Joy is Found When We Persevere and Live Out of Our Heavenly Citizenship Phi 3:12-13a CEB It’s not that I have already reached this goal or have already been perfected, but I pursue it, so that I may grab hold of it because Christ grabbed hold of me for just this purpose. 13 Brothers and sisters, I myself don’t think I’ve reached it… While Reaching the Goal (of Fully Knowing Christ) is Beyond Our Reach, We are Not Beyond Christ’s Reach Phi 3:13b-14 CEB … but I do this one thing: I forget about the things behind me and reach out for the things ahead of me. 14 The goal I pursue is the prize of God’s upward call in Christ Jesus. “Christ gives more than sin stole" – Herman Bavinck We Have to Learn to Release the Past in Order to Effectively Reach Forward Phi 3:15-16 CEB So all of us who are spiritually mature should think this way, and if anyone thinks differently, God will reveal it to him or her. 16 Only let’s live in a way that is consistent with whatever level we have reached. Winning the Race is Not Finishing First, Rather it is Not Finishing Alone As We Grow More Spiritually Mature We Should Become More Acutely Aware That We are Not Enough, but That Jesus Is Phi 3:17-19 CEB Brothers and sisters, become imitators of me and watch those who live this way—you can use us as models. 18 As I have told you many times and now say with deep sadness, many people live as enemies of the cross. 19 Their lives end with destruction. Their god is their stomach, and they take pride in their disgrace because their thoughts focus on earthly things. Phi 3:20-21 CEB Our citizenship is in heaven. We look forward to a savior that comes from there—the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform our humble bodies so that they are like his glorious body, by the power that also makes him able to subject all things to himself. Knowing God will transform our humble bodies to be like his glorious body transforms the way we think and live today. The transformation has already begun… Luke 24:20-21 CEB But our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him. 21 We had hoped he was the one who would redeem Israel. All these things happened three days ago. Luke 24:22-23 CEB But there’s more: Some women from our group have left us stunned. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 and didn’t find his body. They came to us saying that they had even seen a vision of angels who told them he is alive. God Does not Promise to Shield Us from All Struggle, Hardship, Evil, Attacks, Suffering in This World You May Feel You Once had Hope, but There Is Always More…and We Will Be Stunned**