Shalom everyone. Today we are going to continue in our study of the book of Philippians, of the letter that Shaul Paul wrote to the brothers and sisters in Philippi. And we have arrived to chapter 3 and verses 15 to 21. These are the last verses, and let me read them so we can have them before us. And let's just see what Paul wrote to the Philippian believers. Verse 15, I'm reading: Let us therefore as many as many as be perfect, be thus minded, and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, where to we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule.

Let us mind the same thing. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so, as ye have asked for an example. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. For our conversation is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue the Lord.

Even to subdue all things unto himself. Even though you and I are stopping in ministry meeting, it is really one long letter that Shaul Paul wrote to the brothers and sisters in Philippi. To remind you that it was Apophroditus who went all the way from the city of Philippi to the city of Rome, to where Paul was, and told Paul of the things that were going on in the local assembly at Philippi. He told them some of the things that were not so good. He told them some of the things that were not so good. Apophroditus gave him some of the gifts that the brothers and sisters from the city of Philippi had gave, the collection that they had, the gift that they had for the apostle Paul who was in prison in Rome.

And from Rome, he is writing this letter of love for the brothers and sisters in the local assembly in Philippi. He loved them so much. And he often called them brethren. "Achim." Notice verse 17. "Brethren." It is an expression that we often use in the land of Israel. In any Jewish person who grew up in the land of Israel or even in a Jewish community. This is an expression that we often use towards our brothers and sisters. But this time, he is calling those Philippians from among the nations of the world who became believers in Yeshua the Messiah. He called them brethren. In fact, chapter 4 verse 1 said, "Therefore my brethren dearly beloved and long for." And he is continuing.

And chapter 3 was rather a chapter of warning. In the beginning of this chapter, if you remember, he told them to rejoice in the Lord but to be careful. Because there are those who have crept in and taught false doctrine among these believers. And you know brothers and sisters, Paul does exactly what the history of our own forefathers have done throughout the history. Moshe had warned Israel from all these things in the past. And Elijah had warned Israel historically about to be careful from false gods, from things that are creeping in among the nation of Israel. Be careful. Why? Because men by nature is like sheep who go astray.

And every voice seems to attract them. And they are to be aware that there are things that are not right with the Lord that they are being taught. So beware of dogs. Beware of evil workers. Beware of the concision. Verse 2. Again and again he warned them here in this chapter. And now in these last verses of chapter 3 of the book of Philippians, Paul is appealing for the brothers and sisters to walk in a godly walk. You know when we use our feet here in this world we are walking and we take our feet to many locations, into many areas. And this becomes an expression in the Brit HaChadasha in the New Testament of how do we live our lives.

Wherever we go, whatever we learn, whatever we are attracted to become part of the life of the believer. And he is encouraging them to walk steadfastly. To walk in a sound way. And to walk in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. Because our time is very short here. Soon will the Master come. We are going to be taken out of this world. We are going to be with Yeshua the Messiah. And we are exhorted here to walk in a godly manner. And notice here in these verses that he is now appealing for the believers to walk in unity among themselves as they are continuing on their lives as a local assembly at Philippi.

Notice that verses 15 and 16 are those two verses that he is appealing for unity among the believers. He said, Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded. And if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal it unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, here is this expression, Let us walk by the same rule. And let us mind the same thing. Now these two verses are important because here the Apostle Paul is speaking to those who want to mature and grow in their spiritual walk with the Lord. And that's why he says in verse 15, Let us therefore as many as be perfect.

Now that word for perfect is the word for maturity. We know because he's already said in verse 12, Not as though I had already attained, either way already perfect. He says, I'm not already perfect practically. Though positionally I'm perfect because of the righteousness of the Messiah. But here in this world, I'm not perfect, but I'm exhorted to mature, to grow spiritually. We cannot remain babies all our lives. We want to grow and mature. You know, those of us that are parents, Physically speaking, if a baby was born to our family, And you notice that something is wrong. He doesn't eat right. He doesn't drink right. And they are not developing.

