Pathway to Victory

Speaker 1

Hey, podcast listeners, thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's word through the most effective media available, like this podcast.

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Now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 2

Hi, this is Robert Jeffress, and I'm.

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Glad to study God's Word with you every day.

Speaker 2

This Bible teaching program on today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 3

The Philippians really were citizens of both worlds. They resided in Greece, but they had all of the rights, all of the responsibilities of a Roman citizen.

And Paul is saying the same thing. He said, even though planet Earth is where we're residing, Planet Earth is not our home. Our true citizenship is in heaven.

Speaker 1

Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author Pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. You know, Earth may be the only home we've ever known, but it isn't where we hold our true citizenship, and it won't be our residence forever.

Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress turns to the book of Philippians, chapter three for biblical wisdom on how to live on earth with heaven in mind. It's a message called "Between Two Worlds."

Now here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.

Speaker 2

Dr. Jeffress, thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. As a follower of Jesus Christ, you are holding two passports in your hand. One proves your citizenship on Earth and the other guarantees your citizenship in heaven. Now that sounds like a pleasant arrangement, but there are times when this dual citizenship causes tremendous friction. For example, how do we deal with those who are enemies of the cross? You know whom I'm referring to. Maybe it's someone at the altar, office, or at school who finds your faith in Jesus to be offensive.

Well, these real-life conflicts are addressed in Paul's practical letter to the Philippians. He called these people enemies of the cross. And in a moment, we'll examine this insightful counsel that applies to our lives today. Philippians is also the topic of a book I've written for you called *Outrageous Joy: Living Above Your Circumstances*. When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, I'll make sure you receive your copy.

Right now, in addition to my book, I'll also include a scripture encouragement card that includes several of my favorite verses from Paul's Letter to the Philippians. You can tuck the card into your copy of my book or place it on your mirror where you'll see these encouraging words every day. Now, more about these resources later.

But right now, let's pick up the study in Philippians Chapter three. In today's message, I'm going to equip you with practical tools for thriving in a culture that's often very unsympathetic with your Christian values. I titled today's message "Between Two Worlds."

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If you have your Bibles, turn to Philippians Chapter three. Remember, in Philippians chapter three, Paul is talking about two extremes that will rob you of joy in your relationship with God. The first extreme is the extreme of legalism. Legalism is trying to earn your relationship with God through good works. The legalist is one who believes that either his works or his works combined with a little bit of God's grace will merit his relationship with God.

Now here's the problem with legalism: How do you know when you've done enough? How do you know when you've done enough to earn God's approval in your life? That's why the legalist never has any joy. But there's an opposite extreme of legalism that we need to avoid as well, and that is hedonism. Hedonism is simply living your life to please yourself. There are many people out there who are professing to be Christians, and yet because they have their "get out of hell free" card, they are now living however they choose to live. In fact, if you look at these Christians or these professing Christians, their attitudes, their actions, and their words are absolutely no different than a non-believer.

In Philippians Chapter three, Paul is going to make it very clear that a genuine Christian is somebody who lives obediently in this world while at the same time focused on the next world. How do you do that? Notice, first of all, Paul says to live successfully in two worlds: to live obediently in this world and to be focused on the next world. First of all, we need to follow a worthy example. Follow a worthy example. Look at verse 17; Paul says, "Brethren, join in following my example." Now, that sounds a little bit prideful when you first read it. Before you write Paul off as being prideful, remember a couple of things. First of all, in this letter, he's already told us in chapter two that we need to follow Jesus Christ, having this attitude anew, which was in Christ Jesus.

Second, in verse 12, he confessed he's not there yet in his own life. Verse 12 states, "Not that I've already obtained it, or I've already become perfect." But third, notice also Paul says, "Just don't follow me." Verse 17 says, "Also observe those who walk according to the pattern which you have in us." Don't just look at me to know how to live in two worlds successfully; look at other people. Look at Timothy, look at Epaphroditus, look at other Christians you know as well. The way we learn spiritually, the way we learn how to walk after Christ, is not a do-it-yourself course. We need to find mentors, people we can pattern our lives after, people we can mimic.

