There is Coming a Day That God Will Regather Israel

The Regathering of Israel

Book of Jeremiah Chapter 23

Before we get started in our lesson we should see to whom the Lord is directing these words. We only have to back up one chapter to chapter 22 verse 29.

Jer 22:29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.

We should know that all these things that went on in the time of Jeremiah took place during his lifetime, but these things have a great meaning for the nation of Israel today and further still in the future and we as Gentiles and the Body of Christ need to listen and learn from all these things.

If we had read these things we would realize that King Coniah or Jeconiah, both are the same. Coniah was of King David’s line through King Solomon and the rights to this throne was cut off by the Lord. Joseph the husband of Mary would be of this same line and God said the Messiah could come from the line of David which the Lord had just ended.

Had Jesus been born the natural way instead of the Super natural way, He would have no claim to the throne in the line of King David.

Had Joseph chosen someone besides Mary to be His wife, it would have broken the chain to the Messiah.

Since the plan of God cannot be altered, Mary was also of the line of David thorough his son Nathan who was the first born of David and Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, being conceived by the Holy Spirit holds the royal title to the throne of David, which He will possess when He returns.

Since the Lord cannot die then His throne is eternal!

Chapter 23 verse 1

*****Jer 23:1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture, saith the LORD.

Things had gotten so bad that Jeremiah had decided to quit on God, but he found that he could not.

Jer 20:9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name but his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.

God had rejected this generation and He would be their enemy!

Jer 21:5 And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.

Jer 21:10 For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.

Jer 22:6 For thus saith the LORD unto the king's house of Judah; Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon: yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited.

Jer 22:9 Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.

It will never be good for those who have rejected the Lord God Jehovah!

*****Jer 23:2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.

These shepherds included the spiritual leaders of this nation but also the political leaders of this nation!

We see right off that it is the job of the Pastor to feed his flock and that food was to be the Word of God!

The job of the Pastor has not changed today, they are to be shepherds to the flock that the Lord has given to them.

These had caused the people of God to be scattered rather than to be gathered together as one people.

**Do we not see this thing today as many so-called Christians have joined with the evils of our nation and the Church is scattered in its beliefs.

We are to gather in one accord with the truth of God!

We simply do not see righteousness and true justice in our society of today.

What had God promised? Peace, security, and prosperity if, God's people would obey Him.

Joh_8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

When those behind the pulpits of today fail to do their duty, the children of God will be confused. This confusion would go away if they would study the Word of God themselves and remove all those who teach lies rather than the truth of God!

What do we know? Those who scatter God's people are the same ones who increase their personal wealth, their positions, and sometimes even power, while they condemn God's people!

God says it is He who will repay them for the evil that they have done!

Psa 62:9 Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.

Psa 62:10 Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.

Psa 62:11 God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.

Psa 62:12 Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.

We should clearly understand God will eventually punish everyone who oppress God's people.

It is necessary at this time for these things to take place, so all humans can have an opportunity to repent.

How many will remain true to the Lord?

*****Jer 23:3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

Some say this is what is going on now and it is but most of these today are not Christian. When the Lord gathers after or even during the Tribulation Period they will truly be His people.

God expects every government to take care of its people. In fact if the people at home are not cared for then our government should not provide our resources to other governments, especially to those that mistreat their people!

Jer 25:32 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.

Jer 25:33 And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.

Jer 25:34 Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel.

Those that believe that there is a power greater than the Lord are trusting in vanity!

And for all the naysayers, Israel will one day occupy all the land that was given to Abraham!

Even today with the leaders Israel has, the people of Israel are not very afraid of all those larger enemies that surround them, but must never let pride enter into their politics ever again!

What has God promised?

*****Jer 23:4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.

Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

What is the sign of the true Pastor? They are called of God!

God gives us all a job to do but God calls His Pastor in another way, so they can know they have been called. All others who claim to be a Pastor but are not called of God, are imposters!

The true Pastor will not fear what the government can do to him and he will instill this into the flock of God.

As Christians we must never fear what this world can do to us because at death we go to the glory land!

And a greater promise of them all, the Lord Jesus Christ will return and this time He will claim the throne of David!

There are many lessons and many prophesies of the Second coming of the Messiah and this is just one of them.

Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Jeremiah and Isaiah both knew these things were to be in the future then and still are today, but the time draws very near that the Lord will soon return.

Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

Rev 19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

Rev 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

Rev 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

He will have a name much grander than them all:

*****Jer 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

To the Jews His name would be "Jehovah-Tsidkenu".