You realize that something is wrong. This little one does not develop, does not grow. He's not maturing. And that's why the Apostle Paul says, Be thus minded. What do you mean thus minded? Well, he wanted them to have the mind of the Messiah. He already have told them in chapter 2 and verse 5. Let this mind be in you. Which was in the Messiah, Jesus, in Christ Jesus, in Yeshua the Messiah, Who being in the form of God, Thought it not robbery to be equal with God, But made himself of no reputation, And took upon him the form of a servant. And he was made in the likeness of man, Being found in the fashion as a man, He humbled himself, And he became obedient unto death, Even the death of the cross.

So the mature believers will be thus minded, Will learn from Yeshua. In his humility. In his down-stooping. In his brokenness, if you might say, Giving himself over for the service of God, And for the sake of the benefit of sinners like you and I. To save us. To bring us unto himself. And he says, listen, The mature ones are the ones that will humble themselves, Will learn from Yeshua. In fact, the immature one, Will be those that will pride themselves, Instead of learning from the master. This is an amazing truth to understand. Sometimes we think, That the more knowledge we have in our head, The more mature we are.

True maturity is conformability to the person of Yeshua the Messiah. That is an evident that this man, This woman, This brother, These sisters learn from the master. And not allowing themselves to have their own way, Their own flesh rising up at all times. Notice he used the word as many. Why? Because not every brother and sister is maturing as they ought to mature. Remember what he says to the Corinthians, Some of you are babies. You need to drink milk. I have to give you milk. Why? Because meat, You cannot chew it. The baby cannot eat meat. A baby needs milk. So, he or she will grow by having the milk from their mother.

Paul says the milk of the word of God. But, A mature individual digests the meat, And being conformable to the person of the Messiah. The Messiah. That's why he used the word, As many as be mature, Be thus minded. Learn from the master. From Yeshua. And then notice what he says. But if any, Think ye be otherwise minded. If you don't have the mind of the Lord. Well, he says, you know what? God will reveal it unto you. We cannot make someone mature. We cannot shove to someone maturity. We cannot cause someone to learn from the master, If they don't want, Or if they don't see things as yet.

God has to work things out. You know how much patience, God has with his own people? You know how much patience, Yeshua the Messiah has with us all? Can you imagine? How many times, We should have been knowing the truths, That we have learned, And have learned again, And again. And we find out when the tests come, That we haven't learned much. And so you know what he says? Paul is so gracious. He says, I'm not going to push you to grasp it. I'm not going to make you to grasp it, And to live in that. He says, you know what? If you have your own mind, And your own ideas, And your own views, And your own opinion on the truth, That you know from the word of God, You will see sooner or later, God is going to show it to you.

And you know sometime, We will perhaps need to wait, Until the Lord is going to take us to glory, To show us, That we have been wrong, In many ways. God will have to reveal it. And we often time, Talk about salvation. You see, We can lead someone, To hear the message of the gospel, But we can never make him, Or her, A child of God. The spirit of God, Had to reveal it to them. And it's the same thing, With believers. We cannot make believers, Grow without the spirit of God, Revealing this to them. We all need it. And none of us have all the truths.

We all are in a school, Where we learn. And God is so gracious. If in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Notice what it says in verse 8, About thus minded. And then in verse 10, Which we already read it. Yeah, He says, Yet doubtless I count all things, But lost for the excellency, Of the knowledge of the Messiah, Yeshua my Lord. Notice in verse 10, That I may know him, And the power of his resurrection, And the fellowship of his suffering, Being made conformable unto his death. You see, Those things I'm growing, I need to learn that, I'm living my life, In such a way, That I will grow, In this way.

Notice verses 13 and 14, That we had in our, Previous ministry meeting. Brethren, I count not myself, To have apprehended, But one thing I do. I forget those things, Which are behind. And I'm reaching forth, Unto those things, Which are before. I press, Toward the mark, The mark of the prize, Of the high calling, Of God, In the Messiah, Yeshua, In Christ Jesus. He's like in a race, And it's not that he's raised, To compete against someone else, But he's in a race, He's looking forward, He's focused on the person, Of Yeshua the Messiah, And he like his brothers, And sisters of the Philippians, To be in the same mind, To have the same mindset, Looking to the Lord, As the one that is the object, And be minded, Like Yeshua the Messiah, To have the mind, Of the Messiah.

