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Philippians 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."
This morning, our soul is stirred again by the consistent downward spiral of
ethics, responsibility, and attitude in our modern world. Complacency and apathy
seem to drive people about important matters, while greed, pride, and lust drive
them about the unimportant things. When John addressed the church at Laodicea,
they were neither cold nor hot but rather lukewarm (complacent and apathetic)
and felt to be in need of nothing. (Revelation 3:15-18) As the old saying goes,
"They were too comfortable to be comforted." Today, many people are too
comfortable with the comforts and pleasures of life to be comforted about the
richness of the greatest story ever told. As we try to ponder the rich beauty of
what Christ has done for us through His redeeming blood, a proper view of this
scene should ignite the fire in our bones to live more acceptably in the future
than we have in the past. As we investigate the verse above, ponder all the
while what we would
do if we knew that we had one day left on earth or perhaps could do one last
thing before leaving this old world. What would it be? How would we proceed?
The language from the verse above is special as Paul contrasts a conditional
mindset that a believer should strive for coupled with an eternal position that
all of God's children have without the loss of one. This verse is found on the
heels of Paul's famous dissertation contrasting his natural resume with his life
of Christian service as a New Testament minister and apostle. (Verses 4-11) Paul
has shown, in bold language and tone, that no one that has ever lived could ever
hope to measure up better to the law's demands than he. If it could be had, he
had it. If one doubted this, countless religious rulers would no doubt have come
to his defense and declared his claim of blameless under the righteousness of
the law as valid. Yet, Paul esteemed all those things as loss or dung that he
might win Christ, His excellency, knowing Him, and the power of His
resurrection. Paul's life did a complete turnabout, and in the midst of this
turnabout, he is still labouring knowing that the job is not yet done and still
not perfect or complete.
Let us begin at the bottom phrase that Paul uses "I am apprehended of Christ
Jesus." Paul declares his life apprehended by Jesus. The word apprehend means to
capture, lay hold of, imprison, seize, or catch. Considering the Lord's work
unto His people, He apprehends or catches each one of us. No one that He intends
to apprehend will slip through His fingers. There will not be a single, solitary
soul that stands before Him at the last day and hear, "I tried to get you, but
couldn't quite apprehend you." No dear friends, Paul had no illusions that his
labour was going to get him apprehended or keep him apprehended by Christ Jesus.
He was fully confident that that grip of love that arrested him, yea all of
God's children, would never fail nor be discouraged.
This blessed position is one that truly cheers the soul like nothing else can.
Knowing that we have been arrested by God and held captive by His love, rescued
from our captor of sin, and will never lose that blessed place is something that
all the glory and riches of the universe cannot equal or excel. Paul knew it,
and he laboured with that understanding and not in order to achieve that place.
Today, the doctrine of eternal security or preservation of the saints coupled
with the everlasting love of God through free grace and redemption through
Christ's blood does not find much furrowed earth to grow in. People hungering
and thirsting after righteousness desire this word as it will truly feed their
soul, unlike the "health and wealth" and "weak saviour" messages in the world.
But, most people are not hungering and thirsting after righteousness as their
ground is hardened over by the world, with Satan waiting at every turn like a
bird to snatch away the slightest spiritual joy before the fruit comes as a
result of knowledge. (Mark 4:15)
However, Paul desired to know nothing save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. When
the word of deliverance came by the mouth of Ananias, he immediately was
baptized and strove to serve his Master from that day henceforth. The reason for
this commitment and decision was that Paul wanted to capture and seize that very
thing that had seized him. Did Paul expect to fully ascertain this goal? No, the
language clearly states that he knew he was not perfect, had not fully attained
that goal and desire, and the next verse states that even his shortcoming in
that venture did not keep him from daily trying to hit mark of excellence of the
prize of the high calling of Jesus. Paul had no illusions in his preaching of
getting anyone to heaven. Nor did he have any illusions of his preaching aiding
getting someone to heaven. If he could not perfect himself in this regard, how
could he possibly hope to do that for anyone else? Furthermore, if he understood
that his life would never reach a state of perfection, he could certainly not
expect that his preaching grant that to the hearers either.
Yet Paul laboured. He even declares his labour above those of his peers. (I
Corinthians 15:10) He understood that he could not do it alone, but Paul
laboured dear friends. He laboured far more than I have. The testimony of our
Lord by His prisoner Paul had some powerful evidence with it. He could show you
195 whip marks on his back. I cannot. He could show you a disheveled body that
had evidence of being stoned and left for dead. I cannot. So many things that
Paul endured, what was he hoping to accomplish? In the hearers, he desired them
to have a salvation in conjunction (or in addition to) that salvation that
Christ freely bestows by His rich grace and mercy and through His precious
blood. Again, Paul was not deluded into thinking he had a part in the work of
Christ, but he did understand that he had to labour for the other salvation to
bear fruit and take shape in the hearers. (II Timothy 2:10, I Timothy 4:15-16)
In conjunction with the hearers, Paul desired more and more to progress further
into the knowledge of Christ our Lord and the power of His resurrection. He
wanted to lay hold on Christ as fully as Christ had laid hold on him. While
perfection was not had by Paul nor will it be had by us, his chief desire and
labour was to increase more and more after these things. Now to the point of us
today. Whether a minister or not, there is a much needful lesson to us today in
this for Paul is a pattern to us. (I Timothy 1:16) I believe chiefly (although
there are other ways) that he is a pattern to us is in the humility and labour
that he went through. While Christ is our chief example, we cannot pattern our
life after Christ, for He never felt to be a sinner. Paul did, and so should we.
Paul laboured without the idea of saving anyone to heaven, and so should we,
while Christ laboured with the full knowledge of saving people to heaven. There
are some aspects where Paul is a pattern for us that Christ is not, and this way
of life in our verse is a good pattern.
To our initial question, what would we do if we only had one day left on earth?
What if we could only do one last thing? Sometimes movies are made out of
similar concepts such as these, and the movie characters try to right past
wrongs, do things that they have always wanted to do, etc. From our verse, what
would Paul have done with the knowledge of only having one final thing available
to do? As ministers, if we could show one more person the richness of grace,
would that be our last desire? If we could strengthen the brethren in the
doctrine and most holy faith one final time, would that be our last desire? As
hearers and ministers alike, if we could spend another moment in quiet
meditation and apprehend more of that which already holds us fast, would that be
our last desire?
While there is no guarantee that my last moment will be my best moment
(spiritually speaking), I have always hoped that my final moment here would be
in church. That is not something I can control, but my desire would be to depart
this life in the midst of a good Old Baptist meeting and join the best meeting
in the air with the Family of God. If this would be our last desire, why be
found absented when there is a good meeting going on? Who doth know that it
might be our last? My second desire for my last moment (if not in church) is to
see Him brighter - whether in prayer, meditation, or study - than I ever have
before so that my most brilliant thought of Him by faith will be closed in death
to awake that very moment in the perfect radiance of His sunshine. If that would
be our last desire, why be found neglectful of seeking to apprehend that for
which we already feel to be apprehended? May our steps going forward be
diligently seeking to apprehend more than we do now. In so doing, we will save
ourselves from this evil and untoward generation and show forth richer service
to Him out of thanksgiving for capturing us by the bonds of His most precious
love.
In Hope,
Bro Philip
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