To each Christian, since we have no righteousness of our own, He is called The Lord Our Righteousness.

It is because Our Lord spent a sinless life upon this earth that He could take our place on the Cross on Mount Calvary!

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

When we place our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, God applies the Righteousness of His Dear Son to us and it is because of this that we can become acceptable to Him.

So who is the Messiah? The Messiah is none other than the righteous Son of God, The Lord Jesus Christ!

The truth is we did not have the ability to become "righteous" on our own.

Isa_64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

In fact there has never lived one person upon the face of this earth that has lived a righteous life beside the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom_3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

The days we live in now are the days of the Church but the soon coming Age will be the days of the restored nation of Israel.

*****Jer 23:7 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

Jer 23:8 But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.

This prophesy will not see it's fulfillment while the Church is still upon the face of this earth! The Church will already be in Heaven and then return with the Lord when He returns!

When the Lord sits upon the throne of David, then He will gather His people from all the countries of the world and lead them back to the Promised Land.

Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Mat 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Promised land of the Jews is not heaven, but it is a symbol of Heaven.

What we see going on in Israel today is just a partial filling of this prophesy of Jeremiah!

There is a big difference between the Prophet Jeremiah and the false prophets of his days.

*****Jer 23:9 Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.

What is the truth of those false prophets?

Jer 14:14 Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.

This same thing is true of those false preachers of today in the Church.

Jeremiah had thoughts like many today. Just how could a loving God allow the destruction of His people.

First, we need to describe God's people.

Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.

Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

If cannot fit yourself into these words of the Lord, then you are not God's people. It is just that simple!

These false prophets will cause many to go astray but only if they reject the truth of God!

It breaks the heart of God for these things to take place, but He can never go against His Word in any case!

What is one of our greatest problems? We cannot always realize the truth of today until it becomes our past.

It seems we always want more truth when we have the greatest of all truths in the Scriptures preserved for us in the Word of God!

We must know God well enough to know that He never does things because of anger. He does things because these are the things that He said he would do.

The Lord never does things because of a lack of love, He does these things because this is what He said he would do and He will never go against His Word.

It is because of the Holiness of His Words.

Holy words are those words that lead us to obey the will of God!

The Word of God is Holy! The Word of God is set apart as the complete truth in a world full of lies and deceit!

*****Jer 23:10 For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.

Jer 23:11 For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.

We should know that most false worship in the adjacent nations involved sexual sin. Adultery here refers to sexual adultery and more important "Spiritual Adultery" which is idolatry.

The false prophets and the false ministers can commit no greater sin than immorality, sexual or Spiritual.

The Prophets of God are held to a higher standard just as those who preach the Word of God today are!

When a so-called prophet of God turns away from the Lord they have committed apostasy!

It is the same as running away from the Lord as did Jonah. Jonah returned but these had rejected the Lord and the Word of God refusing to repent.

These men had broken the heart of God and God was already bringing drought and famine.

The land was mourning and refused to provide for these people.

The land of Israel never regained the power to provide for Israel, until the children of Israel began to return as Israel was "Born Again" on May 14, 1948. Israel has since blossomed into a truly pleasant land.

This was a sign to them all, that they would certainly face the judgment of God!

The prophets and the priests had chosen wickedness for their model of right and wrong.

Sounds more and more like the America we live in today!

Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

How many today have forgotten this simple verse of Scripture?

This is just the opposite of what God has called us all to do!

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

It is for this reason their life would be made miserable.

*****Jer 23:12 Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.

We know that the persecution of Christians has increased many times over, but we can also be sure that those who preach a false message will be persecuted by God Himself, when the time is right.

It is a terrible thing to walk into a place we do not know when it is too dark to see. When we find that the walkway is also slippery it just adds to our fright.

These priests in the day of Jeremiah would walk in the daylight as if it was total darkness and stumble about until they fell for good.

They would be banished from ever serving God again!

Psa 35:1 Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.

Psa 35:2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help.

Psa 35:3 Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.

Psa 35:4 Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.

Psa 35:5 Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them.

Psa 35:6 Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD persecute them.

Psa 35:7 For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul.

Psa 35:8 Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall.

We sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that God will continue to allow these things to take place, but the Scriptures prove to us the God will cause these things to end and those that do these things to come to a wicked end themselves!

They had Blasphemed themselves as they had committed blasphemy in the Temple of Solomon!

As we live day by day as Christians we have the responsibility of keeping ourselves clean without even having the appearance of evil.

The message of the false prophets has not changed much from the time of Jeremiah till the day we live in!

