Thanks Giving services/Sermon in Minneapolis 24.11.2006

Okay. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen. For our study this evening, we will read from the third chapter of Philippians starting with the thirteenth verse onto the fourth chapter, the first verse. And the words are in Jesus' name.

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. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded. And if anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto 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 a pattern and a sample. 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 all things unto himself.

Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. Amen.

Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, it is, of course, with the trepidation as we all feel coming before you. But nevertheless, the joy to be here amidst the believers in Jesus Christ gathered many miles from my home area.

Just as Paul was a long ways from the believers in Philippi when he wrote to them, and he longed to be there with them. And how fortunate we are today, how fortunate I am and our fellow brother Paul, that we can come in this time of great standard of living, that we have the means and we have the ability. And we are not in bonds that we can travel even across an international border to come and to be in the midst of God's children.

And as we come, this fourth chapter, the first verse, I feel so much in my heart that dearly beloved, my joy and my crown, that you travel as I have felt, as many of you have greeted and welcomed, that we travel towards the same goal of heaven.

And therefore, it is so comforting to come and to be with you, to gather at the feet of Jesus, beneath the cross, to gather the blood drops that fall. And I come also bringing many loving greetings to you, dear brothers and sisters, and say, many of us knew that we were coming. We wanted to be remembered by you and to remind you that you are remembered there.

Although we live in different countries, we yet live in this one kingdom of God, and we fight the same battle against the spiritual evilness of this world.

And therefore, you are remembered, dear friends, in faith, by those who left and sent me their loving greetings to you.

In the first verse of our text, Paul starts by saying, brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended. And this word apprehended in this context here means to understand.

And we might wonder why would Paul write that he counts not himself to have apprehended? Wasn't he the person who in a sense founded the congregation of Philippi, who first brought the message of God's word to the believers, to the people in Philippi who repented and then came as fellow travelers?

And yet he says that I count not myself to have apprehended or to have understood with great wisdom. And we know that this wisdom is not the wisdom of man. And he wrote in a similar way when he came to the Corinthians or when he wrote to the Corinthians: "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with the excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God, for I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified." This is all we need to know, that Jesus has died and that his innocent suffering and death is the hope of our salvation.

It is not in great knowledge that we would attain salvation, but rather as Paul has said many times that he would rather rejoice in his infirmity than he would rejoice in his works. But nevertheless, he wanted to come and speak to these congregations and write to them as needed. And the one thing that he did apprehend or understand, I tell 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. Here he tells us that he knows this, that he would reach to those things which are before.

And before we think about what he meant on that issue, I would also like to speak briefly about remembering things that are in the past. Of course, he has a special meaning here about forgetting the past. We won't forget our sins that we have done in the past. God no longer remembers them, and we no longer either—no longer do they accuse us. But yet in this time of ever developing new things, new technology, the world is changing greatly. And in many ways, it is moving so much forward that we forget to look backwards.

And why would we look backwards? We wouldn't want to necessarily look back at our sins and our faults. But Jeremiah was encouraged to write in the Old Testament times to the people of Israel about what kind of path they should seek. "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old path, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." So as we live in this time of technology, ever changing, and maybe you young who are gathered here today think that your parents, maybe even your older brothers and sisters, although they may be only a few years older than you, do not understand this technology.

They do not understand what dangers could be, that there is nothing wrong with this or that technology. But here we are encouraged in God's word, yet as Jeremiah spoke, to see and ask for the past: where is the good way and walk therein. That your parents, your uncles, your aunts, your grandpas, and grandmas, although they may not have in their youth had the same technology and the same temptations, nevertheless, guided by the Spirit and guided by God's word, they have instructions for you, dear young. Do not put these old teachings aside. Do not leave them and say that they are old fashioned, but rather listen.

Listen to the words of the wise elders as the Proverbs writes that I believe in the beginning of the third chapter of Proverbs, he writes that trust in the Lord and lean not on thy own understanding. So that it would not be our understanding. It would not be our wisdom that makes the choices, the decisions, but rather that we would rely as well on the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit that dwells here in his kingdom and that our conscience would be in agreement with the conscience of the mother congregation, where we can dwell in peace and freedom when we travel here as little children of God, not having knowledge, not having wisdom, but rather listening to the voice of the mother, the quiet still voice that speaks in his congregation, not a voice as we hear around us on the radios, the music that surrounds us, the loud bold voices, but here in his congregation speaks a very quiet voice, a quiet voice for those who wish to hear. And that voice speaks good things. And it speaks to you this evening that dear brother, dear sister, uplift your hearts despite weaknesses, despite faults that have come on the journey.

