A New Year: Living For the Future

December 29, 2019

Living for the Future

Philippians 3:20-4:9                NOTES NOT EDITED

SIS: Since most of our existence will be spent living in the future - an eternal future - and, since every action has eternal consequences, we need break free from the past and live right in the present.

Yogi Berra once quipped, “The future sure ain’t what it used to be.”  That is such a philosophically deep (or vague) statement that an entire book could be written trying to interpret it.  It certainly seems to have a dark view of the future, and not one of great hope.  The fact is:  we can influence our futures.

A few years ago, 34 to be exact, a movie came out that was very exciting and fun entitled, "Back to the Future." The phrase, “Back to the Future” is widely recognized by people who have not even scene the movie, or its sequels.   Michael J. Fox plays an adolescent boy named Marty Mcfly who mistakenly gets catapulted into the past in a winged-door, stainless steel Delorean -- do you remember those? Time travel creates a lot of interesting scenarios for Marty McFly--not all of them good.  He has to find a way "Back to the Future." 

The major premise of the movie is that the “future is not fixed.”  The future is subject to the choices we make in the present, which quickly become fixed as the past.  If thinking about all this time travel makes your head spin, well, then you have Albert Einstein to thank for it.

Biblically, the future is somewhat of a paradox.  It is described as both something “fixed,” and something “flexible.”  In the Providence of God, the future is fixed.  God knows everything that will happen—including any changes in the script.  The idea of predestination and free-will create this paradox from our point of view.  I cannot explain how both the predestination of God and the free-will of man work out in the perfect Providence of God.  That’s what makes God, God, and me well . . . not God.

But, if the Bible teaches anything, it teaches both of these doctrines.  God’s sovereignty does matter.  But, so do the choices we make.  I cannot say it any clearer than this:  the life you will live in the future is greatly determined by the choices you make now—so, making right choices is absolutely essential to your future blessedness.  A Happy New Year lies to a very large degree in your own hands.

Think about the idea of eternity for a second.  It seems in light of the fact we will spend a few years here on earth but a "gazillion" years in eternity, should cause us to consider deeply the way we are living our lives today.

Like Marty McFly, we can get stuck in the past which will impact not only our present, but our future.  We have to find a way to break free of the past and live for the future.  Like, McFly, we need to discover a way to escape from the past and get back to the future.

VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM5EYO5wWMA

  

❶  We need RIGHT POLITICS (3:20-21)

20 but our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious  body,  by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.

For many people -- perhaps most of us to some degree -- "politics" is a dirty word, a dirty business.  These last three years in politics have been the dirtiest in my lifetime. There is enough blame for this to go around for all parties.  Modern Politics has become consumed by a lust for power and completely out of touch with morality.  The emptiest thing on earth is a politician’s promise.

A little girl was sitting with her Dad while he was watching some political talk show on T.V.  The Dad was engrossed in his political program.  The little girl was more interested in the Fairy Tale book she had on her lap.  At one point the little girl asked innocently, "Daddy, do all fairy tales begin with 'Once upon a time'?"  The Dad was also engrossed in his political talk show and answered, "No dear, some fairy tales begin with the words, 'If I am elected.'"

The word translated, "citizenship" is the word from which we get our English word, "politics."  The oldest form of the word means a "town, or large fortified territory."  It came to refer to any "city."  Citizenship refers to the common beliefs and practices held by those in a city, or polis, thus the idea of politics. 

As Christians, our common beliefs and practices should not be dictated by any political party, but should be dictated by Heaven and Her King, Jesus Christ.  At the same time, we should be exemplary citizens of our nation and communities.  We have “dual citizenship.”

As citizens of heaven, our "new politics" mean:

❶ We have new citizenship papers.  Our names are written down on the census of heaven, if we are believers. (Phil. 3:20a, “Heaven”)

❷ We are under new leadership.  “The Lord Jesus Christ” (3:20b) Last January 20^th, 2017, leadership in the White House passed from the House passed from Obama to Trump.  The change has been radical—almost radioactive!  For a believer, when we were born-again, our leadership transferred from the "flesh," to the "Spirit," from the Devil to the Lord Jesus Christ.  That is an even more radical change.  While we may live and work in this world, we are no longer citizens of this world, but pilgrims and wayfarers whose allegiance lies beyond this world. Jesus is our New Leader (Gal. 5:16-18).

❸ As citizens of Heaven we not only have new papers, and new leadership, but we obey new laws.  Again, we have to live and work in this world with its set of laws, but ultimately as citizens of heaven we need to obey heaven's laws first and foremost. (Jer. 31:33).  Our new “Law Book” is the Bible, the Word of God.

At one point (among many) the apostles came under attack from the religious authorities (the Sanhedrin) for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.  In most matters, the Sanhedrin or Jewish Council were the civil authorities for the Jews.  The apostles were arrested by the temple police (yes the Temple had a police department), and thrown into jail.  An angel came at night and set them free with the command, "Go and preach."  So they went out and began teaching and preaching again.  Again, the authorities sent the police with the charge:

Didn’t we strictly order you not to teach in this name? (Acts 5:28)

Peter, speaking for the apostles, replied, We must obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:29)

Living in such a way as to be fully prepared for heavenly citizenship in the eternal future requires that we practice, "Right Politics."

