Shalom everyone. Our study today is in the book of Philippians. I would like you all please to turn to the book of Philippians, chapter 3. Extremely interesting chapter where the apostle Paul is now expressing how the person of the Lord Jesus the Messiah changed his life how the Lord Yeshua the Lord Jesus had made a difference in his view and his whole life has changed when he met the Lord Jesus the Messiah on the road to Damascus Today we are reading in Philippians chapter 3, and we begin with verse 7, and we'll read from verse 7 to verse 14, and I would like you please to follow me as I'm reading Philippians chapter 3, beginning with verse 7.

But what things were gained to me, those I count loss for Christ, yet doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ and be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffering, being made conformable unto his death. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead, not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before. I press toward the Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. And I'm going to stop here in verse 14. I trust that the Lord will help me to cover this passage in this ministry meeting. Well, brothers and sisters, look, when you really think about this man by the name of Shaul Paul he always fascinated me and I think there is no one that can honestly say that we can understand what Paul Shaul have gone through in his life when he became a believer in Yeshua the Messiah now he listed before the Philippians a list of his history that which was so unique in the life of the Apostle Paul it's amazing to think about the history of Shaul, of Paul he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews he related himself to Father Abraham he was an Israeli relating himself to Jacob whose name was changed from Yaakov to Israel he was also of the tribe of Binyamin the privileged tribe, the youngest son of Rachel, of Rachel, he had so much in his history that he could be proud of, that he could be arrogant, you might say, look at me, look.

At who I am, look at the background that I have. Now, he didn't belittle his history. He didn't say that it was bad to be part of the nation of Israel and the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but you know what he want to teach us is this very important lesson that we all need to learn. With respect to our eternal destiny, with respect to our link with the living God, all what we possess and have, whether it is our achievement or our natural birth into all these things can never avail with respect to our eternal salvation it could never gain for us eternal relationship with God and that's what Shaul is saying here to the Philippians he says listen those that came in your midst and taught you that salvation is on the basis of keeping something including circumcision or doing some works or something to gain your salvation he says be careful be careful he's saying to the Philippian brothers and sisters why because that will never take you to be right with God that will never make you justified all these things though have been given to our forefathers including circumcision never really avail for salvation.

And you remember we went to various passages in the Tanakh including Deuteronomy where God said to our people of all Israel circumcise the foreskin of your heart it's not only the physical circumcision that I have commended you to abide by but these physical circumcision should have led you to realize that you need to circumcise the foreskin of your heart to confess your sins and acknowledge that the ways to God is only on the basis of the sacrifice and the bloodshed that have been pointing to the coming of the Messiah. So now, look what he's doing here in this third chapter from verse 7 on. In verses 7, 8, and 9, Paul is presenting Yeshua the Messiah as the object of faith righteousness he says if you want to be declared righteous I want to present before you the only one that can give you righteousness in Hebrew the word is tzidka or eliot tzaddik to become just to be declared righteous by God and so look what he says in verse 7 but what things were gain to me those I count loss for Christ.

For Mashiach, for Messiah. Notice that there is an exchange here. There are two words that are very important. One of them is gain and the other one is loss. Now, I don't know about you, but one of the greatest problems that the human race have today, not only our Jewish people, throughout the history of humanity is not the ordinary individual there on the street who doesn't know much about God. But most of the conflict, the challenges of the gospel is the people who are religious people who have been for many, many years, oh yeah, we have gone to this church or have been in this religious group and are affiliated with this religious system.

When you come and you share with them the need to be just with God on the basis of the work of Yeshua, the Messiah, with them you find the greatest conflict in the world. So even though they think it is gain for them, in actuality, this becomes the greatest loss for them if they do not understand what Yeshua, the Messiah, have done for them. So here is Shaul Paul. As he mentioned to us in those verses 5 and 6, with all his list of things, Hebrew of the Hebrew, of the talk of Israel, circumcised on the eighth day, a descendant of the tribe of Binyamin, I was a Pharisee, and as he says here concerning zeal, I persecuted those who claimed to believe in Yeshua the Messiah, the church, the ecclesia, the called out one, and it has come to righteousness, I was blameless.