But second, Paul says, beginning in verse 18, we also need to forsake earthly extremes. Forsake earthly extremes. You see, one reason we need to find people to mimic is that there are so many people living around us we don't want to imitate, who aren't living for Christ. Look at verse 18. He says, "For many walk, of whom I often told you and now tell you, even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ." He says, "Forsake these kinds of people who are enemies of the cross of Christ."

Now, to whom is Paul referring? Who are the enemies of the cross? Some people would say, well, that's the Judaizers that Paul spends verses 1 to 14 talking about. Remember the Judaizers? They were people who didn't deny Jesus Christ. They didn't deny his death on the cross and the necessity of faith in him for salvation. They believed in the necessity of trusting in Christ; they just didn't believe that was sufficient. They believed it took faith in Christ and good works, faith in Christ and keeping the law, that was the ingredients for salvation. These were the Judaizers. So perhaps that's who Paul is talking about.

I don't think so. They are truly enemies of the cross, no doubt about it. But the description given about these personal enemies of the cross in verse 19 makes me believe it's not legalists he's talking about; it is hedonists. It's those people who profess to be Christians but do not have a lifestyle that resembles it. And again, let me make this very clear: A person who claims to know Christ as Savior but has absolutely no fruit in his life at all, no fruit whatsoever, has adopted the values, the attitudes, and the actions of this world. That person has no assurance of eternal life.

Listen to what John said in First John 2:4-5. He says, "The one who says, 'I have come to know him' and does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps his word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this, we know that we are in him." What does this "by this" refer to? How do we know that we are in Christ? Is it that we walked down the aisle, shook the preacher's hand, filled out a card, and jumped in the baptistery? Is that how we know that we are in Christ? No. He says in verse 4, the way you know you are in Christ is that you keep his commandments. Good works are not the requirement for salvation, but they are the result of genuine salvation.

That's what Paul is saying in Philippians chapter three. He's saying, avoid the extreme of hedonism in your Christian life. Notice the four descriptions he gives of these people whom he labels enemies of the cross. First of all, he says they are professing Christians, verse 19, whose end is destruction. That word "destruction" could be translated "perdition." By the way, here's a Bible quiz: Who in the New Testament was known as the son of perdition? Who's his nickname? Judas. Judas. How would you like to have that as a nickname? Son of perdition, son of destruction. But that was Judas. I mean, Judas walked with Jesus for three years. He gave lip service to all of the right things, but in his heart, there had been no change. He was a professing believer but not a possessing believer. Paul says this is one characteristic of the enemy of the cross: he professes to be a Christian, a professing Christian.

Secondly, he is a slave to his own desires. Again, verse 19 states, "Whose God is their appetite." And then number three, these people who are enemies of the cross are proud of their sin. Look at verse 19: "And whose glory is in their shame." Don't we see that today? People who boast about the things about which they ought to be ashamed. Think about Hollywood stars, you know, sports athletes who are always bragging about their sexual conquests or their immorality. Isaiah 5:20 talks about the day that will come when people will call good evil and will call evil good. We're living in that day right now, aren't we? Paul says that's a symptom of an enemy of the cross.

But notice, number four, they are completely focused on this life. They set their minds on earthly things. That's the chief characteristic of a counterfeit Christian: they are completely focused on the things of this world. What is the focus of your life right now? What do you spend your time, your energy pursuing—the things of this world or the things of the next world?

Some time ago, I was going through a time in my spiritual life when I was in a real drought, a dry spot spiritually. Have you ever been there before? I was involved in ministry; by all outward signs, I was having a successful ministry, but I was just about to dry up spiritually. I came across these words that jolted me out of my spiritual complacency. Maybe it will have the same effect for you. Listen to what this writer says: "I believe that you can always determine a person's true character by what he seeks to gain and what he really loves." In fact, you could easily evaluate your own Christian life by that same approach. Ask yourself this: What are the three things I am currently seeking most earnestly? That will be a good monitor of whether your preoccupation is heavenly or earthly, godward or southward.

If that doesn't work, ask yourself this: What are the three things I love the most? And if you can't figure out how to answer that question, ask yourself this: What are the three things I think about the most? What three things am I seeking after? What three things do I really love? What three things do I think about most often? That will tell you whether your focus is this world or the next world.

