[0:00] I hope to speak to you from this morning will be found in the third chapter, the Epistle to the Philippians, verse 16.
[0:14] The Epistle to the Philippians, chapter 3, verse 16. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
[0:36] The Apostle, in this very instructive chapter, sets before us very high favors to which he hopes to attain.
[0:57] You have heard them read before you, most of you, if not all, very many times.
[1:10] He set his desires through the mercy of God and under the divine inspiration and teaching very high, that I may win Christ and be found in him.
[1:28] What a high, yet heartfelt desire is seen here. A privilege to be brought to this decision within us, and however difficult, painful, or trying the pathway may be, before we reach these desires, we shall presently prove that the blessedness of them in desire will richly compensate for the path toward them.
[2:03] The Apostle goes on in this chapter to mention two negative things.
[2:14] The first, that while he would attain to something very remarkable, namely the resurrection of the dead, he had to admit that he had not at that time attained was not yet perfect, complete in the matter of salvation, but through the mercy of God was found pressing forward still.
[2:47] A great mercy if there are those gathered here this morning who are in the same case, the same condition, conscious of being, yet still, very far short of many truths which are revealed in the scriptures so far as feeling to have attained to them is concerned, yet pressing toward them, not cheering away from them.
[3:20] The greatness of the blessings of God, I hope, will never be the cause of air turning away because they seem beyond air attaining too.
[3:36] Rather, should we continue to seek to be led by the gracious spirit into some personal experience of them, for they are especially provided for the enjoyment of God's people in due course, and there is, as we read in the Word of God, a set time to favor Zion with these blessings, and consequently seekers after them and for them will presently be richly rewarded as finders of the same.
[4:20] I have recently found it necessary to emphasize that seeking is not just once and in the early stages of a gracious experience.
[4:32] seeking will prove to be a lifelong concern and that which we are engaged in from time to time to the end of the journey.
[4:45] Why? For two reasons, perhaps. Mainly because as the Spirit continues His teaching, our needs increase, and because of the promises the seekers shall presently be rewarded with that which they seek after if they are seeking first for the honor and glory of God and for the things which concern their soul's salvation.
[5:16] Now the other thing that He has fallen short in so far is apprehending. There was this which He sought to apprehend.
[5:29] He was apprehended on account of His wishing to apprehend and that which He had preached as being worthy of being apprehended, He Himself was now apprehended for as a prisoner.
[5:44] Yet, He says, He says, although He sought to apprehend, He can't as yet count Himself to have apprehended.
[5:58] But He is still reaching forth. And there are certain things that He wishes to forget, things which are behind Him now in His experience.
[6:11] Have you got some of these? Have I? I don't believe He wanted to forget everything. I don't believe He ever did, or ever wished to.
[6:24] But there were some things which He wished to forget and leave behind it. But He wouldn't want to forget the mercy He'd obtained of Christ because this was the very thing which bound Him in service to His Lord and Master because in writing to Timothy He was able to say, I obtained mercy, the least deserved it.
[6:54] The furthest from God in His feelings yet brought nigh by the grace of Christ and the grace of God in the blood of Christ. He, a false sinner, made nigh.
[7:09] rather some here this morning with myself who feel that we may venture to hope we have a little of this same experience and are now no longer far off.
[7:28] In our experiences, though at times in our feelings we do realize that it is not with us as it was in days past. So now, having noted these two negative things which are still causing God's people with the Apostle to seek, to press toward, may it be ours to now seek, to call over our past lives, our past experiences, and see whether we can, under the revelation of the Spirit, gather together some evidence of spiritual work within us.
[8:16] That is what is contained in this exhortation. Nevertheless, where to we have already attained, are we prepared to go into this carefully?
[8:31] Are we prepared to search ourselves by the light of the Word of God? Are we prepared to seek the Spirit's guiding light, even if in seeking to ponder over our past experiences we find much, as I am sure we shall, to cause us humiliation and shame of face?