And then notice, He says in verse 16, Those of you, That have become mature, And kind of learned, Certain things already, He says, Hold on to these things. In other words, That progress, That you have already made, Hold on to it, And continue on. Notice I'm reading verse 16 now. Nevertheless, Where unto, We have already attained, Another way of saying it, Only let us hold on, To what we have already, Grown to appreciate, And we have learned. Then he continued, He said, Let us walk, By the same rule, And let us mind, The same thing. Now that is, Important here. He actually, Is speaking as if, There is a race, That we are all, In that race.

And you know, If you are in a race, You have to have rules. And the rules of the race, And the rules of the race, Must be, Apprehended, And taken in. Because if you are not, Following the rules, We are not, In that race, In a proper way. And that's why, He is saying to them, I want you to walk, In the same rule, And I want you to mind, The same thing. What is that rule, That he is talking about? In the context, Of the book of Philippians, Is to learn from, The Lord Jesus, The Messiah. In humility. In, Not self-exaltation, But in humbling ourselves, And learning from the person, Of Yeshua, The Messiah.

In having sound teaching, That help us to grow. And therefore, We have to follow, As it says here, Let us walk by the same rule. Now turn with me, To 2nd Timothy, Chapter 2. Paul also wrote, To a younger brother, By the name of Timothy. In verse 5. Listen to that. If a man, Also strive, For a mastery. In other words, If any man is competing, As an athlete. He says, Yet he is not crowned, Except, He strive, Lawfully. You see, He is saying, If somebody is going, To be part, Of a certain, Athletic activity, He must follow, The rules. If he is not, Following the rules, He cannot, Receive the prize, That is ahead of him, And ahead of her.

And that's why, He is likened, The believers, Walk with the Lord, As a race. Now we are not, To compete against each other, God forbid. But we are still, In a race, And we are looking forward, Because the prize, Is ahead, Is ahead, Of the believers. There is a prize, To gain. What is the prize? Well, There are rewards, That the Lord, Is going to give, His own people, Who are, Carrying on faithfully, For the Lord. Now those rewards, Are represented, In the book of Revelation, As crowned. And where are we going, To get those rewards? We are going to cast it, At the feet of Yeshua, The Messiah.

And we are going to say to him, You are worthy. It's not us. You are worthy, To receive all this crown. But he wants the believer, To walk by the same, By the same rule. Now imagine, Brothers and sisters, If the rule would be, To learn like, Yeshua had been, In humility. Can you imagine, What a wonderful expression, Among the body of Messiah, That will be, When believers, Are humble before the Lord, And acknowledging one another, Bearing with one another. Do you know why, There are so many divisions, Among the people of God. Because we always think, That we are better, Than somebody else. We always think, That my ways, That my ways, Is better than somebody else.

And sometimes, We don't have patience, With each other. And we are not, Bearing with one another. As Ephesians chapter 4 says, With all long suffering, Bearing one another. And often time, We can't, Because we are not, In a spiritual state, To bear with one another. We end up, Finding ourselves in a conflict. And that conflict, Only brings divisions. It doesn't help, It doesn't unite, The people of God. And obviously, If we cause these things, We have to ask ourselves, The question, Am I pleasing to the Lord? Is that what the Lord, Left me here to do? Didn't he leave me here, To bring the people of God, Together?

To be a blessing, To the people of God? Well that's what, Paul is saying here. He says, Let us walk. And notice he used the word, Us. Including himself. Let us, Me Paul, You Philippians, Let us walk by the same rule. The rule is, To be like the Messiah Yeshua. That's the rule. And then he says, Let us mind, The same thing. What is the mind? Let this mind be in you, Which was in our Lord, Jesus the Messiah. Philippians chapter 2, And verse 5. That's the mind of the Messiah. You know, If you would look, Throughout the history, Including the history, Of our people Israel. Look at any servant, Of the Lord.