In fact the world keeps telling us that things are better than they ever have been, which is just one of the lies of today!

Spiritual leaders are saying as long as you do things in moderation God will forgive, which is another lie. God may forgive but that forgiveness will not come without repentance. God does not change His ways!

When we reject the truth, we are believing a lie, it’s just that simple!

There is not one nation upon this earth that is immune to the truth of God!

God will gather all the Jews one day and I believe He has started now but most of that fulfillment comes after the Church is taken out of this world.

God always does what He says He will do!

Amen

Let’s Pray!

Happiness in the High Calling of God

Joy in the High Calling of God

Book of Philippians 3:1-21

We sometimes forget that God has never intended for His children to lead defeated lives and we are no good to God when we do!

Happiness is never about satisfying our flesh!

Happiness is never about having confidence in our flesh!

Happiness comes only when our hearts are right with God, through and by the Lord Jesus Christ!

Happiness can never come from climbing to some imagined spiritual plateau and then looking down on others!

The one thing we can all say about the Apostle Paul is that he was never afraid to show his true feelings about the Lord Jesus Christ nor to share his testimony with anyone who would listen!

The Apostle Paul is also a great example for us to follow but the Lord Jesus Christ is our Greatest example!

*****Php 3:1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

Finally, means we must consider what Paul has written in Chapters 1 and 2 to understand what Paul is about to say in the remaining words of this epistle.

The Lord did never say that to be a Christian would be easy, in fact the Lord Jesus said just the opposite!

First, no one escapes the trials of life that we all go through. We are confronted with the evils of this world everyday no matter who we are!

The Scriptures put it like this:

1Jn_2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

What do we see in our nation that is causing us to be so divided?

2Pe_2:10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

This describes those who dividing our nation today!

We must also understand, that as Christians we already have what the Jewish people have been seeking since the time of Abraham!

A close and very personal relationship with Jehovah God that cannot fade away!

It is always good to review the facts.

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

These are unchangeable facts to all those who submit to the Lord Jesus Christ! There is great joy in knowing the truth of God no matter what we are going through!

Even knowing these things, we must always be aware of our surroundings.

*****Php 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

It is the Jews who said the Gentiles were dogs who did not know the true God Jehovah.

Mat 15:26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.

Jesus was just repeating what this woman clearly understood.

The Jews, while they boasted of being the children of God, gave the name of dogs to the heathen.

Paul writes the true dogs of society are those who have rejected the truth of God!

The Apostle John wrote that is those who have rejected the salvation plan of God:

Rev 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Remember what else Jesus said?

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Joh 8:45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

These are the same dogs, and the evil workers Paul was referring to.

The word concision used here refers to all those such as the Judaizers who insisted that the Gentiles be circumcised but not as intended when God gave this to Abraham.

Circumcision was to be a sign of a people separated to Jehovah God!

The Jewish circumcision had only become a flesh cutting just as the mutilation of those of false worship.

So, Paul adds.

*****Php 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Remember Paul is writing to the Church. Christianity has become the sign of that personal relationship with Jehovah!

Isa 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Isa 12:3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

You cannot be a Christian if you cannot worship God in the Spirit.

You cannot be a Christian if you cannot rejoice in the truth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, (God in the flesh).

You cannot be a Christian if you still have confidence in your own flesh!

This is the circumcision that is approved of God and the intent of the sign given to Abraham!

Joh_4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him "must" worship him in spirit and in truth.

Sadly, the Jews have never accepted this truth.

God cannot be worshipped in form, God must be worshipped in truth!

If we cannot give up on our flesh and rest in the strength of the Lord we will never be that true child of God!

We can attend church regularly.

We can pray.

We can be charitable.

We can be baptized.

We can keep the ceremonies of the church.

We can pay our tithes and then make offerings.

We can join the church.

We can do all these things and even more "but this is not worship"!

All worship must be based upon the movement of the Holy Spirit and this will never happen unless the Holy Spirit lives within us!

1Co 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

This the place God in Spirit, abides until He returns "in person" to takes us home to Heaven!

If you cannot worship the Lord within yourself, it will never show up when you gather with others who are the same!

If we cannot rejoice in Jesus Christ we will never have any part of the Holy Spirit and we will never know Jehovah God!

We must clearly understand; our flesh is only physical and material and it can only handle physical and material things. God is Spirit!

Our confidence must be in the Lord Jesus Christ who was sent by Jehovah God to solve our flesh problem!