You would look at the Apostle Paul, of course, if you look at him and you would see this man, you would say, what a man. Wow, what a religious, devoted man Shaul is. But God knew his heart. And Paul also, Shaul also, knew his very own heart. And therefore, when he met Yeshua the Messiah on the road to Damascus, the Lord Yeshua the Messiah challenged him. And he convicted him to show him that all the pedigree, All the history, all the achievements still did not make him righteous before God. And so Paul said, but what things were gained? Now, Paul, what is the thing that were gained to you?

Well, here's the list again. I was circumcised on the eighth day. I was of the stock of Israel. I was on the tribe of Benjamin. I was a Hebrew of the Hebrew, touching the law of Pharisee. Concerning zeal, I was persecuting those who believed that Jesus was the Messiah, those Hebrew believers of first century. Righteousness, I was blameless. And then he says, what things were gained to me, he says, those I count for loss. But you notice, he says, for loss, for the Messiah, for Christ, for Yeshua himself. He understood the work that Yeshua the Messiah had done that met his eternal need, his sinful condition, the work of Christ, the work of the Messiah, met his need, and he understood it, and he said, everything that I've had in comparison to what the Messiah, Yeshua, have done, for me, I count them loss.

Now, that does not mean that he became less Jewish when he became a believer in Yeshua, the Messiah. You know, we as Jewish people have been many times told that oh you who used to be a Jew and I remember I was told this a couple of times but if you look at the Scripture throughout the word of God Paul says I am a man which am a Jew Acts 21 you look at Romans chapter 11 he says I am an Israeli Romans chapter 11 and in Philippians chapter 3 I am a Hebrew he never for a moment forgot his background he was never ashamed of his background neither do we need those of us that are Jewish and we thank God that he brought us to be part of the family that belonged to the nation of Israel with the history that the Lord had given to us we are not ashamed of it for a moment but that would never save us if we don't turn to Yeshua Jesus the Messiah and from generation to generation that's what God was seeking to teach our own people.

To say to them listen Israel yes you are the chosen people but you are not only a chosen people to carry on your own way you are chosen in order that you will trust me believe on me accept what I have done for you and ultimately not going to be only physical seed but also physical and spiritual see those that are linked with the Lord by faith and I want you to notice another thing that I noticed, that for the Messiah, he doesn't say for Christianity, but for Christ. And I want to make a point here. You know, when we became first believers in the Messiah, we look at the condition of Christianity or Christendom today.

There are so many people who name the name Jesus in the world today. And everywhere you look, every corner you have so-called a church group, and everywhere you find out so many views and so many doctrinal teachings, and one can say wow you know where should we go to whom shall we go what we're going to do and you know Paul. Noticed that very well he says right away he says I didn't count loss for Christianity but I count all things loss for Christ for the person of the Mashiach the Messiah he's the head the believers are the body and the truth of the great salvation that Christ the Messiah had accomplished was very important for the apostle Paul to teach it and therefore he said I count all things as he said here in verse 7, loss for Christ, Christos, Mashiach, Messiah.

He wanted to express to the Philippians that in a Messiah he has everything and that nothing is lacking. In the book of Colossians we read that we are complete in him. We have nothing that we have lost when we have become believers in Yeshua the Messiah. We are completed in him. His work had been completed. God had been satisfied our sins have been dealt with and now we are positionally right with God because we have accepted him as our Lord Yeshua the Messiah now notice he continue in verse 8 and he says. Yeah doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus the Messiah Yeshua my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Mashiach Christ.

Now, I want to elaborate a little bit. Notice that he says here, for the word here, knowledge. You notice, beloved brothers and sisters, it is one thing to know about someone, but it is another thing to literally, experientially know that person. Paul being Jewish he knows very well his Hebrew Scriptures and you know the word ladat to know in Hebrew has a much greater meaning to only know somebody intellectually or in the head. For example Genesis chapter 4 and verse 1 it says that Adam knew his wife. What does it mean? He didn't know only about his wife but he knew his wife intimately. He had a physical relationship with his wife that brought about Cain and Hevel.