Beginning from Abraham, Up to Malachi, If you will. Including, Yohanan Amadbil, John the baptizer. Look at the history, Of these men, And women of God. When they were humble, Before God. He could use them. When they were humble, Before God. They could be a blessing, To the people of Israel. But when they were proud, And arrogant, And self-sufficient. They could never be a vessel, For the glory of God. And God is desiring to see, These things rising, From among the body of Messiah. Among the believers. He wants men and women, Who will rise, To be these pillars. Who are bearing with the believers. Who are seeking their welfare.

Who want to build the things of God. Of God. He is looking for that. And he says, Brethren, Walk with the same rule. Let us have the same mind, Or mind the same thing. Let's learn from Yeshua. He is telling to them, Here in these verses. And look at this. In order to do that, We always need to look to the Lord, Yeshua our Messiah. Look at Hebrews chapter 12, Please with me. Look what the writer, To the Hebrew believers said, In verse 1, 2, and 3. Wherefore seen, We also are compassed about, With so great cloud of witnesses. This is the chapter 11 list. The cloud of witnesses. Let us lay aside every weight, And the sin which does so easily beset us.

And let us run. Here's the race. With patience. The race that is set before us. Now how do we do that? Notice what he says in verse 2. Looking unto Yeshua. You're going to run the race, But where are you going to look? You're not going to look left, And look right, And look, Am I faster than him? No. You look to Yeshua the Messiah. He is the goal. And that's why he says, Looking unto Yeshua, The author, Or the originator, And perfecter of faith. Who for the joy that was set before him. He endured the cross. He despised the shame. And he sat down on the right hand of the throne of God.

What do you think was the joy that was set before him? To see you and I. Come to faith. And acknowledge him. And being saved and forgiven of all our sins. For the joy. To see you and I. To see Israel in a future day. To see the body of Messiah. Believers from all the nations of the world. Redeemed people. That was the joy that was set before him. That's what his goal was. And then it says, He endured the cross. What a shameful death. He died on a Roman cross. He despised the shame. And because of it. He was set down. By God. Who have raised him and placed him at the pinnacle of the universe.

God was so pleased. With the Messiah. Jesus. And because of what he have done. He was willing. To have you and I. Who were the joy that was set before him. Come to know him. And for this. He was willing to pay a price. When he died for us. On the cross. And so brothers and sisters. Verses 15 and 16 of Philippians chapter 3. The Apostle Paul appeals to unity among the believers. As they walk together. And the exhortation here. Is to walk by the same rule. And to mind the same things. To learn from Yeshua. The Messiah. Now. Verses 17, 18 and 19. He appealed them to follow him. And to follow others.

Who give us a good example. You know. There is always good example. And bad example. We are to follow the good example. And so he says in verse 17. Brethren. Be followers together of me. Paul is saying. And then notice he adds. And mark them. And mark them. Which walk. So. As ye have us. For an example. The word for mark. Simply means make a note. In your mind. In your heart. Watch this brother. This sister. Not to criticize them. But mark them. If they are good example. Learn from these. This expression. Mark them. Mark them. Is specifically. Using this. In relation to others. Because he said.

In verse 17. Brethren. Be followers together of me. But then he directed away for himself. He says. Mark them. Which walk. So. As ye have us. For an example. For he doesn't want. Only to center. The brethren. Upon himself. But he wanted. To understand. There are others. Who have this. Kind of an attitude. Who have this. Lifestyle. That characterized. By the. Features. Of the person. Of Yeshua. The Messiah. He says. Mark them. Take a note of them. And you know. We need. Really. To make a note. If we see a brother. And a sister. Who are walking with the Lord. In humility. And an example. We should learn from them.