It is obvious that we will battle with this flesh as long as we are alive as Paul describes his own battle.

*****Php 3:4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

Php 3:5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

Php 3:6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

Php 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ was 100% God and while He was on this earth before He was crucified, He was also 100% human.

After we are "Born Again" into the family of God we are still 100% human but we are also now 100% saved by the power of God through the blood of Jesus Christ which is "spiritual". We must abandon the flesh for what it is, and feed the spirit within us that lives forever!

Gal 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Jesus Christ is the only sign of righteousness that is needed in this world but this world must accept this to be the truth!

Confidence is trusting in your own abilities to solve all your problems but we must clearly understand we have no power to deal with our own sin problem!

Most of our world suffers from self-righteousness!

Paul said he was circumcised one the 8th day according to the Jewish law and according to the sign given to Abraham.

Paul said he was a true Israelite and from the tribe of Benjamin which had remained with the tribe of Judah throughout all the years of Israel.

Paul said he was a descendant of Jacob who was a descendant of Eber a descendant of Shem, the son of Noah.

Paul went to the best schools of the law in Jerusalem and studied under Gamaliel and became a Pharisee at a young age.

Act 5:34 Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;

Act 5:35 And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.

There were the Essenes, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees the 3 sects of Jewish law, the Pharisees being the most accurate and precise in all matters concerning the laws of Moses.

Paul had a zeal and was perfectly sincere in persecuting the church. According to the Jewish law he was innocent of any wrong doing as he murdered and killed Christians in a feeble attempt to stop the Church of Jesus Christ!

We should clearly understand that until we come to know the Lord Jesus Christ in a personal way we all suffer from moral blindness as was Paul who then Saul.

1Ti 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;

1Ti 1:13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

1Ti 1:14 And the "grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant" with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

The Apostle Paul became a prime example for us all in the power of God's "Grace".

Before Paul met the Lord on the Damascus Road, Paul, then Saul, was high up in the sect of the Pharisees, could possibly had a seat on the Sanhedrin Court and riches and prestige were certainly in his future!

Paul had strived all his life to be in this position of prestige in the Jewish society of that day and had made it!

But when you meet the Lord Jesus Christ your life can change for the better!

We should clearly understand there should be a change.

Like a wise black Pastor said, "if you are what you were, then you ain't".

Paul did not mean all the things of his Jewish life were evil. The things of the Jews were only evil when they were used as an excuse to destroy the Messiah and the work of the Church.

These things became not only worthless but in reality, they were a loss in the furtherance of the truth!

Mat 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Why is this so true? There is nothing more excellent than the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ!

*****Php 3:8 Yea 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,

Php 3:9 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:

We should ask ourselves, what is the meaning of gain and loss in my life?

To gain is to obtain an increase in anything.

What does God say?

Mat_16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

A loss is best described as destruction, waste, ruin, defeat and even puzzled.

A gain list might read, good health, money, comfort and prosperity and such as these.

A loss list might read sickness, disappointment, sorrow, bereavement and such as these.

That word "count" being in the present tense means the Apostle Paul constantly counted these things each day.

To Paul there was only one gain and that was in the Jesus Christ. All other things were loss!

Act 20:24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

How did Jesus describe the Kingdom of Heaven?

Mat 13:44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

There is nothing in this world that we can compare to the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The "knowledge" of Jesus Christ just overwhelms all the thoughts of gain in this world!

God says: Pro_8:10 Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.

There are things in Heaven that we can only dream of because we have no knowledge except to know it will be far better than anything upon this earth.

Paul clearly understood what the Lord Jesus was saying and we should to!

Mat_6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

Mat_6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

The greatest treasure we can find here on earth is righteousness and that righteousness can come only by the Lord Jesus Christ!

The only means of this righteousness is "Faith" in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ!

How does the Bible describe faith?

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The knowledge of Jesus Christ is the substance of our faith.

The object of saving faith is the whole revealed Word of God!

Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

God wants us to know all about Him. God has given us the Scriptures that explain everything we need to know about Him and it is from the Word of God where we will obtain enough faith to be set free from the burden of sin!

When we study the Scriptures, we will see all the wonderful things that the Lord has done for us.

*****Php 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Php 3:11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

The Lord Jesus Christ is a complete Savior!

The Lord Jesus Christ showed the power of God when He raised Himself from the dead!

In His death, He buried all things that stopped our salvation, in His resurrection, He made all things new, including the new life.

If we are crucified with Christ, then the things of this world will be meaningless and just tools to carry us till the time we can go home.