He didn't only know about her, but he knew her intimately. And what we learn from this, that the Apostle Shaul Paul is saying here, not only that I count lost the things that I've listed here, but I count all things. All things, beloved brothers and sisters, as it's mentioned here, I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of the Messiah, Yeshua my Lord. Do you know what's going to happen when we are going to leave this world? None of us will take anything with us, not only our physical possession, but we will never leave this world by taking something else with us, not your power, not your authority, not your schooling, not your degrees, everything will have to remain behind.

But when you and I leave this world, where are we going to spend eternity? And that's why Shaul Paul says, I've counted everything lost. Why? Because when I know Yeshua, my Mashiach, the Messiah, I know that my sins have been dealt with and I'm eternally going to be with him never to separate from him anymore. And he called it the excellency of the knowledge. In the prophet Amos chapter 3, God said to our people of all, the people of Israel, only you have I known from all the nations of the world. What does that mean? God didn't know about the other names of the other nations and other people of the nations of the world.

Of course he knew. But the only nation that he had a unique relationship with was the nation of Israel. And that's why you are accountable, because I've chosen you, I've elected you, I've brought you to myself, and therefore you are responsible to submit to my authority and to follow after me in Amos chapter 3 and verse 1 and 2. So here we see how the Apostle Paul was really intimately, he wanted to know Yeshua the Messiah, And here he knew him positionally when he trusted in him. Please turn with me to Matthew chapter 7. Here is a statement about those that never have appropriated Yeshua the Messiah into their life.

And they claim that they know him, but they never made this decision that Shaul made to know Yeshua the Messiah as his Lord and as his Savior and Messiah. Notice verse 21, 22, and 23, we read those words. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. But he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven, many, verse 22, will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name we have cast out demons, and in thy name we have done many wonderful works. And listen, beloved brothers and sisters, what Yeshua said there, the Sermon on the Mount, he said to them, And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you.

Depart from me, ye that works iniquity. In other words, there was never this intimate knowledge, never really true confession before the Lord, never true relationship with the Messiah, Yeshua. Notice the expression is, I never knew you. There was not even a start in their relationship with the Lord, Yeshua, the Messiah. I never, never knew you. Look at another verse in chapter 25 of Matthew. In verse 12, again, Yeshua is speaking. He's giving the Olivet discourse there from Mount Olive, from Harazetim. And he's speaking there to his disciples and those that were around him. And he was telling about the kingdom of heaven. That it is like ten virgins which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

Five of them were wise and five of them were foolish. All of them had lamps, but some did not have oil in their lamps which is a type of the Holy Spirit of God, Ruach HaKodesh. Well, when he came at midnight, when he came, the bridegroom came, Those that were wise enter in. But then notice what we read. And it says, verse 10, about the foolish virgin. It says in verse 10, While they went to buy, this is oil, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. And afterwards came also the other virgin, saying, Lord, Lord, open, open unto us.

But he answered and he says, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. The thought here, I do not know you at all. It's, I know about you, but I don't have any relationship with you whatsoever. Yeshua said to those who never really took seriously their relationship with the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. So, in verse 7, I'm back to Philippians chapter 3. In verse 7, Paul counted loss all his gain. In verse 8, Paul counted all things loss for the knowledge of the excellency of the knowledge of Yeshua, the Messiah. But then he says in verse 8b, listen, brothers and sisters, how did he prove that in his life?

Look what happened to him in his life because of his faith in the Messiah. He said, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them badang. It's the word refuse in the Greek. Skybalon, S-K-Y-B-A-L-O-N. In Hebrew, it's called s'chi. It's really that which is refuse, dung. He said, I count them badang that I may win the Messiah. Now, I want to just emphasize a few things here. You know what happened to Shaul because of his faith in Yeshua? The Messiah you know the kind of suffering that he had experienced in his life that none of us have any idea what it meant for him to follow Yeshua the Messiah the kind of suffering that he had experienced simply because he made a choice oh yes the outward privileges that i had they are important for me in my life, but they do not make things right between me and God.