To live in two worlds, we have to be willing to forsake earthly extremes and instead, number three, focus on our heavenly expectation. To focus on our heavenly expectation, look at verse 20. Paul says, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of his glory." Our citizenship is in heaven. Remember I said in the introduction to Philippians that the Philippians understood this concept of living in two worlds.

See, Philippi was located in Macedonia, which is Greece today. It was a colony in Greece. But even though Philippi was located in Greece, it was a Roman colony. Rome was 800 miles away. But the Philippians really were citizens of both worlds. They resided in Greece, but they had all of the rights and responsibilities of a Roman citizen. Paul is saying the same thing. He said, even though planet Earth is where we're residing, planet Earth is not our home. Our true citizenship is in heaven. He said, never forget that. Never forget that your ultimate residing place is going to be heaven and transformation expectations on that fact that one day the clouds are going to part. The Lord Jesus Christ is going to appear.

In an instant, in a twinkling of an eye, that body of yours that is filled with sin and sickness is going to be transformed into a perfect body free from sin and suffering. One day, you're going to spend eternity with God. Be captivated by that thought. Have you ever heard the cliché, "I heard it all my life," talking about people who are so heavenly minded that they're no earthly good? Have you ever heard that about people before? They're just so heavenly minded, they are no earthly good. That makes for a great sound bite. But the fact is, I've never met a person like that. I've never met a person who thought about heaven so much that they were of no use to God here on Earth.

As C.S. Lewis said one time, our problem is not that we think about heaven too much; it's that we think about it too little. He went on to say, "It's because we are dropping the truths of eternity and immortality in heaven out of our thinking that we are fast becoming a generation of earthbound pagans." In his book "7 Habits of Highly Effective People," Stephen Covey—and yes, I know Stephen Covey is a Mormon, so save your letters, okay? I know, I know. Remember, a broken clock can be right twice a day, but all truth is God's truth.

In his book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," Stephen Covey gives this one characteristic of high achievers: he says high achievers have developed the discipline to begin with the end in view. They begin with the end in view. That is, they know exactly where they're going, and they pattern their lives accordingly. You know, that's the truth for successful men and women of Scripture. When you look at them, the secret of their success as believers is they had a firm idea of where they were going, and they patterned their lives accordingly.

Think about Abraham. Hebrews 11 tells us that Abraham was fixated by that city whose architect and builder was God. Because he was focused on that heavenly city, he was willing to obey God, to uproot his family out of Ur of the Chaldees, and to travel around like a vagabond in a tent. He did that because he was firmly focused on his future. Or think about Moses. Hebrews 11 says Moses, because of the riches of Christ, was willing to forsake the pleasures of Egypt. Moses knew where he was going, and he patterned his life accordingly.

In the same way, in this passage, Paul said, be focused on that day that could come at any moment when Christ appears and he transforms us in an instant, in a twinkling of an eye. Knowing that that is our future ought to profoundly affect our lives right now. John said in First John 3:3, "Everyone who has this hope fixed on him purifies himself, just as Christ is pure." You see, folks, what you believe, what you really believe about the hereafter profoundly affects how you live in the here and now.

James Montgomery Boice relates the story of two famous men, both of whom died in 1899. One of those men was an unbeliever who made his career out of attacking the Bible and the Christian faith. The other was a renowned Christian leader. The first man who died in 1899 was named Robert Ingersoll, after whom the famous Ingersoll Lectures on Immortality at Harvard University are named. As you know, Robert Ingersoll traveled the country attacking the Christian faith. He died suddenly, and his death devastated his family. His body was kept in the home for several days because his wife could not bear to part with it, and the body was finally removed only because the corpse was decaying and endangering the health of the family. Finally, Ingersoll's body was cremated, and the scene at the crematorium was so dismal that the national newspapers carried feature stories about it. When death came for Robert Ingersoll, there was no hope, only despair.

But in that same year, 1899, evangelist Dwight L. Moody died, and his death was triumphant for both himself and for his family. Moody had been in poor health for some time, and his family had taken turns sitting with him. On the morning of Moody's death, his son, who was standing by his bedside, heard his father exclaim, "Earth is receding. Heaven is opening. God is calling." His son said, "You are dreaming, Father." Moody replied, "No, son. This is no dream. I have been within the gates." For a while, it seemed like Moody might revive again, but then he began to slip away in death. Moody said, "Is this death? This is not bad. There's no valley. This is bliss. This is glorious."