[8:59] But if this is so, what will be the ultimate result? Surely an awareness, may I not say a growing awareness, of our admiration of, and desire to be grateful for, the mercy that has been extended to us in spite of this, causing us at times to receive, not only the Spirit of conviction as the work of the Spirit, but presently having revealed to us, can we see it, as we look back, some precious evidence of the Spirit of adoption?
[9:47] Wonderful mercy. There are then other things which we shall see we have already attained to, have experienced, have reached, I'm going to say, have enjoyed.
[10:08] Yes, let us not leave this aspect of it outside. too often today, we are referred to as being a very downcast and miserable people.
[10:26] My friends, if we've attained to any measure of participation in the salvation wrought out by the Lord Jesus Christ, we're among the happiest people there are, because their happiness, believe me, will last beyond the grave, while earthly happiness, such as it is, will cease when life ceases.
[11:00] Which would you prefer to have? Can we, looking back, see that there was a time when a choice had to be made?
[11:14] Shall we continue in sin? Shall we reap the dear reward of our sowing in this way? Or shall we become, through mercy, seekers after God and seekers for His favor?
[11:33] shall we seek now by prayer and supplication for forgiveness of sin and cleansing from guilt?
[11:47] Shall we now as hope decide to be among those who seek the portion of God's people on earth, even though aware that this path will not always be pleasant, comfortable, agreeable to our nature?
[12:10] Are we willing? Have we been at any time made willing to submit to the discipline which is necessary to prepare us to stand before God in the way that His children will stand in that great day without fear through trusting in the merits and work of Jesus Christ?
[12:39] It is, in short, to receive grace through the new birth, grace to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as being fully sufficient for our salvation as we may nominally believe it to be sufficient for the salvation of all His people seeing that He came for this purpose absolutely and endured what He did endure with this end in view, their complete and eternal salvation.
[13:24] salvation. But are we willing to live? Have we been made willing at any time to live a life of dependence upon God through Jesus Christ?
[13:38] Or are we the possessors still of an unchanged, undisciplined spirit of independence considering that we can manage our own affairs and do not need to seek to God for guidance in any matter?
[14:01] Or have we attained to this? To be found in the same condition as so many examples are clearly shown in the Word of God, that is, to place one's confidence entirely in God and commit one's self into the hands of God by prayer and supplication.
[14:31] I shall be bound to come back to the basic necessities of the truth. I'm not able as a servant of God, however poor, to bring before you any new way of salvation, and I have no wish to do so.
[14:50] it is an old path, it is an old experience of God's people that they have need of calling, and through the new birth they will be called.
[15:07] They will be interested vitally and personally in the doctrine of election, however much nature may hate it, and nature does.
[15:20] But that does not alter the truth of it. And you will say, well if there is one thing that I seek to attain to and still feel to fall short of in my own soul's experience, it is that answer.
[15:37] am I really in possession of that which will clearly prove that I am one of the election of grace?
[15:54] You may be feeling, my friends, this morning, just this very feeling. If only I could be assured that I have attained to this, I would feel established as I desire to feel in the faith and seek with greater liberty and more access to God for the blessings which he has promised for his people.
[16:28] If only I could feel that I had attained to this. well, you're not alone in this because this will be the exercise and concern of most, if not all, of God's people at some time or other during the pilgrimage journey here.
[16:53] time. But I would like to say that this very concern, this very earnest desire to know how matters are is clearly a mark in your favor.
[17:11] I cannot believe that the concern would be there unless a divine work was going on within you causing you anxiety on this account.
[17:25] Let me further ask, have you asked for this? Because you have an evidence before you and something to which you have attained if you come into what I am now about to describe as the pathway you will be found walking in.
[17:48] I'm going to try to put it in this way. it sometimes helps their younger friends if things are expressed in an unusual way.
[17:58] I find it helps their memories to hold to this. Now, I'm going to put it then in this way for young and older too.
[18:11] If in fact you have been called by grace, you will begin to call. call. That's certain.