What I needed is a righteousness that is not coming from my own works and accomplishments that is coming freely from God who provided this for me in the Messiah, in Jesus Christ. And so because of this, he suffered. We have a list here in another passage, but he says, I suffered the loss of all things. If there is any man in biblical time that has suffered like Yeshua the Messiah in some small way, we might say, who are really a type of the Messiah's suffering, is Shaul Paul. In his life, beloved brothers and sisters, he has suffered tremendously, tremendously for the name of Yeshua the Messiah.

And I want to list that for you, please. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 21. It says there I speak as concerning reproach as though we had been weak how bit wherein soever any is bold I speak foolishly I am bold also here somebody has something to say let me tell you of my experiences as a believer I will boldly share this with you Corinthian he is saying to them Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelis? So am I. Are they of the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of the Messiah? I speak as a fool. I am more, in labors more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in death often.

Verse 24, of the Jewish people, my own brethren, he says, five times received I forty stripes, save one. Thrice was I bitten with rods. Once was I stoned. Thrice I suffered shipwreck. A night and a day I have been in the deep, in journeying often, in perils of water, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen. He didn't only suffer from his own brethren, but he suffered from the pagan world who rejected him as well. In perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren. Notice the third group. He suffered by his own Jewish brethren, he suffered by the pagan world, but he even suffered by false brethren.

Those who claim to believe in Yeshua the Messiah, this man, have experienced much suffering. Notice verse 27. In weariness, in painfulness, in watching often, in hunger, in thirst, in fasting often, in cold and in nakedness, beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the assemblies. Brothers and sisters, Shaul Paul not only that he ministered to the saints the local churches local assemblies wherever he went but all along the way he had constant opposition because of his faith in Yeshua the Messiah but he understood something that I don't think you and I quite understand that even if he lost everything here in this world one thing he gained is the person of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah and his eternal relationship with him.

He knew that he was going to leave this world. He was going to be eternally with the Messiah, never, ever anymore to suffer here in this world. And so, verse 8, he counted all things lost for the excellency of the knowledge of the Messiah, Yeshua. And he suffered a lot of suffering by those who oppose the person of the Lord. Now, verse 9, he says, and be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the law but that which is through the faith of the Messiah the righteousness which is of God by faith you see he says even though in so many ways I've been seeking to have mine own righteousness by submitting to many rules and regulations and things that have been given to me it should have been driving me to the Messiah but instead he sought to accomplish his own righteousness just like our own people today in Romans chapter 10 seeking to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God you see this is what the Apostle Paul Shaul learned so much he said I do not want to be found having mine own righteousness do you want God to deal with you in the light of our own righteous activity in our lives?

He will declare us all guilty and he will ultimately will have to send us to eternal separation from him. We know that nobody needs to tell us this. We look in the mirror. We look in the word of God and we know our own hearts. So Paul said I do not want to be found having my own righteousness which is of the Lord but I want to have this righteousness of faith which is believing on the Lord Yeshua the Messiah accepting what he has done for me this is important beloved brothers and sisters to understand now some verses came to my mind immediately and I would like us to turn to them as well turn to 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 21 notice the exchange we read for he God made him this is the Messiah Yeshua to be sin for us look what God did for us beloved brothers and sisters and Paul mentioning this in Philippians chapter 3 and verse 9 God made the Mashiach Yeshua Christ Jesus to become sin for us in other words the exchange was this we have given to him our sins and he had given to us his righteousness.

Now somebody have explained this like if you were having a bank account and you were in minus $100 in your bank account and another person in his own bank account had plus $100 in his own bank account and the one that was in a plus was willing to pay for the one that was in minus, in debt. And he says, you know what? Here's the transaction. I will take what you owe and I'm going to give you what I possess. Of course, we are not talking about bank account here. But we're talking about the righteousness of the Messiah. The exchange was simply this. We have given him all our sin and sins.