My gospel belongs to you. Believe, sins forgiven. In Jesus' name and precious blood. This gospel will carry. This gospel will take you to heaven's shore despite the battles that rage.

And we know, dear young, there are many, many temptations. There were many temptations when I was young. There were many temptations when your parents were young. And there are also many today in the world and the devil are trying many ways to cause you to fall. But be secure here in his kingdom around his gospel.

And count yourself so fortunate as Christ spoke to his own that dear dear ones, blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear. For many prophets and many kings have desired to hear and to see the things that you see and you hear and have not. And you, dear friends in faith, have been blessed here to hear his words, to hear his gospel, and to hear his instruction and rebuke from his kingdom. And this wisdom that Paul writes of, that he counts himself not to have apprehended. But this one thing, I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before.

We do not need to remember our many sins and transgressions. When they are washed away in the blood of the Lamb, the heavenly Father no more remembers them. Neither do we need to remember those sins. But sometimes the reminder of those sins and the scars that remain are with us. And may I there to remind us that we would not wish to fall again into those sins.

But nevertheless, through faith, we trust. And the Bible reminds us that they are gone, no longer to be remembered by the heavenly Father, and no longer to be remembered even here on earth in an accusing way. They no longer accuse us. They are gone. But yet, sometimes, even after a fall and even after the gospel has been preached, there is yet an appropriate moment to discuss these matters.

Then how can we fend against the enemy? How can we stop the enemy from attacking again at that same weak point? How can we together travel towards our heavenly home and defend against this wily enemy? Because we want to, as Paul says here, I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. But that would be our goal, that we could press onward.

In this battle, we are here yet in time, and the battle weapons that we have been given are all needed. The helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, the feet shod with the preparation of the gospel. All these are needed that we would be able to press and move forward. Let us therefore as many as be perfect, be thus minded. And if in anything you be otherwise minded, God shall reveal this even unto you.

Paul already said that he counts himself to not have apprehended, to not have great understanding. But then in a few verses, he says, let us therefore as many be perfect. So in one hand, he is speaking that he does not have great understanding. But then he is counting himself as one who is perfect. And how can we be perfect?

Could we possibly count ourselves tonight, dear brothers and sisters, as one who is perfect? When we look at our own self, do we see perfection? No. We see the sins that dwell in us. Each of us has this sin, corrupt flesh.

And even each of us has our own temptations, our own place of watching, our own trials, our own difficulties here in this battle. But nevertheless, through eyes of faith, and when the gospel has been able to cleanse us, and we can forget, as Paul says, those things that are behind us, those things, we can clothe in this beautiful world be counted as perfect. Not perfect in ourselves, but perfect in the merit work, the great sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when we have been in this way counted as perfect, let us therefore as many as be perfect, be not minded. So dear brothers and sisters in faith, as you have been washed and cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, and then you are perfect before the heavenly Father and acceptable, then let us be thus minded, and if in anything you 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. We know that our understanding is weak. We see in part. We prophesy in part.

But yet we live in a perfect kingdom, God's kingdom, where although each member is in themselves weak, together they make up this beautiful kingdom here on earth. Where as a group there is perfection. And there are many times in our life when difficulties come, questions come that how would a believer act? How would a believer react in this or that situation? When this question of life comes to me, how should I move forward?

How should I continue? There in those times, we turn to the advice of God's kingdom that we would be binding the same rule, that we could walk by the same rule. And if sometimes we do not understand that rule, we do not understand the message that is coming from God's kingdom. Nevertheless, we want to be obedient to that message. That when the elders have spoke, when the mothers and fathers, the uncles and aunts, the brothers and sisters in faith, the Holy Spirit has guided them to speak in this way about whatever matter is causing the difficulty, the questions.

Then even at that time, if that understanding does not come, our mind cannot comprehend. Let us trust. Let us have faith. Let us believe that the Holy Spirit is guiding. And even at those times, Paul says, that if anything you be otherwise minded, God shall reveal this even unto you.

That in time, God will show. In time, God will bless. But that we would be obedient. And, of course, he does not mean that we need to be the same in a temporal sense. As I look over you dear friends and say, many of you I do not know, some of you I know better, and I see many different walks of life.