[18:23] There's no uncertainty about this. This is an establishment. This is a token for good. This is a proof which you may cling to as being God's appointment for all those whom he has called by his grace.
[18:44] God's will call. They will call. They will constantly call. And through mercy they will never give up calling until there's no longer any need for it, my friends.
[19:00] I believe there have been many pass out of this life of God's children who have passed out of this life calling upon him still.
[19:16] And a very good way it is, my friends, to pass out of this life calling upon God for his accepting mercy.
[19:31] Oh, you'll need it in that day of healing that God accepts. God does two things. He accepts his people.
[19:43] He rejects those who have rejected him. That's another way of putting it that I hope you'll remember. He rejects those who have rejected him.
[19:58] He was rejected on earth with the Savior. How solemn is the position of all who rejected him because this is meant, of course, that they continue to reject him.
[20:13] God has had mercy on some who did in earlier life reject him. Or where should some of us be? Where would the apostle himself be had it not been that for those who are brought to repentance there is still mercy and acceptance.
[20:35] But of course you will understand that I was referring to those who live and die rejecters and they are numbered by the thousand. More than this.
[20:47] things. Nevertheless, in spite of so much that we feel to come short of, in spite of all our many short comings and failures and gross evils and sins, we have already attained, had not some of us attained to some precious knowledge of Jesus Christ, he is no longer a stranger to you, is he?
[21:15] Nor to me. Why is this? Because the gracious spirit of God has begun at least to take of the things of Jesus saying, show them to us, that's how we know, and oh, may he continue to do this.
[21:38] We shall need it, time after time we shall need revelation, showing of the merits and wonders of the salvation wrought out by Jesus Christ and then having those blessed things applied by the same spirit to our hearts, minds, and consciences.
[22:05] How valuable the work of the spirit will be seen to be as we journey on in life if we are indeed the recipients of that working which first caused us to call and then made us the favored recipients of blessings sought for.
[22:32] Have you and I attained to answers to prayer? Can you look back through your life already, even some of you who are younger, and say, well now, I don't know much about divine things, I wouldn't dare to say that I've got a great knowledge of the matters of salvation, but I can say this much, I called upon God in certain trouble, in certain difficulty, or it may be at a time when I was greatly afraid, in very great fear, I called upon God and he heard and answered, sustained, supported, delivered, provided, and brought me safely through that which I so greatly feared, and here I am, willing to say, he has heard my prayer.
[23:37] You attain to a very wonderful thing. Prize it, my friend, and go on to seek the Lord, for I can assure you that in the fullness of Christ there are boundless blessings hidden for all who seek, and in God's good time they will find them to the joy and rejoicing of their heart.
[24:05] I must come, as I am helped to one great thing, that I believe the children of God will seek most earnestly to attain to.
[24:20] Every child of God, without exception, has a burden, for a much smaller, greater, and some of them are very great, these burdens that they carry, and a word from God can relieve them of it, and they are taught this.
[24:44] What is that burden? I'm going to put it in another way, hoping it may remain in the mind of some. The burden isn't just sin, it's unforgiven sin, as felt.
[25:02] That's what will prove to be such a burden. Unforgiven sin, it will try you like anything to carry this burden, and it will force you to the burden bearer.
[25:18] You will be compelled in due course to cast that burden upon the Lord and ask him to sustain you under it, but you'll ask him to go further, I'm sure you will.
[25:32] You'll say, Lord, in thy mercy, in thy good time, deliver me from it. How will he do it? Well, you see, when he was upon earth, he gave every evidence, made it quite clear that he has power to forgive sin.
[25:53] He said to some poor sinners on earth, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee, I can assure you, from some small experience of this, they would be of good cheer.
[26:10] They would taste of happiness and relief and release and freedom and liberty for a little while. I'm sure they will seek for this, my friends.
[26:23] Call upon God earnestly and urgently and frequently for this. Pardon sins are great things to attain to.