By this time, his daughter Emma was present, and she began to pray for her dad's recovery. Moody said, "No, no, Emma, don't pray for that. God is calling. This is my coronation day. I have been looking forward to it all of my life." Shortly after that, D.L. Moody was received into heaven. At the funeral, the family and friends joined in a joyful service. They spoke, they sang hymns, and they heard the words from Scripture proclaimed: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." D.L. Moody's death was part of that victory.

Two men who believe two very different things about eternity and therefore live their lives in two very different ways. Let me ask you this morning: What is the focus of your life? Honestly, is it this life, this world? Or is it the next one? Highly effective Christians are those who live their lives with the end in view.

Let's bow together in a word of prayer. Today, I'm speaking to some either here in our sanctuary or watching by television. Perhaps when that day of death comes for you—not if it comes, but when it comes—you’re not sure where you would spend eternity. Let me share the gospel with you as clearly as I know how. There's no good work that we can perform that can earn God's forgiveness. The Bible says we've all sinned. We've all disappointed God, and because of that, we are all destined to an eternal place of separation from God.

But the good news of the Bible is that God loved you so much that he sent his son Jesus to die on the cross for your sins. When Jesus died on that cross, he took the wrath of punishment from God that you and I deserve. Only by trusting in what Christ did on the cross for you can you receive the gift of eternal life. I don't believe it's an accident that some of you are here today. God brought you here. God caused you to turn into this broadcast to watch this program so that right now you can receive the assurance of your eternal destiny.

Today, if you would like to know for sure that God is going to welcome you in heaven one day, I want to invite you to pray this prayer silently in your heart as I pray it out loud, knowing that the God of heaven is listening to you right now. If you'd like to become a Christian, just repeat this prayer to God after me:

"Dear God, I know that I have failed you in so many ways, and I am truly sorry for the sin in my life. But I believe what I've heard today—that you sent your son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. And right now, I'm trusting in Jesus and Jesus alone to save me from my sin. Thank you for forgiving me, and help me to start living my life for you. In Jesus' name, amen."

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I'm always thrilled to know that in these sacred moments of decision, men and women around the world are turning the controls of their life over to Jesus Christ. That's why Pathway to Victory exists. We're heard on your station to dispel the darkness by shining the light of God's word.

As we conclude our time together today, I'm urging you to get in touch so that you can request your copy of the book I've written called *Outrageous Living Above Your Circumstances*. In addition to teaching you how to cope when you're living between two worlds, my book will also help you identify three keys for living a worry-free life and discover the secrets for feeling genuine contentment again. My book is called *Outrageous Joy*, and a hardbound copy is yours when you give a generous gift to support the growing ministry of Pathway to Victory. As a bonus, I'll also include the Scripture Encouragement card. You can hang this up in your office or keep a copy in your car as a constant reminder of your inheritance as a child of the King.

And then, time is running short for you to join us for the Pathway to Journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise. I'm personally thrilled about this opportunity because this vacation will impact you at every level. Wait until you see the historic sites in Ephesus where the Apostle Paul conducted his historic ministry. Imagine the magnificent moments we'll enjoy together while seeing some of God's most beautiful places of creation. I can hardly wait to show you these wonderful sites where our Christian faith took root. The dates are May 5th through 16th, and you can reserve your spot right now by going to ptv.org.

David, thanks, Dr. Jeffress.

Speaker 1

You are invited to request your very own copy of *Outrageous Joy* when you contact Pathway to Victory with a generous gift. As an added bonus, we will also include the *Standing on the Promises of God* scripture card. Call 866-999-2965 or go online to ptv.org, and when your gift is $75 or more, we'll also send you the entire *Living Above Your Circumstances* teaching series on both audio and video discs. To request a teaching set, call 866-999-2965 or go online to ptv.org. You could also contact us by mail. Write to P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. That's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, TX 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins. Few things rob us of our joy and contentment like anxiety, so next time, Dr. Jeffress will share three essential ingredients from Philippians chapter four for living a worry-free life. Hear a message called *Attacking Anxiety*. That's Friday on Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word. To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes.

We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.