And he has given to us all his righteousness. It's an amazing truth. All our sins, so great, so many have been laid upon Yeshua the Messiah. And the exchange is found in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21. For he has made the Messiah to be sin for us who knew no sin. And notice the second part of verse 21. That we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Now you know that from the Garden of Eden until today, People are trying to be right with God on their own merit. The first one who tried to do this was our forefather, Adam, in the Garden of Eden. When he sinned, Genesis chapter 3, by disobeying God and taking the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God began to look, you might say, to seek for him.

Adam, where are you? So Adam went and he hid behind the trees. And so you know what he did? When he hides behind the tree, knowing that God is seeking for him, he quickly made himself a garment from the fig leaves to cover himself. Oh, so he looks like he's pretty covered. He's pretty good. So God said to him, Adam, have you eaten of the tree that I told you not to eat from? Oh, yes. He said, the woman which you have given, he began to pass the back to his wife. And she passed the back to, he blamed Satan. And Adam knew very well that he was naked and empty before God.

Then he didn't help him all the fig leaves that he put upon himself. Everyone that's trying to be right with God on the basis of his work, it's really fig leaves. And men today try to do this everywhere, trying to be right with God, but it's really, it amounts to fig leaves. But here's one that says, I know you are naked before me. I don't only see you external, I'm seeing your heart. And I know that you are not right with me, but I did something for you. Paul is saying here, I became a man and I suffered for you. And I died on the cross, Yeshua the Messiah is saying, I paid the price for you.

I became sin for you, that you will become righteous on the basis of the work that I had accomplished. It's amazing. Look at 1 Peter 3, in verse 18. Now Peter is writing, similar to the Apostle Paul, the Apostle Peter, both of them writing about the work that the Lord has done, that Yeshua has done. He says in verse 18, again, he's talking about the Mashiach, Christ, Christos, Messiah. In verse 18 it says, For the Messiah has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but he was quickened by the Spirit. The Messiah has also once and for all suffered for sins.

He was the just. You and I are the unjust. But why did he suffer? So he will bring us to God. God had to punish him on the tree, being put to death in the flesh. God had punished him, had allowed him to die on the cross. But then he raised him from among the dead for our justification. Wonderful truth to understand, beloved brothers and sisters. And therefore, the apostle Paul, representing here himself before the Philippians, he says, listen, I understand the provision of God's righteousness. It's not merely an external provision for me, which I had when I was living in such a way, and I thought I'm going to make my own righteousness, I'm going to be right with God on my own.

He says, I had to learn something that my forefathers have taught in the past, but unfortunately many of my own family do not understand today. Paul is saying, and we can say this for ourselves today, but yet he has learned that the Messiah has finished the work on the tree. For God's righteousness through the Messiah. He put to Paul's account his righteousness, and he removed from his account all the guilt. He exchanged all the sins to Paul's account. Wonderful exchange that we see here in verses 7, 8, and 9. So go back to Philippians, please, chapter 3. And this time, after he dealt with this in verses 7, 8, and 9, Then in verses 10 and 11, Paul points to Yeshua, who is the believer object in life.

Listen, if we have been brought into such a wonderful relationship because of what Yeshua has done for us, he becomes now the believer's object, the believer's fellowship. And so he continues in verse 10 and 11, and he said, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings. And then he said, then be made conformable unto his death. If by any means I might attain now unto the resurrection of the dead. Notice what Paul is saying. Listen, if the Messiah have given me justification, righteousness, now I want to live for him. I don't want to just use my life to get the ticket.

You see, I got the ticket, I'm going to heaven. And now I'm going to live for myself. I don't care about God. I don't care about anything else. I don't need to read my Bible. I don't need to go to a meeting. I don't need to pray. I'm now being declared righteous because of Yeshua the Messiah. I can do what I want. And Paul says, no. He says, now the object of my life is the person of Yeshua the Messiah. Notice that in verse 10, the fourth thing that he says, that I may know him and that I may know the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering that be made conformable unto his death.