[26:34] It is indeed a choice gift. a real jewel that he gives to his people. Think what it relieves them from. The terrible wrath of God is no longer felt in the conscience it has been born by one's savior.
[26:55] It was atoned for at Calvary. There was that offered to God with that spot in complete holiness and absolute pure obedience to the Father's will which has exempted forever and ever all God's people from the wrath of God and brought them rather under his favor.
[27:26] Have you attained so far as to this? Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people.
[27:38] O visit me with thy salvation. salvation. You'll be a happy person, my friend, when the Lord does remember you, when the Lord does visit you with his salvation.
[27:56] You will be a happy person. You won't envy the worldly. You won't compare his lot with yours and think he's the better off. Quite the reverse, when under the influence of pardons sin.
[28:13] You'll understand why one wrote that which we sometimes sing here, If sin be pardoned, I'm secure. Death hath no sting beside.
[28:26] No, the sting has been removed by your Savior for you, if you're in this case. Have we attained to it?
[28:38] Is it likely to be esteemed? should it be forgotten? Should it be laid aside under a welter of the things of time and sense?
[28:49] It should not, how often it is. We have to plead guilty to so many things sincerely too, to mean what we say when we say before God in secret, I am guilty.
[29:05] guilty of lightly esteeming the wonder of forgiven sin and a cleansed conscience.
[29:18] Have you attained to the peace that follows? Oh, that wonderful peace which flows into your heart when you can feel that God is on your side because Christ died for you to feel that him who, if you had any regard for him at all, whatever, in the days of unregeneracy, you feared exceedingly the wrong way.
[29:49] In other words, and in plain English, you were afraid of him with good cause. And now you've come, you've attained to that wonder of fearing God in a very different way.
[30:05] With a filial child like loving fear, a desire to serve and honor him. Have you attained to this in desire?
[30:17] It's a great mercy. It is God still that works in for sinners, poor people of his, to do his will, to give them the will first, that God worketh in you both to will and then to do.
[30:39] Now some of my friends may feel comfortable in this question. Have you up to date and as far as you could as helped by him attain to this doing?
[30:54] it was during the week that I read the word as the result of seeing it on the calendar. That willingness to be doers of the word and not hearers only, I found it came a bit close myself.
[31:18] I wonder if it comes a bit close to some of you sometimes as to whether there is something that you ought to be seeking grace to attain to and seem somehow to keep putting it aside for a variety of reasons.
[31:38] I'm going to say this now. Do you suppose that your concern would be there? if someone above you had not put it there?
[31:51] Do you suppose that the worldling is in any way concerned as you find yourself to be? Why is it? Would the Lord lay this concern and exercise in the mind and heart of any of his children intending them to neglect the matter?
[32:12] To be disobedient to it? or is it rather that he puts it there that they shall presently be brought into a state of willingness? I'm going to mention now I can see this, an attainment that is very difficult to attain to and no one will ever reach it to the perfection that the Lord Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane and yet in their measure the child of God will be required.
[32:44] To as far as this is possible within them and as grace is given partake of that same desire. Not my will, not my will, thine be done.
[33:02] I must set this before you as something to be attained to. now can you really say this morning where to we or rather I have already attained?
[33:16] it. I pray it may yet be so where it is still laying aside impotent up to date this work or may it soon be an active and potent work within all who are exercised by this.
[33:37] It's a great thing to attain to leading to the answer of a good conscience before God and a feeling of being at last through the help given an obedient child.
[33:53] What do you want to be then? Obedient or disobedient? One who hears the voice of the Son of God if ye love me keep my commandments or one who doesn't want to hear and doesn't want to keep I must leave it with you.
[34:11] It is this morning. where to we have already attained. Well how is it with you? Are you hoping presently to attain to that rich blessed inheritance which awaits those who fear God in due course when the Savior returns and gathers his elect from the four quarters of the earth?
[34:39] it would be a wonderful mercy to attain to heaven to attain to eternal life and which we have to say of course that up to date we have not yet attained but are we pressing toward the following after?