❷ We also need RIGHT PRAYING (4:6-7)

The Lord is near.  6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I have become absolutely convinced of two facts:  ❶  Praying is absolutely essential to any hope of having a "Happy New Day," let alone a "Happy New Year," and in the final analysis, a "Happy Eternity."  We must pray often.  ❷  Everyone prays.  The horrors of WW2 gave rise to the phrase, “There are no atheists in foxholes” (though the exact source for the quote is uncertain.”

People pray all the time.  I was once at the scene of an injury during a high school football game.  The star quarterback took nasty hit from a linebacker and snapped his angle in front of the crowd.  From several different people I heard this prayer, "Oh, my God!" 

So, everyone prays at some point or another.  The key issue of learning to "Live for the Future" is "Right" praying.  What is "Right Praying?"  First, it requires a proper RELATIONSHIP to Go.   Look at our text again.  Vs 4:5 ends with the words,  " The Lord is near."

The word “near” is an adverb.  This is a part of speech that according to the dictionary expresses, “a relation of place, time, circumstance, manner, cause, degree.”  Praying right begins with a right relationship with God through Christ.  You can't pray right if you are not living right and you can't be living right unless you have a right relationship with God based upon the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Second, right praying requires an attitude of gratitude.  Notice in verse 6 the attitude we should have when praying: with THANKSGIVING. Praying with thanksgiving means at least two things:  ❶ you believe God is powerful enough to assist you according to your request; and ❷ God is good enough to act in your best interest every time.  The first issue is a matter of God’s omnipotence; the second All-beneficence.

Third, praying right requires a solid FOUNDATION IN THE WORD of God.  Jesus said,

John 15:7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.

Dwell on the words, "whatever you want," for a moment.  That's some powerful incentive for learning to pray right!

Prayer is a powerful tool in mining for prosperity.  My big problem with the "health and wealth" preachers is that they distort prayer by confusing "confidence" with "arrogance."  We do not DEMAND God answer prayer, but through a solid knowledge of God in the Word, we have great confidence in both His willingness and capability.

The Word of God does in fact exhort us to “approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time” (Heb. 4:16)

Believers are welcomed--encouraged by God Himself--to come before Him with our needs.  We can be confident that God will ALWAYS hear our prayers and ALWAYS give us the very best answer possible according to His mercy, His Grace, and His timing.  We can be "confident," but we should not be "arrogant." Confidence in prayer is based upon a correct view of Who God is.  Arrogance is based upon a false view of who we are.  Right praying requires a "thankful heart" that realizes we come to God at His invitation and based upon His mercy and grace.

Right politics and right praying begin to set us in the right direction for "Living in the Future."

❸ We also need a Right THINKING (4:8)

During the formative years of my ministerial training, a man with the strange name, "Zig Ziglar," held audiences both secular and sacred, spellbound by his whimsical words of wisdom.  Zig Ziglar was, and still is, a master motivator with a solid relationship with Jesus Christ.  Over 80, he still teaches a Sunday School class at a mega-church in Dallas, TX.  He is the author of over 25 books, 10 of which were best sellers.

His motivation speeches are sermons without all the Scripture references.  One of the phrases that has always stuck with me over years was, "We must eliminate stinkin' thinkin'.  Zig Ziglar defined stinkin' thinkin' as negative, defeatest, worldly thinking.  Zig advocates a "heavenly way" of thinking--a Right Way of Thinking.  This is described in 4:8:

8 Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things.

It is so hard to "dwell on heavenly things."  We live in a world full of negative sounds, negative circumstances, and negative people.  Trying to eliminate stinkin' thinkin' from a human standpoint is like trying to sanitize a pig sty.  Even if you could manage to get it looking and smelling better, it wouldn't be long before it was once again smelling bad.

The word translated "dwell on" (HCSB) means to "deliberate about, or to think deeply about."  We might even say contemplate.  The idea is to take time and effort to align yourself with God's thoughts, not the world's thoughts.  The only way to do that is to "get into the Word of God and remain there." 

Joseph Kepler, a Father of Modern Astronomy said to him science was "Thinking God's thoughts after Him."  In fact, "thinking like God" is the very basis for all the historic breakthroughs in modern science. Science works because God designed the world in such a way that His laws govern every aspect of our universe.  Science works best when scientists are “thinking God’s thoughts after Him.” Christian thinking is, “right thinking,” and “thinking right.” Christian faith is not blind faith—it is “thinking” faith.

Right politics.  The Right Way of Praying.  The Right way of Thinking all begin to orient us to "Living for the Future by Maximizing the Present."