You know, I really want to be more and more like Yeshua, the Messiah in my life today. I know what I'm going to be in heaven because positionally it was settled. God have given me the righteousness of the Messiah. But what about practically? Notice the first thing he says that I may know him. Now again, brothers and sisters, it's not that I may know about him, but I want experientially to know him. Now, how do we get to know the Lord? In fact, how can we get to know each other? If you and I see each other once every month or once every year, we don't know each other much or even once every week.

You know, the best thing to know each other very well is when we spend more time with each other. A husband and wife learn to know about each other very quickly and their life began together and they find out It's not what I thought it was. And you know, you realize we know each other when we rub shoulders and we get closer to each other. But you see, when we learn to know more of Yeshua the Messiah, the more we read about him, the more he shines before our hearts. The more we read the Bible, the Word of God, the more we find out the beauty of the person of Yeshua the Messiah.

The more we read His Word and we hear His Word and we speak with each other about Him, the more we learn about the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, the more He becomes precious to our own hearts. That's why Paul, and I believe every Bible teacher, ought to be faithful in presenting the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, before those that listen to the Word. Because really, the only one that gives satisfaction and helps us to grow and makes life worth living here in this world is when we know more about Him. We read in His baptism, God says, This is my beloved Son in whom I found all my delight.

In His Mount of Transfiguration, Matthew chapter 17, again the voice came from heaven and said, This is my beloved Son. God found pleasure in his son, in the Mashiach. Do you know if the more we will know about him, the more it will change our lives. The more we are occupied with ourselves, the more we will be at this old nature will rise up and exalt itself. But to know of Yeshua, the Messiah, and Paul says, I want to know him experientially. I don't want to be just a religious person who go to church meeting once a week or to congregational meeting once a week. I want to know him in a personal, intimate relationship every day, Paul is saying.

But not only to know him, notice that, as it says here, and the power of his resurrection. What does that mean? It means that when we became believers, we are standing on a different ground. And the thought of his resurrection, it's a new life. If you remember in Romans chapter 6, being baptized unto death in order that we will live in newness of life. What does that mean? When we are going to die and be resurrected, we are going to have to receive a glorified body. And we are going to live eternally with God and for God. So Shaul Paul wanted to know this power of the resurrection now.

Not later on. You see, it is now the time for the believers to live for the Lord and to have fellowship with Him because later on we are going to be resurrected. We are going to be with Him. But what about here and now? You see, in verses 10 and 11, it is the here and the now, while in the previous verses, 7, 8, and 9 has to do with our eternal relationship with the Lord. Verses 10 and 11 has to do with the here and now. I just took a note today when we read the text in Exodus chapter 33 if you remember what Moses Moshe Rabbeinu he was just like Shaul Paul he also said to the Lord that he wanted to know him if you remember in verse 13 that I may know thee Moses Moshe said to God I want to know more of you God Shaul Paul said I I want to know more of you, God the Son, Yeshua HaMashiach.

I want to know more of you. And I want to know the power of your resurrection. To live in a power of resurrection. And notice here's the third thing in verse 10. He says, to have fellowship with his suffering. You know, this is something we don't like to do, you know, brothers and sisters. To have fellowship with the Messiah's suffering. You know we think when we became believers and everybody in the world is going to say wow you are so unique you are a believer in Yeshua the Messiah and yet you find very quickly that the more you identify with Yeshua and the more you have seeking to live in the power of his resurrection you find yourself rejected many times and experiencing some small way the fellowship of the suffering.

You know that very well when you go to your work or to your school young people or wherever you go and you are testifying for Yeshua the Messiah if you will take a stand for the Lord Yeshua the Messiah you will see what the world think about him. You will experience what in a small way what the world think about him and when you think of the suffering of Yeshua nobody suffered like him they took him they rejected him they despised him and if he would come today men will do the same thing today men reject the Messiah of Israel the Savior of the world today just like it happened in the past and they ultimately hung him on the cross on a tree and there they mocked him and they left at him we know those passages in Matthew chapter 27 they rail at him even the malefactors have been those that railed at Yeshua the Messiah the sufferings of the Messiah is an amazing truth to get a hold of but he suffered ultimately by death on the tree in order.

