence that among those who manifest the maturity of spiritual perspective and experience which can echo the sentiments of verses 4 to 14, that God will not leave such people behind. And, if in anything you are otherwise minded, this is not the case. I call this a tactful word of consolation, because it is those who desire with all their hearts to pursue the one thing who are most liable to a crippling kind of introspection as they press toward the goal. They are so earnest and so passionate in their longing to lay hold of everything for which Christ is living. And, if in anything you are otherwise

30:29 minded, and, if in anything you are otherwise minded, you are also content with the one thing you want to do, you are content with the one thing you want to do. And, from that, Paul says, I will not alter my mind as much as I would like in my life. Paul tells the first one that he is not so distracted that he can restrain his mind and try to find his way. Paul says, I am not a frantic person. I am a frantic person. I am not a man who lends myself to reason, not thinking or thinking of things and not wanting to know anything but to seek the knowledge of God. And, Paul says, yes, I am a man who lends myself to reason and to be inspired by God if I am willing to do so. Now, this is a test for us to see what it means to be an unrighteous person. am looking back and I should not be in certain areas in which I'm not keeping my mind perfectly upon the goal. And they can get so distracted and trying to find, as it were, the hitches in their stride that they are slowed down in their running. And so Paul says, look, if in anything you are otherwise minded, and I'm assuming that may be true of some of you Philippians, here is the wonderful promise, God will reveal this unto you. You don't need to spend your time every third step in the race checking your stride to see if your toes are pointed exactly as they ought to be. God says, if your toes are a little out of line and this is hindering you in the race, I'll yell to you, toes a little bit more to the center. And if you're flopping your arm in a way

31:34 or throwing your neck back in a way that's impeding your stride, you're not going to be able to do that. You're not going to be able to do that. You're not going to be able to do that. You're not going to be able to do that. You're not going to be able to do that.

31:37 God says, like a wise coach, I'll stand there and scrutinize your stride and I'll holler out to you, get your head down, get your neck forward, bring your elbows in. That's the wonderful promise. He asserts that if in anything you be otherwise minded, God will reveal this to you. Not by direct revelation, not by sending an angel to whisper in my ear in the middle of the night, but by the ordinary means of grace, by an apostolic letter, by the meditation upon the scriptures, in the interaction with the people of God, we will see in someone who's running better than we are and we say, oh boy, I see what's wrong with my stride now. I see what they're doing that I'm not doing and God reveals it to us. In the fellowship of the saints, in the ministry of the word, in private meditation, in prayer, in all of the ordinary means, God wonderfully reveals those things to his children. Isn't that a tactful word of consolation? He'd unrebuked them, but he assumes

Pastoral Application of the Consolation

32:45 that that condition exists and then he gives a marvelous promise. As I come to apply this, I want to say that this is one of the texts that I have used literally dozens and dozens of times through the years in pastoral counseling. I've had earnest Christians sitting across the desk from me and you can see the earnestness written all over their faces. In most cases I've observed it, so they're not just putting on a face to impress me. They have manifested that they are mature in Christ, that with all of their hearts they want to lay hold, not just of heaven when they die, but all of Christ and his will that they can know here and now. And they come saying, well, you know, pastor, when I found out two weeks ago through the preaching that this was wrong with me, it made me wonder, well, how many other things are there that I'm not aware of? And they get all entertained. And I've turned them again and again to this verse, which says, look, can you say that with all your heart you want to please Christ at any cost? And they say, yes, pastor, that's all I want.

33:51 Can you say in truth, in the presence of God, that you're willing to count everything but loss, that you might gain Christ, that you might know him, that you might experience communion with him, fellowship of his sufferings, conformity to his death? And they say, look, I count no friend, no possession, no relationship of any worth if it stands in my way of Christ. And I've read these words to them. I said, look, who's created that disposition in you?

