Pressing On



Let us press on each new day...

 

Not that I have already obtained this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me (Philippians 3:12).

 

What is Paul saying here?  As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of the world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit that is now at work in those who are disobedient.  All of us lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

 

But because of His great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions... it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms with Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith...and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God...not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:1-10).

 

Through our baptism we died to sin. How can we live in it (practice it) any longer? Our old self was crucified with Christ so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.  We are to count ourselves dead to sin but alive to Christ Jesus.  Therefore, we must not let sin reign in our mortal body so that we obey its evil desires.  Sin is no longer our master.  We are to count ourselves dead to sin so that we can live our new lives to God. (paraphrased from Romans 6:1-14).

 

We also died to the law through the body of Christ that we might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.  For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death.  But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code (Romans 7:1-6).

 

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.  For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in sinful man in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

 

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their mind set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

 

Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation...but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.  For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God (Romans 8:1-17).

 

In John 4:23,24 Jesus tells us, "A time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is Spirit and His worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth. His Word is truth...In John 17:17 Jesus prays "Sanctify them by the truth. Your Word is truth. Those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires (Romans 8:5b).

 

Paul says, "For it we who are the circumcision (of heart), we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3).

 

Paul says, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained (Philippians 13-15).

 

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from that empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.  (1 Peter 1:18,19).

 

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us, but if we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8,9).

 

Therefore, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain that is, His body, and since we have a great Priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:19-23).

 

As we press on, let us be in prayer for others who are pressing on through horrific persecution in other parts of the world, especially those who are in the path of ISIS, Boko Harem, and other evil terrorist who are all under the influence of the Evil one, Satan himself.  Let us pray for the victims, that God will pour out His mercy and grace upon them and give them His steadfast peace as they press on through knowing and remembering they are "blood bought" saints who belong to Christ Jesus.   Nothing and no one can snatch them from the Father's hand and take their salvation from them once they belong to Christ Jesus. They can kill the body but not the soul.  I pray they will remember this, and us too, if we should at some time experience the same or similar persecution.  We must build ourselves up in the faith and in the Spirit who opens the Word of God to us and directs us in His ways.

 

~Annie~