To pay for your sins and for mine beloved brothers and sisters look at other passages we're not going to turn them when you have a chance read second Corinthians 1 verse 5 read first Peter 4 verses 12 and 13 look how many suffering the believers the early believers Hebrew believers had to experience because they identify with the person of Yeshua the Messiah now the fourth thing we find in verse 10 is to be conformable unto his death it's another one Paul said to die to ultimately end up losing my life here in this world. He says, one thing no one can take away from me because I have the righteousness of God by faith in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

Amazing truth. It seems to be so beyond. We are far away from understanding the Word of God and yet it is here presented before us by the Apostle Paul. Now let me read the last verses. In verse 11, Paul wanted to live now as if he's already on the other side of death he says if by any means I might attain and he can add the word now unto the resurrection of the dead he says if it is possible as it says here if by any means one way or another I wish to attain now as if I've already have been resurrected from among the dead.

In other words, he kind of said, I want to live my life right now as it will be after the time of the resurrection. That I will live a life that will be totally for the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. You know, brothers and sisters, when we are going to be with him in heaven and when we're going to come to reign and rule with him over this earth, at the messianic age, at the kingdom days, we will never dishonor the Lord anymore. We will never sin anymore. It is here and now that we are struggling. It is here and now that we have a choice to take side with him or to allow our flesh to have its own way.

It is here and now that we have the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and we have the battles that we have every day when we wake up until we go to sleep but when we are going to be resurrected and ascended and come down with him and to reign with him over this world we will never sin anymore so until then we have a choice today to say Lord help me let me know you a little bit more let me seek to live a life that is more pleasing to you if I have to suffer a time Lord help me not to be ashamed and Lord I long to please you today not when I'm going to be there in heaven I know I will please you then and there but today now help me Lord Paul says I want to do so even today and so now in verse 12 to 14 Paul presents his purpose of life what is his purpose here in.

Life look at this first of all in verse 12 and 13a he says not as though I had already attained I haven't arrived there you know I don't know if you've heard of some people that believe that they have what you call a sinless condition even right now there are some who teach he says listen I've arrived I don't sin anymore now I wonder about that person just spend a few hours or a few minutes with this person and you find out that he or she have still still sinning there is a sin nature that we have within us and that's why Paul is being honest he says I have eternal relationship with the Lord I've been justified I've been declared righteous by God because of Yeshua the Messiah but today he says really I want to show you I haven't arrived I haven't attained yet he says, either we're already perfect, I'm not perfect as yet, but I follow after.

If I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of the Messiah, Yeshua, that word for apprehend. Is to achieve or to obtain. He says, listen, I'm not perfect. Look at my life, Paul says. He's honest he says i know my heart i know my heart as much as in some small way like God knows my heart i know my heart i haven't become i'm not a perfect man but i'm striving as he said in verse but i follow after he said i really want to get further and further spiritually growing in my life as a believer that if by any means i will apprehend for that which i'm also apprehended by our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

Yeshua has already achieved the work of redemption. He already, as far as he is concerned, you and I are already eternally belong to him. But you and I practically haven't yet arrived. And that's why Paul is really looking forward. He says, I follow after. I continue on in my life as a believer in Yeshua the Messiah. Turn for one more moment to Romans chapter 7. I want to show you what he said about himself in Romans chapter 7. Paul was such an honest man that he was not afraid to present his weaknesses, his failure in his own life. He was not pretending that he was such this old, the great apostle Paul, I'm a perfect person.

He says, no, I'm not perfect. I haven't really attained to what I'm aiming for, but I haven't arrived yet. Look at Romans chapter 7. Verse 14, Paul says, For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, and I am sold under sin. You see, the problem is not with God's law that he had given to the people of Israel. The problem is with our sin nature. And Paul says, listen, the law is spiritual. Elsewhere, he says the law is holy. But the problem is not God's law, perfect law. The problem is with humanity, with a sin nature. Verse 15, for that which I do, I allow not.