34:22 Well, they say, God did. Who has brought it to that present expression? They say, the Lord has. And I've said, well, can't you trust God to show you anything that is contrary to the fulfillment of the very longing he placed in you? So instead of all the time looking back, over your shoulder and wondering if you're running quite right, keep your eye on the goal and say, heavenly father, you said, if there's anything contrary to the one thing, you'll reveal it to me. And Lord, I've got nothing to hide. I've got nothing to be ashamed of. Lord, show me anything. And then get on with running and not looking back over your shoulder and checking your stride to change the imagery. What do you think? I want to talk to you children now. Are you kids listening? What do you think mom and dad would do if tomorrow morning you sat down

35:17 and said, you know, mommy, I've been thinking God's been good to me. Give me a mommy, a daddy like I have. And you know, the thing I want to do most of all next to pleasing God is I want to please you. But I'm just a kid and there's so many things I don't know. There are a lot of things you don't know, kids. Remember that. You pretty well know that until you get to be about 13.

35:42 And then you think suddenly God made you a Solomon. There's still a lot of things you don't know, even when you have a team after the numbers. But anyway, you say there's lots of things I don't know, mommy. And there's so many things I forget and I want to please you, but I can't remember this thing. And then when I'm remembering this thing, I forget the other thing. Mommy, will you promise me something? What's that, dear? Will you promise me that anytime I don't do something I ought to, and every time I do something I shouldn't, did you tell me? Now, what do you think a loving, gracious mother would do with a child like that?

36:22 They would not dump everything all at once on the child. It would crush a tender, sensitive child like that. But in their knowledge of that child's temperament, its present development, its physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual maturity, the parent would lovingly make known at every given stage. All of the things the child isn't doing, that he ought to do, to please his Mommy.

36:49 And all the things he's doing that he shouldn't do, that displease his Mommy. Now, can you imagine a loving, wise, earthly parent not responding to that kind of a request from his or her son or daughter? You say, it's unthinkable!

37:09 If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, even the good gifts of time, extremely wise, discreet direction, how much more will your Father in heaven give that direction to his children? And I find it to be one of the most comforting things in all of the world to know that as by the grace of God I pursue the one thing, I know there's all kinds of imperfections that God sees, all kinds of sins that he sees, but I don't need to go around cowering and continually breaking over my own heart. There is a place for self-examination and humiliation. We dealt with that last Lord's Day evening and we'll touch upon more of it tonight. But in the overall perspective, our preoccupation is not to be our own hearts. It's to be Christ,

38:08 knowing him, fellowshipping with him, communion with him in his sufferings, communion with him in the power of his resurrection, looking away. Today unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, and our loving Father again by the word and the spirit in all of his instituted means, will make known to us, he will reveal to us, he will unveil to us. That's the word used for reveal. He will unveil to us anything contrary to it. Now, Christian, do you believe that? Do you believe that? Then stop this kind of raking over your heart. Stop this kind of raking over your heart. Stop this kind of raking over your heart. Stop this kind of raking over your heart. Stop this kind of raking over your life continually to the point where you're paralyzed to do what God sets before you to do in the present hour. So the apostle then gives this tactful consolation. And then there is the final admonition in the text. An admonition is an exhortation tinged with an element of warning.

The Final Admonition: 'By That Same Rule, Let Us Walk'

39:16 So I've used the word admonition not just for homiletic sake, but for accuracy sake. From the initial exhortation to the tactful consolation, here is the final admonition. Look at it. Verse 16. Only whereunto we have attained by that same rule, let us walk. Now, the conjunction only is a word which indicates a breaking off of the previous discussion in order to emphasize an important point. So the translation, in the 1901, is very accurate. Only, here's the important point. You have the same word used in Ephesians 5.33. After all of this discussion about husbands and wives, and then Christ in the church,

40:06 he comes back to conclude the section by zeroing in on the main point. Nevertheless, or only, do you severally love each one his own wife, even as himself, and let the wife see that she fear or reverence her husband. He brings all of the instructions to the end of the section. And he brings all of the instructions to the end of the section. And he brings all of the instructions of the previous verses into a sharp summary statement. Now he gives his final admonition. Only, and here's a literal rendering, only to what you have attained with the same keep in line. Only to what you have attained with the same keep in line. He doesn't use the verb that is his favorite verb for the Christian walk. He uses it very shortly thereafter in the next verses. But he uses a word which in its etymology and its use in the secular world has military overtones. It's as though he's saying what you have attained with the same fall into line in proper rank and order and march together in that direction. What then is the heart of that admonition?

41:17 Well, on the one hand, it is a warning against being turned aside by, by novelty. It's a warning against being turned aside by novelty. Only to what you have attained with the same keep in line, keep in step. Granted, you have not yet attained to absolute perfection.