Gal_2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

To be crucified with Christ is to dead to the things of this world and they will mean no more than "dung".

The Lord Jesus Christ was perfect, yet He had the same desires of any man but He never allowed His desires to turn to lust!

The truth is, the more we know the Lord Jesus Christ, the more we will want to be like Him!

If we know the Lord, we will fellowship in His suffering because it was His suffering that gave us the victory in our own lives!

We will then understand that we will also be persecuted and this too is a victory because in the persecutors eyes, we are seen to be acting like Christ!

1Pe 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

To understand all these things is to realize that we also have a resurrection to look forward to one day.

Rom_6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Notice the resurrection Paul is referring to is the resurrection of the believer at the end of the "Church Age".

We may struggle with our faith from time to time but the truth of Jesus Christ will never change!

Luk 14:14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

Who are these that have been justified?

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

We that know the Lord Jesus Christ on a personal level and trust in His words, are "justified" but we have not yet reached perfection.

*****Php 3:12 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.

We may have a perfect knowledge of Jesus Christ, we may have a perfect knowledge of the power of His death, we may understand His sufferings and most of all His perfection but we will not reach this perfection until He comes to take us home or we go on to meet Him!

It is true that it is only those who have justified who can be made perfect.

Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

Knowing all these things then, our goal must be to reach perfection!

We cannot reach perfection as long as we live in these bodies of flesh but it must remain our goal!

Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Our own perfection, until we meet Jesus can come only by studying the Word of God and applying it to our lives daily!

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

The Apostle Paul knew he had not reached perfection but he knew he was not going to quit trying as long as he lived!

*****Php 3:13 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,

Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

If you are true Christian then you have called of God at some point.

Rom_8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Even out of those who are called most will never accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

Mat_22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

Some will say, well why then is it so important to follow the Lord during the "Church Age"?

It is all those saved during the Church Age who will miss out on the wrath of God and those who were called and rejected the Lord will never get another opportunity after the Church Age".

1Th_1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Eph_5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

2Th_2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

It is when the Lord returns to take us home that we will reach perfection, for then and only then will we be as righteous as the Lord has always been!

2Ti 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

We may not understand all these things but that is why it is called "Faith" and without "Faith" we simply cannot please God!

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Paul said let's just all have the same mind toward the Lord Jesus Christ and the work He has done for our salvation!

*****Php 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

We cannot be perfect until we meet Jesus face to face but the fact that this is true means that in this sense we are perfect now!

We are no longer "babes in Christ" we understand the true "milk of the Word of God"!

We worship God in Spirit and Truth and we know why.

We have no confidence in our flesh.

We are solidly established in the things of God.

We are in the "race", running the course, the Lord has chosen for us.

We understand the "Mind of Christ" as it is written in the Word of God!

We understand that if we are lacking in anything according to God's purpose for us, that God will provide that also!

We understand that we all have a ministry for God and God will provide all things necessary for our ministry to succeed!

*****Php 3:16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

Php 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

One of the most important things we must do as Christians is to not lose the ground we have already gained.

We must continue to walk in Christ all our days! It is the wisdom of the Lord and the wisdom He has passed on to the true men of God that will lead us the remaining days of our life.

It is not the wisdom of this world.

It is not the wisdom of the politicians of this world.

It is not the wisdom of the leaders of this world, including our own president.

1Co 2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

We must be examples to each other and our wisdom must be the wisdom of God!

Jas_3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

When we strive to be examples for each other we can be a force in this world for good that this world has never seen.

As Christians, we do not want to dominate this world, we only know that Christ will one day dominate this world, which He already owns!

The strength of Christianity lies in the close fellowship of each believer!

If we follow good and always do good, we will encourage others to do good also.

If we follow bad and do bad, it sets a pattern of bad for all the world to see!

The life we live sets a pattern for those who are around us and if we look like the world then we have allowed the world to influence us more than should ever be allowed!

We must never forget, God has decided that our relationship to Him must be as a Father to His children. We must look up to Him not only for what He says but just as much for what He has already done!

We are not to "judge" anyone but at the same time God says to take a look at your brothers and sisters in Christ and get the closest to those you see walking in the ways of the Lord and be an example for those who don't!

What was Paul's example?

Paul had forgotten all the things of his past because he given them to God and they no longer hindered his ministry!

Paul had reached forth to all the promises of God that lay ahead!

Paul was pressing toward the mark of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ!