For what I would or what I want to do, that I don't do. But that I hate, whatever I hate, this thing I do. And if then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. The problem is not with the law, the problem I have in my old nature. Now then it is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me for I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing for the will is present with me but how to perform it that which is good I find not Paul was honest to say the problem is with my old nature I have a sin nature and beloved brothers and sisters Today, when we present the message of the gospel, this is one of the greatest difficulties to say to religious people, to realize that they have a sin nature that needs to be dealt with.

And unless they have trusted in the sinless one who paid the debt for their sin, they will continue on trying to achieve something. And they will find out the judgment day that God is going to have to tell them, I know you not. And Paul was honest enough to say it. Now go back to chapter 3 and verse 12. I'm not perfect. Now I'm pressing on, he says. The word here in verse 12, where it says I'm not perfect, the Hebrew word is shalem. I'm not whole. Practically I'm not complete. Positionally, yes, but practically I'm not yet. I haven't attained yet, verse 12. And then he says, but I follow after, that I may apprehend that for which I am already apprehended by the Messiah, Yeshua.

And then he says in verse 13, But brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before brethren. Achim, he is saying to them, my dear brothers and sisters, how many times we find in the Bible one thing. You'll find it many times. The one that was blind man and turned his heart to the Lord Yeshua the Messiah who said to him, who is the one who gave you sight? He says, I don't know, but one thing I know that once I was blind, but now I see. The psalmist of Israel who went to the temple, he says, one thing I desire in my heart is I wanted to dwell in the house of the Lord.

One thing. He's focused you know we are so scattered in our mind we are not focused and the point is the apostle Paul Shaul says I know one thing that I have an object in my life one thing I do as a believer in Yeshua the Messiah forget all those things which are behind and I'm reaching forth unto those things which are before when he says that he didn't mean I forget my Jewish people or I forget my family or I forget the things that God had given me in the word because after all it is the word of God but what he meant by then I forget all of my achievement all of what I've gained because of my natural birth here into this world in other words with respect to my knowledge of the person of Yeshua the Messiah all these things did not bring me into a relationship with God what brought me into a relationship with God is the work that Yeshua had accomplished for me.

On the tree he died for my sin and he brought me into a relationship with God I one thing I do I press forward I forget the things which are behind and I'm looking forward to the things which are before me and what is before you Paul you and I might ask first of all is my link with the Messiah I'm going to be with him forever but also I'm responsible to share the message of the gospel to edify the people of God to care for the saints of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah to be part of this great work of the message of the gospel I'm pressing forward this one thing I have on my mind I'm going to continue on forgetting the things which are behind and I'm reaching forward to the things which are ahead of me and then he's closing and I'm going to close with that part he says in verse 14 I press toward the Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in the Messiah Yeshua.

Do you know that word here for high could be translated upward calling later on you'll find out that he understood that he is now a citizen of heaven and his hopes are in heaven. Why? Because the Messiah is in heaven and he's going to come to take us to be with him in heaven. So he said, I press forward to the Mark for the prize of this high calling or upward calling. I was called from above and it is a high calling you know you and I brothers and sisters have been called by God we have been chosen by God through the work of the Messiah Yeshua in eternity past and it is such a high calling to be part of a family of God to be part of the assembly of the church of the ecclesia the called out one the congregation and there is a price notice he used the word toward the Mark of the prize there's a prize that we are going to receive in due day when we are faithful to the Lord today.

We are going to receive a prize if we are going to be faithful here serving the Lord we're going to receive a reward and in this reward we are going to be using it for the glory of the Lord we're going to receive crowns other passages talk about the crown but if you read in Revelation chapter 4 the believers will take their crown and will cast it at the feet of Yeshua and we're going to say to him you are worthy it's not us but it is you that are worthy to receive all the glory and the honor and so there is a prize and so I encourage you beloved brothers and sisters we all can be encouraged let's continue pressing forward let's continue on to follow Yeshua the Messiah let's ask him to help us to be faithful to him and when we go astray when we fail him at time let's confess it before him and repent of it and turn back towards him he's always ready to restore us and to use us here for his glory and for his honor.