41:43 You have come to a stage of maturity. Paul says, now listen to me. What principles brought you to that state of maturity? Was it the Judaizers with their teaching that Christ was the one who was not enough? Or was it my preaching to you that Christ was enough for justification and sanctification and the whole of your salvation? How did you come to spiritual maturity? By going to the local rabbi and getting circumcised? By going to the local food market and buying kosher food? He says that had nothing to do with your present walk that brought you to maturity.

42:21 Therefore, he says, only to what you have attained with the same fall into line in proper rank and reign with the same keep in line. It's a warning against novelty. And it is then, on the other hand, an encouragement to think of the spiritual principles which have been operative in bringing them this far and sticking to them as they press on to perfection. Now again, this final admonition contains much practical counsel, both to us as individuals and as a church.

42:57 We must acknowledge our imperfection. We have not yet laid hold. We have not yet been perfected. We press on. We forget what is behind. We are stretching out to what is before. But now as we do, beware, beware of looking for some new secret that will bring you quickly and easily to the goal.

43:22 You see, it's only the person who is dead in earnest about pressing after the goal that when he hears someone shout out of the stands, Hey, runner, have you found the first part of the race course difficult? And with your eye fixed on the goal, you say, yes, very difficult. Do you expect the last to be just as difficult? And you say even more so. He says, ah, weary runner, I have a secret. I have a secret for you. It will make the last half ten times easier in the first. And to a weary runner, that's very attractive. But Paul says, no. How did you get where you are? By the same rule. Keep on walking. Keep on running. It was fixing

44:10 your eye on Christ, fixing your eye upon the goal. It was the use of every God-ordained means. It was the old path of continuous acts of repentance, continuous actings of faith, keeping short accounts with God and your fellow men. That's how you got to maturity. And that's how you'll get to the end. Beware of novelties. Beware of novelties. And oh, how desperately do we need that. We do not look for a new secret to bring us more quickly and easily to our goal. We do not look for a new doctrine to liberate us and to make the race anything other than a serious, agonizing endeavor. And what is true of individuals is true of churches. There are churches that come to maturity.

Corporate Application for Trinity Baptist Church

45:05 There are churches that can be called perfect churches, in that they are not baby churches, where there is division and where there is flirtation with every new fad that comes down the pike. Churches that have become rooted and grounded and settled in the fundamentals of the faith and in spiritual perspectives. And such churches need to hear this final word of admonition, whereunto we have already attained by the same rule, let us walk in the same way. And I want to speak very pointedly to this congregation. Whatever maturity God has wrought has been all of grace. But it wasn't grace working in a vacuum. That there is in this area a place where there is the simplicity of biblical worship, where there is earnest prayer for the church of Christ, where the preaching of the word is central, where evangelism is carried on in biblical ways.

46:07 Where there is positive discipline, where there is intimate congregational interaction. My friend, these things didn't just happen. Fifteen years ago, there were men who night after night were on their faces before God with open Bibles praying, Oh God, how do we give direction to this little handful of people that want to see a biblical church? They had no tradition.

46:38 To inherit. They had no one looking over their shoulder except the historic church. And some of these principles that have formed the very life, the very bloodstream of Trinity Church, my friend, they didn't simply come to pass. They were the result of seeking to imbibe large biblical concepts of what the church ought to be and how it ought to conduct its life and its ministry and its service and its worship.

47:07 And what is God saying to us as a church? By the same rule that we've walked, let's continue to walk. We do not look for some new and novel doctrine that will all of a sudden make us the church in this county. No, no.

47:29 Whatever God is pleased to do in giving us any impact upon our community and our generation will come as we continue to go. We do keep our eyes fixed upon Christ, the only true Lord and head of his church, who governs not by expedience, but who governs by his infallible word. And some of us who have invested our life's blood in this are utterly determined by the grace of God that we shall not be budged from that perspective. And I am not so naive as to think that there are not sitting here in this building.

48:11 Some who would like certain fundamental elements of our life radically altered. And I say it lovingly but firmly. If you have a vision of what the church ought to be and you think it's based upon the word, then you go and let God bring it to birth in answer to your prayers and your labors. But don't remain here and seek to undermine what God has done for he that destroys the church.