Brother. So and so. Have been a good example. For me. In my life. Sister. So and so. Is really. Have been an example. For me. In my life. And I want to learn. From him. I want to learn. From her. How can I be. Growing. And be a blessing. And so. He says. Mark them. You know. There's another verse. That we should really read. And you will see. The opposite. Of that. In Romans. Chapter 16. Paul said. To the brothers and sisters. This time in Rome. Now I besit you. Brother. Mark them. Which cause division. And offenses. Contrary to the doctrine. Which ye have learned. And avoid them.

Now notice. In Philippians 3.17. Mark them. That they are good example. In your life. And learn from them. In Romans. Romans 16. Verse 17. Mark them. Who cause division. And offenses. Contrary to the doctrine. Which ye have learned. And avoid them. Now we are to learn. To mark. To discern. And not to be gullible. For every form of doctrine. That comes about. Ephesians. Ephesians were warned. From every form of doctrine. That they are not like the wind. Like a tree. Is tossed to and fro. By the wind of doctrine. Which everybody has something to say. Well. Check it out. Search the scripture. Rightly divide. The word of truth.

Learn and grow. And appreciate. Because look. The enemy of God. Always want to attack. The people of God. We are talking about. In the 32nd chapter. Of the book of Numbers. How the two tribes. Of Reuven. And Gad. Did not want to go. Into the promised land. And they were content. To stay. On the eastern side. Of the Jordan River. And this is exactly. What the enemy of God. Wanted to do. That the people of God. Don't go into the promised land. Don't get closer. To the things of the Lord. Stay on the other side. Of the river. Don't enter into the promised land. This is exactly.

What the enemy does. For you and I today. He says. Don't grow spiritually. Don't learn. And develop. And mature. And you walk with the Lord. The Lord. While you are a believer. You stay where you are. You are already saved anyway. Have one foot in the world. And have a foot in the church meeting. Once in a while. When you feel like you go. When you don't feel like you don't go. But you are saved. You belong to the Lord. Just like Reuven and Gad. They were part of the whole nation. But they were choosing. To stay outside. God. And rather to go inside. And to enjoy.

That which God have intended. For the tribes of Israel. For the promised land. That God had promised. Our fathers. In the land of Israel. Spiritually. We are in the same danger. We can be sometime like. Reuven and Gad. Willing to stay out. From the truths. That God had for us. But everything was nice. They said to Moshe. Look at the beautiful land outside. We have many animals to feed. And the grass is green. So let's stay there. Why should we go into the promised land? By the way. When we look at biblical history. I'm speaking now. It's a Hebrew. With our forefathers. We think about Avraham.

Avraham was an example of faith. When we look at Moshe. Moshe was an example in meekness. Moses. When we look at the example of David. David with all the failure that he had. He was a man after God's own heart. In his humility. Though the king of Israel. And when we look at others. Like Yosef. Joseph. Who was an example of trusting in God. In the midst of all the challenges that he faced. His brethren sold him to Egypt. Potiphar didn't appreciate him. Threw him in prison. And in prison. The two governors of the Egyptians. Forgot about him. Even after he helped them. To interpret their dreams.

It's an expression of trust in the Lord. And what about Eov. Or Job. He is an example for us. In endurance. And so we see. While we have Old Testament saints. Becoming an example for us. We have New Testament. Brita Hadashah saints. Like Paul. And many others. Who become an example for us. And we are to mark these brothers and sisters. To learn from them. Because they are such a blessing. For the growth of the family of God. And now notice what he says in verse 18 and 19. He gives them a warning against any. Who are enemies of the cross of the Messiah. By virtue of what they are doing.

And what they are teaching. Notice it. It says here now in verse 18 and 19. For many. Walk of whom I have told you often. And now tell you even weeping. That they are the enemies of the cross of the Messiah. And notice it says in verse 19. Whose end is destruction. Whose guard is their belly. Whose glory is their shame. Who mine earthly things. Now you know. It is interesting that you find the word weeping. Here in verse 18. In the epistle. That is called the epistle of joy. And yet you find Apostle Paul weeping. Now he didn't weep for himself. He didn't weep because he was in prison in Rome.