Many people are called from different callings, but yet called for this one special calling to be here in God's kingdom. And so, because of this and because of our different natures and our different backgrounds in our temporal life, we may do things differently, of course. And all this does not mean that we would all be the same in that way, that we would all, for example, own our own house or drive a certain car or maybe even vote for a certain political party. Whatever the case would be, these temporal things would not in any way interfere or begin to break the love amongst God's congregation. These things would not, the devil would not be able to use these temporal issues to cause division, to cause strife, to cause a break of law in God's kingdom. And then we could accept differences when it comes to temporal issues; those will be and those will remain.

And we could hopefully discuss and understand, but keep the most important thing that together we travel. We travel as brother and sister. We travel as brother and brother towards that same goal in heaven. Do not let, dear friends in faith, these temporal issues cause strife, cause division amongst the kingdom. And then in spiritual matters, we wish to always listen, to be the one who is listening, not the one who is speaking, that this is the way that it should go, that I know that it needs to be this way, but that we would come to listen.

What does the Spirit want to say to me? The same applies to you, dear children. Many of you have come with your parents, your grandparents here tonight to also listen to God's word, to hear what He would have to say to you. You also attend many other activities. You go to Sunday school.

Your younger ones also go to day circle, to Bible class. God speaks to you there, and He teaches you through your teachers in the same way as He speaks to you through your parents, that you too could be preserved in this one unity of faith. Your teachers have been given by God to teach you and that you too could teach them. And same with your parents. Together, you travel.

And the enemy, of course, would like to divide us, to cause division from the young to the old, between the younger young and the older young, between the middle ages and the more, the ones that are approaching retirement, whatever the case. But yet, in any walk of life, in any position in life, in any age, we travel as one united flock of God's kingdom. No one being more wise than the other, but instructing and caring for one another with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the comfort and the instructions that come from God's word and His gospel. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk, to where He have us for an example. This is a reminder for all of us that we would walk as an example for the believers, that we would not in any way through our walk cause another to follow and leave and cause sin through our walk.

But we need to be reminded that even though this is a flock, that all are at the same level and the same position, nevertheless, some have been given positions, more serious positions in God's kingdom. There are board members. Dear board members, God's congregation has called you into that position, and it is not because of your great work. It is not because of your knowledge, but because God has given you faith and the trust.

And therefore, the congregation has entrusted into you special responsibilities that come with that position. And although we sometimes want to say, oh, yeah, I don't know why I'm in that position, and we may tend to belittle the gifts that are in us, nevertheless, in that position, there is the seriousness of responsibility that you would be an example onto the flock.

Similarly to the teachers of Sunday school, when you go before your class, and I know you do that with many prayers to the heavenly Father, just as the parents who send their children to be taught of you send them with many prayers. But remember that you are also an example to those young children, that you would be a free woman, that you would serve with those gifts, and that you would walk as an example, and also to the youth.

You don't realize, dear youth, how many times the young children, these innocent angels of God, look to you. They watch you very closely. They watch your actions.

They watch how you behave when you are visiting outside the church. They watch how you behave when you are sitting in church, listening to the word of God. They watch you so closely, and they are taking you as an example. And only if you could be a good example to these precious young angels who watch you closely. And this example is not something that comes from ourselves, but it is something that comes from our faith.

Jesus writes that out of the goodness of the heart flows good things. And then when you can be free in your faith, when you can travel with sins forgiven, then you can be a good example even to these your younger brothers and sisters or your nieces and nephews or other young children traveling in God's kingdom.

And sometimes we have to remind ourselves to think that someone is watching. Not that someone is watching to see if we err, but these precious gems, these gifts from heaven, these young children, so innocent, are watching, and they are learning from you. And it is good for us to remember that we would not want to lead one of these little ones astray.

But Paul continues that 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.

Haven't we all experienced that our dear ones have not always followed with good conscience in the kingdom of God? And we wish to call them back. We wish to be an example to them. But yet we have to remember that they are the enemies of the cause of Christ. Either you are for us or you are against us.

And we want to be with those in the environment of God's word, to be with them where they can be encouraged to come back into the grace kingdom. But we would not want to join them in their activities, especially if they begin to aim towards worldly activities.

If someone is playing near a cliff, of course, we want to help them from falling off that cliff. We would like to go near to help them. But yet if they are so close to that edge of the cliff, we do not want to go so close that we ourselves are in danger of falling.