48:41 The church that has destroyed the church is the church of Christ. Him shall God destroy. If you want to play, churches are legion. Or you can play.

49:04 You want cloth? Churches are legion where the cloth oozes out the windows. You want man centered relational religion? Churches are legion.

49:19 Or you can feel right at home. You say, Pastor, do you feel that God has no further light to give you? No. My constant prayers is the prayers of my fellow elders.

49:34 Lord, give us wisdom. Give us light to correct what we're not doing. We correct what we're doing that we ought not to be doing. Give us light to see things that we are presently doing that need to be altered.

49:47 Things that are undone that ought to be done. No, no, our comfort is we are otherwise minded. No doubt in many things. If James can say, in many things we offend all.

49:59 And our comfort is that God will reveal those things to us. But on the fundamental issues of the simplicity of biblical worship. On the seriousness and centrality of preaching. On a church ruled by elders.

50:19 A church where there is serious discipline. Where there is sober, structured, earnest evangelism. On these issues, friends. There is no budging.

50:32 God would have to rewrite his word. Before we'll change those issues. You say, boy, that's an element of arrogance and stubbornness, isn't it? No, it isn't.

50:44 You look at the text, what does it say? It tells us that we're under solemn obligation to do that. Where unto we have attained, by that rule, let us walk. What has God blessed to draw people from such a diversity of cultural and religious backgrounds.

51:03 To this place. The simplicity of biblical worship. The centrality of biblical preaching. The intimacy of true congregational life.

51:15 Those are the things God has used. And we're committed to them. May God grant that as a church we shall lay these things to heart. And that brings us around full circle to where we began.

Conclusion: Obedience and Manifestation of Christ

51:30 As Paul, the earnest pastor preacher. Closes this section. Beginning with a warning. Going on with a contrasting statement.

51:41 Then a lengthy biographical sketch of his own experience. He gives the exhortation. Let us, as many as are perfect, be thus minded. He gives the consolation.

51:53 And if in anything you be otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal to you. And then the final admonition. Only where unto we've attained, by the same rule, let us walk. It's a wonderful promise in John 14, 21.

52:10 That has again and again been meat and drink to my soul. It's familiar to many of you. Jesus said, He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father.

52:24 And I will love him and will manifest myself to him. The further revelations of Christ to a believer come in the path of implicit obedience to the word of Jesus Christ. And if you individually and we corporately would know further revelations of Christ to us in our lives and in our life together. It will come in the path of obedience to his word.

52:50 Even this word of exhortation. This word of consolation. This word of admonition. And if you're here this morning as one who is a stranger to Christ.

Application to Unbelievers and Closing Prayer

53:00 And much of what has been said perhaps has gone clean over your head. Something has not gone over your head. And it is this. That real Christians are people who take God and his word seriously.

53:14 Has that come through to you? If it has, you've listened rightly. And my friend, you better begin to take this book seriously. Because it says some frightening things about you.

53:24 It says that if you're out of Christ, you're under wrath. It says if you are out of Christ, you are in the place of greatest danger. And this book goes on to say, There is no way out of your predicament but the way of repentance and faith. Turning from your sin and self-centeredness and finding refuge in Jesus Christ.

53:47 The one of whom Paul wrote in the passage read in your hearing this morning. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Oh my friend, take that word seriously.

54:05 And give yourself no rest until you know that he has saved even you. Let us pray. Our Father, we thank you again for the scriptures. This book that is a lamp unto our feet and a light to our pathway.

54:33 We thank you for these words of the apostle. And for the Holy Spirit who moved him to write them many centuries ago. We marvel at the way they become a living word to our hearts. And we pray that the spirit who originally gave them.

54:52 And who has been present with us as we have sought to examine their meaning and their application to us. That he will powerfully rivet his own words to our consciences. And that we may respond in faith and obedience. Seal then the word that we have heard.

55:12 May the power and grace of the spirit attend the life of every one of your children. Those who are mature. Those who are settled. Grant, oh Lord, that that word which has been addressed to them from your own word.

55:28 May have its intended effect upon every facet of life. Hear then our cry and receive our thanks for hearing and answering our prayers. And may we know your blessing. And may the power of the Holy Spirit be with us as we leave this place.

55:43 And go to our several homes. We ask in Jesus name. Amen.