While right politicking, right praying and right thinking all contribute to orienting our attitudes toward an eternal perspective, according to our text today, this is not enough to prepare us for our eternal future.  The Word says we need the

❹ The Right LIVING to prepare us for the future (4:9) 

9 DO what you have learned.

I don't think Paul could sum up the matter much more succinctly than this:  "Do what you have learned."  The NIV says, "Put it into practice."

From beginning to end, the Bible admonishes us to conform our behavior to God's standards.  Simply knowing of or thinking about what God has instructed us does not substitute for "doing it."   James sums up the matter like this:

1:22 But be DOERS of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a DOER, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror; 24 for he looks at himself, goes away, and right away forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a DOER who acts—this person will be blessed in what he DOES.

All of the "Right Thinking" in the world will be of little or no eternal value unless it results in "Right Living."  This does not contradict the doctrine of "salvation by grace alone through faith alone."  No, this verifies the power of God's grace. 

A grace that does not lead to Right Living is the wrong kind of grace, and in a biblical sense, no grace at all.  The saving kind of grace always leads to "Right Living."  Perhaps not "perfectly right," but definitely oriented to right living.

I read a story that fascinated me.  "GET ON WITH IT, YOU OLD GOAT."  I heard the story about a college choir which was all set to present a concert in a large church which was to be carried live by a local radio station. When everything appeared to be ready, the announcer made his final introduction and waited for the choir director to begin. A tenor was not yet ready, however, so the director refused to raise his baton. All this time, nothing but silence was being broadcast. Growing very nervous, the announcer, forgetting that his microphone was still on and that he could be heard in the church and on the air, said in exasperation, "Get on with it, you old goat!"   Later in the week, the radio station got a letter from one of its listeners -- a man who had tuned in to listen to the music from the comfort of his easy chair. When he heard "Get on with it, you old goat!" he took the message personally. He took it as if God were speaking to him. He had been doing nothing to further God’s work, and this startling message was enough to convict him and get him going again.

Sometimes we need a wake-up call, don’t we? Maybe you’ve received that call this morning and God is saying to you, "Get on with it, you old goat...or young goat." It is time to act.  We cannot afford to sit comfortably in our "Religious Lazy Boy" while the world dies and goes to hell.

We must remember:  salvation is spelled D  O  N  E! but holiness is spelled “D  O!”

Well, one would think that having the right politics, the right way of praying, the right way of thinking, and the right way of living, would certainly be enough to prepare one for "eternity that waits just beyond death's door."  But, there's more.  To fully prepare to "Live for the Future," we need the

5.  Right Dying (3:18-19; 4:3)

Pay close attention to verses 18-19, of Philippians chapter 3:

18 For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame.  They are focused on earthly things.

I can feel the pain in Paul's voice when he speaks these words.  They are hard words to hear.  The end of a person who does not surrender to Jesus as the Lord of Life is "destruction and shame."

I see evidence everywhere I go of "destruction and shame" -- which so often go together.  I see marriages being destroyed by infidelity or apathy.  I see young lives being destroyed by drugs and alcohol.  I see our nation being destroyed by avarice and greed.  I see our government being destroyed by corruption and lusts for power.  Destruction is all about us.  People are being dragged down into the abyss -- the pit from which the Beast of the Tribulation will arise:

Rev. 17:8  Why are you astounded? I will tell you the secret meaning  of the woman and of the beast, with the seven heads and the 10 horns, that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up from the abyss and go to destruction.

A few chapters later the Beast is mentioned again:

19:20 . . . the beast and those who worshiped his image.  Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 

Then after  the final judgment, Destruction (Apollyon)
is mentioned again,

Rev. 20:13 Then the sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades  gave up their dead; all  were judged according to their works. 14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.  This is the second death, the lake of fire.  15 And anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

People who don't die right, face a horrible eternity in a Lake of Fire where their destruction and shame become an eternal state.  The future of lost people is more horrible than we have words in the human languages to describe.  The thought of such a destruction and shame facing those who do not find the Right Way of Dying, drove Paul to tears.

What is the Right Way of Dying.  Phil. 4:3 lays it out as simply as possible:

3 Yes, I also ask you, true partner, to help these women who have contended for the gospel at my side, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers whose names are in the book of life.

The Right Way of Dying simply means that we have our names recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life.  That means we have surrendered to Jesus Christ as the Lord of our lives.  By this single act of commitment, we are ready to "Live for the Future" because we have found the Right Way of Dying.

Oh, dear friends, so much more could be said in regard to "Living for the Future."  Like Marty McFly, we need to escape the past and get to the future.  Whatever sins held us back in the past year, we need to confess them and let them go. 

Since most of our existence will be spent living in the future - an eternal future - and, since every action has eternal consequences, we need break free from the past and live right in the present.

Because eternity is so immense, it is immensely important.  If you get eternity wrong, you get it all wrong.  If you get stuck in the past, live wrong in the present, you are not prepared for the future -- an eternal future.

Climb into God’s Super-charged DeLorean -- let's head back to a fantastic future!