And so, dear friends in faith, as we struggle and we wish to remember the grace call of the Lord Jesus Christ to continue to call and to beg and to encourage those to come yet into the kingdom, but not do not join them where the dangers are. Do not go with them under the pretense that I wish to be with them so they could return, but they are leading you rather further and further from God's kingdom, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ.

But let's call them even as we sang in our hymn before this service. How the Lord Jesus Christ, he still calls, and he's calling so tenderly. He calls for you. That still so tenderly sinner, I'm pleading for you.

My loving voice gently does call you. As a shepherd, I call you and beg you to come. I'll carry you home if I find you. Remember those who have left, and remind them that the Lord Jesus Christ still is found here, and you do not need to return to God's kingdom even under your own strength, but just allow the Lord Jesus Christ to find you.

He calls for you. He's pleading for you, and he's begging for you to come, to come back into his kingdom. Come inside where there is warmth of the Spirit and warmth of the gospel. And if you allow him to find you, then you do not have to do anything. But if you allow him to find you, he will carry you.

He will carry you home. He will carry you into his kingdom where you can receive sins forgiven in his name and blood, and he will also carry you to the destination. You do not need to worry that, oh, how will I be able to continue? But I have fallen into these matters, and they will tempt me again. Do not worry about those.

But if you allow the Lord Jesus to find you, he will carry you, and he will carry you home all the way to heaven's shore. For our conversation is in heaven. For with also we look for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our conversation, our citizenship, is in heaven. We know that we live in time and we are citizens of our time, citizens of our respective countries.

But our citizenship that we own, that is most precious and that no temporal government can take away from us, is the citizenship here in God's kingdom where our conversation is, where our desire is in heaven. And we could think of this heaven as also being as John saw in his revelations. And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

But already here in time, we can dwell in this heaven on earth, his kingdom, and that our conversation or our citizenship would be here in his kingdom, his blessed kingdom, where we can travel with brothers and sisters side by side, journeying towards that goal of our eternal home in heaven, who shall change our body that it may be fashioned onto his, whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

So our destination is at home in heaven, and this goal is one that is open throughout the scriptures and one that many times, because of the battle and the flesh that we carry and the spiritual battle that wars against us, someone who is at the front line of the battle often does not have time to lift their gaze and look at the promised land, but the battle is right in front. The battle is there. And we must keep many times our head down, looking where will the arrow come from, where will the enemy attack.

But it is an impression here, brothers and sisters in faith, that we can pause for a moment even this weekend and move away as if a little bit from the front, the heat of the battle.

And as you move back from the very front of the battle, you can lift your gaze even just for a moment and to see heaven's shore. The destination is there waiting, and it reminds us that it pays to continue to battle. That battle is many times fierce, and it is so personal. The enemy knows your weaknesses. He knows my weaknesses, and he comes to attack at those points.

But when we can gather around his word on a weekend like this and change our minds from these temporal duties that are many times harrowing and move away from the temporal battle, these battle positions, and also be in the midst of God's kingdom, then we see that it is possible that I, one is I, could possibly reach that beautiful destination that is before us. And Paul writes to the Corinthians of how this amazing thing will happen. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Our corruption, our evilness will be changed. We will no longer carry this fleshly body. We will no longer be tried. And so when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall he pass to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory.

Oh, death, where is thy sting? Oh, grave, where is thy victory? The grave itself will not be able to contain us. Death will have no power over us, but we will be transformed from our mortality into immortality. And then as he says, our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Christ won the victory, and this victory that he won on Golgotha's Cross is a victory that even today we can partake of. But that victory was not the final victory, for Christ will come again. And at the last, he will throw death, he will throw hell and the devil into the fire. And then even though we have this victory in Christ, that we can cling to his victory over death.

The devil is still around us, and he is still tempting us. And we are not yet at the stage where he will be put finally to his place. But one day, that will happen, and then all things will be subdued. And no more will we have to worry. No more will we be tempted.

No more will we sin. But there in perfection, we will be able to praise the heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. So it pays to continue to battle, to move forward here one small step at a time, not with our wisdom, but with the trust and the hope of the heavenly Father and with these precious travel escorts that so many have gathered together with you, together with me tonight as one united flock, we will reach the destination of heaven's shore. And dear friends, uplift your hearts to believe that even your last has been dealt.