[35:02] Are we then followers of those who through faith and patience do now inherit the promises or are we utterly careless about it? Or getting somewhat lukewarm concerning it?
[35:15] It's possible possible. May the Lord use this word this morning to stir us up to see where we really have reached what we have attained to and shall I say this?
[35:34] I believe with all my heart that if we are brought to some knowledge of what we've attained to it will be the means of showing us what a lot we are short of and yet remains to be attained to the Lord help us to persevere and pursue the narrow path to be true followers of the Lord Jesus to still hold on our way the word says let us walk by the same rule well if it wasn't for the word of God and some small knowledge I hope of the teaching of the spirit I shouldn't know anything about what this rule is or was and what is the rule well you will find that the apostle in writing to the Galatians discounts any need for the mosaic dispensation and the things which were attended to under that dispensation neither circumcision he says availeth anything or uncircumcision but a new creature and then he says and as many as walk according to this rule peace beyond them and mercy and upon the Israel of God yes my friends let us seek to walk by this rule any man being
[37:14] Christ he's a new creature he's left all other means of salvation most willingly and cleaves to the provision of God himself for salvation namely his own dear son Jesus Christ this is to be a new creature old things yes even those things contained in the Old Testament they may pass away as regards the form of worship and one can be the recipient of revelation of new things entirely as revealed in the New Testament surely we should pay more attention to this change and seek to be found walking according to the new rule it involves so the apostle tells us in another place in a different epistle walking in newness of life
[38:20] I've tried to set this before you as the path of prayer and the path of worship the path which is people will seek to walk in hope to be unable to continue in till death intervenes and then there will be a resuming of walking in white among those whom God has accepted as worthy through Christ wonderful to ponder over worthy of your consideration prayerful consideration let us walk by the same rule let us mind the same things well I had hoped yesterday to turn to one or two scriptures which confirmed the need to be of one mind in the things of
[39:20] God but I found them so numerous the references to being of one mind that I found it more difficult to settle on one than to find one however this that I have turned to has included in the one mind the object of air worship and the clear reason for being of one mind in these important matters so I read to you that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God even the father of our Lord Jesus Christ now what a wonderful thing to be of one mind and one mouth in seeking to glorify God this surely is the ultimate destiny of all the people of God to glorify him and
[40:26] Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit forever and ever in heaven oh then to be among those who attain to a small experience of this in this life oh what a privilege to have been led by the spirit in any small measure to glorify God he is to be glorified through Jesus Christ he who worships the son and honors the son honors the father also and I believe there will be in the hearts of all whom God has called by his grace a desire to exalt the savior as God himself according to the word in this same epistle already has God has highly exalted him may it be ours to seek to glorify him here upon earth hoping one day to more highly exalt him in that heaven above which awaits those who fear God
[41:36] I suddenly be reminded that I may have run too high this morning and in doing so may have discouraged some seeker I wouldn't do that willingly the Lord knows this so perhaps in the last minute or two that remains to me this morning I ought to come down to this since it flashed into my mind what about hope what about hope and you haven't mentioned it hope hope oh my friends what a wonderful thing to be able to look back upon in your life and see that you attain to a hope hope in God through hope in Christ oh my friends I'm sure some of you can go as far as that yes my hope is now in God
[42:36] I realize there's no salvation in any other way my hope is in his power to save in his ability to call in his ability to sustain through life and to provide all that a poor needy sinner like myself can need in life and then my hope extends even to this that he who has helped me hitherto will help me all my journey through and help me at the end when I shall so greatly need him to be very near me oh my friends I feel I must conclude with that word the last word in the psalm this God is our God forever and ever he will be our guide even unto death amen hymn 940 tune sorely 231 940 compared with Christ in all beside no comeliness
[44:24] I see the one thing needful dearest Lord is to be one with thee to be happy night this night over to be I en Weihnachtskraft
[45:27] Music THE END THE END
[46:57] THE END