After meeting the Lord on the Damascus road, Paul never looked back on that old life but he also never forgot that he had persecuted the church that he was now trying to build for Jesus Christ, who remains the head of the Church.

The prize is not the rewards we may or may not receive. The prize is the "High Calling of Jesus Christ"!

Jesus Christ must remain as our example of perfection!

We must strive to get our whole congregations to seek the perfection of Jesus Christ!

As we look out over those who gather with us we will also find those who are still seeking their on righteousness!

*****Php 3:18 (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:

Php 3:19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

Believe it or not, we will find those even in our own congregations who are the enemies of Christ.

They will be opposed to some doctrine of Christ. Whether it be the virgin birth, or the blood of Christ Jesus, or the death, the burial, or the Resurrection, or even the Ascension of Christ or what gets most of them is that "Jesus Christ is God in the Flesh"!

The "Doctrine of Jesus Christ" is an all or nothing truth!

Jesus Christ is indeed the second part of the Holy Trinity or better said, "the Triune God" consisting of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Notice Paul did not write to condemn these unholy deceivers, Paul wrote to warn them.

Until we die, we will have that opportunity to know the Lord as long as we have not extended the Holy Spirit past His calling.

Paul even wept for those he saw doing these things. We must have an earnest desire for the lost to be saved!

Just as any other prayer we must have faith that God can save anybody at any time before their death.

We must realize that it is bad to be mistreated by your enemies but it is a disgrace to be mistreated by your friends!

As Paul looked over these people he wept "because he knew their doom".

This is something we must also realize, they are doomed unless they change their ways. It is called repent!

The result is that they will be destroyed!

If we cannot weep for the lost, then we do not love them enough to try to get them to Jesus Christ to be saved!

It will be just awful to have spent so much time in the house of God and to have never accepted the truth of Jesus Christ!

Notice Paul does never say they will cease to exist because even the lost will live eternally but not in Heaven and there will be only one other place and that is the Burning Lake of Fire!

Who are the enemies of the Cross?

1) They reject the work of the Lord Jesus Christ as the only way to be reconciled to God!

2Co_5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

We were all the enemies of Christ at one time!

Rom_5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

2) They do not accept that the death of Jesus Christ paid for their sins.

3) They do not believe the Jesus Christ could have died because He was God.

4) They do not believe their penalty of sin was settled at the Cross.

5) They believe they can approach God in their own righteousness.

6) They claim that there are other ways to get to Heaven.

7) They consider the doctrine of Christ to be foolishness.

8) They intend to stamp out the truth of God.

9) Their god is the god of their belly!

The truth is they will glory in their own shame!

Their conversations are never about Heaven!

The true believer is just the opposite!

*****Php 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Php 3:21 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.

It is not important to know all the things of this world because this place has never been our home.

Heaven is our home. Our citizenship is in Heaven!

There should never be a time that we will not talk about our home and the Savior who made the way for us to get back home!

We must deny the earth is our home.

We must deny ourselves and give our flesh to the Lord.

We must set our affections on things that are above not the things of this earth.

Our only obstacle in serving the Lord is the flesh that houses our eternal soul.

As nations have their heads, the Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of Heaven but also the Head of the Church.

If we cannot be loyal to our true home and our Savior who is our God then we do not deserve Him!

What did Jesus say to the Apostles?

Luk 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; "but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven".

It is these things that can bring peace to the Christian even as we face the problems of this world.

After salvation, the greatest thing we can look forward to is what will happen when we meet Jesus face to face!

This flesh has weighed us down all our lives but not when we meet Jesus!

If we focus on our salvation.

If we focus on our home in Heaven.

If we focus on our place in the Father's house, which the Lord said had many mansions.

If we focus on our new glorified body.

If we focus on all these things, why in the world would we allow this world we live in to break us down?

The Lord will fashion each of our bodies not like His body while He was upon this earth but like His glorified body after His resurrection!

This will be a body that is permanent, constant, unchanging, and without sin of any sort, a body of perfection, a spiritual body.

1Jn 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth 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.

1Jn 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

We must understand that the world hates us because we understand this truth and they reject this truth.

These things are only possible because our Savior is also our Creator!

Jesus Christ is God, who is sovereign over this world and all of creation.

He can control the world.

He can subdue the world.

He can recreate this world.

He can change my vile body into a body just a He has, and He will!

If we cannot realize the happiness and peace and then the benefits of the "High Calling of God" then what does that say about our "faith"!

Let's quit talking about this evil world and talk about our true home of Heaven and the never-ending life with our precious Savior who is our God!

Amen!