But he was weeping. Because he loved the believers. And he wanted so much the believers to grow. And yet the enemy of God always seems to be attacking. Wherever the flock of God are there to grow. And she says brethren. Many walk of whom I have told you often. And now he says I am telling you even again. But I am weeping. I am broken. Because these individuals come among the people of God. And notice he doesn't say the enemies of the Messiah. But they are the enemies of the cross of the Messiah. That is an interesting note to emphasize. Why doesn't he say that they are only the enemies of the Messiah of Christ.

Why does he say that they are the enemies of the cross of the Messiah. Of the Messiah. You know why he says that. Because what happened at the cross. On the tree beloved brothers and sisters. God once and for all judged sin. In the person of his son. Of Yeshua the Messiah. It is at the cross. On that tree. That the Lord Yeshua the Messiah made atonement. Once and for all. Actually more than atonement. More than atonement. A removal of the sin question. From the presence of God. And that's why he was so strong. He said in Romans 1:16. I am not ashamed of the gospel of the Messiah.

For it is the power of God unto salvation. To everyone that believe. To the Jew first. And also to the Gentile. Why? Because now. In the gospel. Romans 1:17. For therein. The righteousness of God revealed. From faith unto faith. He says. When the Messiah died for us. On the tree. Once and for all. He dealt with the question of sin. And when you have accepted Yeshua the Messiah. Your salvation entirely depended upon the work of the Messiah. And not upon your performance. Not upon your works. Not upon your keeping anything. Because you and I always come short. Of anything that God demanded for men. So Paul was so strong.

And he says. They are not only an enemies of the Messiah. But they are enemies of the work. That he have already finished. When he died for us on the cross. And you know. We think about. For example. What is the cross? The cross was prophesied by our own people. Isaiah the prophet. In Isaiah chapter 53. A long time before the Messiah came. He already predicted. That the Messiah will come. And he will die. As a substitution. For the nation of Israel. And for all the people of the world. Who will trust him. We read this famous chapter. He says. He is despised. And rejected of men.

And men of sorrow. And acquainted with grief. And we hid as it were our faces from him. He is despised. And we esteemed him not. Verse 4. For surely he has borne our griefs. And he carried our souls. And we did esteem him stricken and smitten of God. And afflicted. But he was wounded. For our transgression. He was bruised for our iniquities. And the chastisement of our peace fell upon him. And with his stripe. One single stripe. At the cross. We are healed. That's what the Apostle Paul would say. It was predicted by God. It was planned by a divine person. God had planned it long ago.

He instructed the prophets of Israel. The day is coming. A day when the Messiah of Israel. The Redeemer of this world will come. And he will pay for the penalty of sin. And now those who teach things that are contrary to the truth of the word of God. They become not only enemies of the Messiah. But they are enemies of the cross. Where the Messiah finished the work there. Some 2,000 years ago. From our point of time. You know there is a verse in Galatians chapter 6. And verse 14. He says. But God forbid that I should glory. Save in the cross of our Lord. Yeshua the Messiah.

By whom the world is crucified unto me. And I unto the world. God forbid that I should boast. Not in my background. Not in my achievement. Not in anything that I have done. Not in my pedigree. Not in anything that I have. If we are going to boast in this. It is going to become a loss for the believer. But we can boast in the finished work of Yeshua the Messiah. God forbid that I should glory. Save in the cross of our Lord. Yeshua the Messiah. By whom the world is crucified unto me. And I unto the world. And so he is warning. So verse 18.

He says. There are those who walk in such a way. And they become enemies of the cross. Of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. And then he says in verse 19. The end. Look at the four things that he says. That the end will be of those. Who disregard the truth. That they are being taught by the Lord. He says in verse 19. Whose end is destruction. Whose God is their belly. Whose glory is in their shame. And who mind earthly things. Now the fourth time he used the word. Whose. In other words. They are priding themselves. Will eventually going to be their shame. Because when they are going to stand before God.

They are going to find out very quickly. That all their accomplishment. Does not make them stand. Does not provide for them. The righteousness of God. And then he says. Who mind earthly things. They are not thinking spiritual things. That has to do with the spirit realm. But it's all earthly things. And that will never lead them. To be right with God. So. Now the last two verses. 20 and 21. Paul points to believers. Citizenship. And hope. And this is very important. This is fundamental. We always have to distinguish. The hope of the people of Israel. Earthly. In the land of Knaan. The city of Jerusalem. The reign of the Messiah.

In the physical. Literal reign. Of the Messiah. In the coming day. And every blessing. Every promise. That God had given to our nation. Israel. As a nation. Will surely come to pass. One day or another. It's going to come. Because God is faithful to his word. But the believers. In Christ. In the Messiah. In this present day. Dispensation. Our citizenship. Is in heaven. I don't know. How can I explain this. Except just to read the text. Look what he says. For our conversation. It's come from the Greek word. Politima. It's a. P-O-L-I-T-E-U-M-A. It's come from the English word. Politic. Our politic. Or citizenship. Is in heaven.

And then he continues. He says. From whence. From heaven. Also. We look for the Savior. The Lord. Yeshua. The Messiah. Verse 21. Who shall change. Our vile body. That it may be fashioned like unto his. Glorious body. According to the working whereby. He's able. To subdue. To subject. All things unto himself. Now these two verses are very important. Because he was telling to the brothers and sisters in Philippi. He says. Listen. Your citizenship. You are not only a Roman citizen. But your citizenship. Is really in heaven. You belong to heaven. You belong to heaven. You are like an ambassador. That was sent from heaven. And came down to this earth.

To represent the Messiah Yeshua. He is right now. At the right hand of the Father in heaven. And so he's telling them. The citizenship. Is actually in heaven. And our savior. The Messiah. Will come from heaven. To take us to be with him. In heaven. So one might say. Well brother Gideon. How do you know that the believers. The body of Messiah. Belong to heaven. And on what basis. Can you say. That we are going to heaven. Aren't we supposed to go. To reign. To the city of Jerusalem. To the land of Israel. Well. The heavenly company. The church. The ecclesia. Called. Called out once.

Called out from among our Jewish people. They are called out from among the nations of the world. And we are called to be a heavenly company. Now let me read that to you for a moment. Turn to the Gospel of John chapter 14. Verse 1. Yeshua the Messiah. Even before the assembly. The church was born. He was teaching his disciples about what's going to happen. Very shortly. Because he was anticipating to go to the cross. To be rejected. And he says. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also in me. In my father's house. There are many mentions. Or abiding places. Or abodes.

As some translation has it. If it was not so. I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you. I will come again. And I will receive you. Unto myself. That where I am. There ye may be also. You see. He was talking to Jewish disciples. Who anticipated the restoration of Israel. But he was preparing them for something that is going to happen. That is in the present day dispensation. That they didn't have any idea about. As far as they were concerned. They were waiting for the restoration of Israel. But the restoration of Israel as a nation to the land was postponed.

And the introduction of the present day dispensation. That is already 2,000 years. Now brothers and sisters. When John chapter 14 was written. It was about 33 AD. We are living right now in 2015. 2,000 years already passed by. And our nation Israel. In a way that God planned it through the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and so on. Haven't yet received the promises that belong to them. They are still struggling over the promises that God had given to our forefathers in the land of Israel for that. In fact we know from various other passages in the tribulation period. That they will end up to be so persecuted by the future rise of the Antichrist.

Who will hate the people of Israel. And will persecute our own people in a tremendous way. And many of them will have to flee out of the land. So until God is going to restore Israel. He is teaching us something that was an amazing truth to learn. He says now. Until Israel is going to be restored. I made this promise and I am going to fulfill it. And so he is saying to them. Let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God. Believe also in me. In my father's house. There are many abiding places. And I go to my father's house in heaven. To prepare a place for you.

So I can take you to be with me in my father's house. Turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 and verse 9 and 10. He is speaking about the Thessalonians. Look at this. They were a young group of believers. He said to them. For they themselves show of us. What manner of entering in we had unto you. And how ye turn to God from idols. To serve the living and true God. And look at what he says in verse 10. And to wait for his son from heaven. Whom he raised from the dead. Even Yeshua which delivered us from the wrath to come. See the Thessalonians were exhorted by the apostle Paul.

To wait for the son who is going to come from heaven. Go to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 13. But I would not have you to be ignorant brethren concerning them which are asleep. That we saw not even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Yeshua died and rose again. Even so them also which slept in Yeshua will God bring with them. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord. That we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord. Shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout.

And with the voice of the archangel. And with the trump of God. And the dead in Messiah shall rise first. And we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in cloud. To meet the Lord in the air. And so we will ever be with the Lord. The Lord Yeshua and the Messiah are going to come to meet the rapture saint in the air. And to usher them to the Father's house. And there the believers are going to be together as the hope of the believers. Of the body of Messiah. Our citizenship is in heaven. Let me read one more verse.

1 Corinthians chapter 15. Verse 51, 52 and 53. He says: "Behold I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trump shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruption must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." See that? He is saying: "Listen, it is a mystery. We are not all going to die, all going to be sleeping in Yeshua, but we shall all be changed. And in a twinkling of an eye, in a moment, the trump shall be sound, and the dead shall be raised." Raised for what?

"To meet the Lord in the air, and to be with him forever. Never to be separated from the Lord." And so please back to Philippians. And notice, at the end, he says: "Our citizenship is in heaven." Now, some of us have a Canadian passport, some of us have Israeli passport, but whatever passports we have does not change the fact that we have a citizenship that is in heaven. Every believer in Yeshua the Messiah belongs to heaven. Heaven is the home of the believers. And he says: "From when? From heaven we look for the Savior, the Lord Yeshua the Messiah." He already came, and he died, and he became the Savior of this world.

But now he is going to come, not to save us from our sins, but to save us from all that which is existing here in this world. All the trials, and the sorrows, and the problems that we are experiencing here in this world. And look what he said at the last verse of chapter 3 of Philippians. He says: "Who will change." What is going to change? He's going to change our vile body. That it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body. You know, brothers and sisters, with this body, we have committed all the sins that we have committed in our lives. With our hands, with our feet, with our eyes, with our ears, with our mouths, the way we said things.

All the sins that we commit, we commit right here with this body. It's called here the vile body. Another translation called it the body of humiliation. All the wrong things that are done in this world are done with this body. And he says: "You know, the Lord is coming soon. The Messiah is coming. Our Savior, Yeshua, coming from heaven. And he's going to change this vile body. And he will fashion it like unto his glorious body. According to the working whereby he's able even to subject all things unto himself. He's able to do so." So your body and mind that we often time are in pain.

We have back pain and head pain and all kinds of pain that we have. Some of us have all kinds of infirmities in our own body. When the Lord Yeshua is going to come, all this vile body is going to remain behind. The flesh is flesh. Flesh and blood cannot enter into the kingdom of God. All this body of humiliation is going to be disappearing. But he's going to give us a glorified body. With which body we will never sin against the Lord anymore. We will honor him. We will serve him eternally. We're going to come with him at the end of the tribulation period.

When our nation Israel is restored to the promised land. And we are going to reign and rule with the Messiah over the world. Israel is restored and a blessing to the nations of the world. No more friction you and I will experience anymore. Because this vile body is going to be changed. And we are going to have a body like his glorious body. I'm going to close the meeting with reading one verse in 1 John 3 and verse 2. "Beloved, now are we the children of God. And it does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him.

For we shall see him as he is." It doesn't appear like what we are going to be. But we know one thing. When the Messiah is going to come, we are going to be like him. We are going to have a glorified body. And it's all because we are going to see him as he is. And it's because of what he has done for us when he paid the price for our sins on the cross. May the Lord help us to see that. To seek, to learn from Yeshua. To learn from Shaul Paul. So we will be a blessing for the people of God.