Episode 8: Eagerly Anticipating Christ (3:12-4:1)
What does it look like to eagerly anticipate Christ, when the world around us is doing the opposite? Our Philippians Bible study continues with some challenging words, but ones that we desperately need when we remember all that we have in Christ.
-
What's Paul's direction of travel in these verses and how does it compare to the world?
How does having a heavenly mindset make a difference?
How is the Spirit both challenging and encouraging you through these verses?
-
This episode is sponsored by Christian Focus.
CFP has been producing Christian books since the early 1970’s, with the express purpose of staying faithful and reaching out with the gospel. With these aims always in mind, we have books by authors from all five continents which are sold all around the world. Our books have also been translated into over 70 different languages.
For information, click here
-
The following is an uncorrected transcript generated by a transcription service. Before quoting in print, please check the corresponding audio for accuracy.
Felicity: You're listening to the Two Sisters in a Cup of Tea podcast, a 20 minute burst of Bible chat over a cup of tea and an English style biscuit, as we make our way through a Bible book over the course of the season and drive it to our hearts. Whether you've been listening for a while or have just found us, we're so pleased you're here. Christian Focus are sponsoring this season and we've been enjoying a box set of children's books from their range in our house recently. It's called God's Daring Dozen and each book is the story of one of the minor prophets from the Bible. Great illustrations accompany faithful, age -appropriate text, and I love that these books introduce our younger readers to bits of the Bible that don't always make it into the usual kids' selections. Grab the box or just one of these books from wherever you get your books.
Sarah: Welcome to Two Sisters and a Cup of Tea. My name is Sarah, I live in the UK. This is my sister Felicity, she lives in the States. And today we're in the second half of chapter three of Philippians, looking from verses 12 onto four verse one. Felicity, I've been, I don't know whether it's been in the news on your end, but here, Twinings have been in the news recently because there's been some crit over their detox teas. And actually they're having to remove the detox because actually it's not doing what it says on the box. So I thought I would try one. I've got one here today. The package says it's got added culture in it and friendly bacteria in my tea. I'm not quite sure what I feel about that. It tastes alright. It doesn't smell great. It tastes alright. But generally I can see why they're having to backtrack because it is just water, isn't it? Which does detox, but water is like 99 % of the mug.
Felicity: Oh. Mold, mold in your tea. Oh, it li - Are you saying that it hasn't got a flavour? Like it's just detox - Okay.
Sarah: Oh no, this has got a flavour. This is chamomile and linden with a hint of citrus. And a lot of added culture and water, because that's what it is, isn't it? So yeah, you know.
Felicity: and a lot of culture. Interesting. So are they suggesting that the detox is actually tox? Like it does the opposite? Okay. Okay, yeah, I was gonna say don't drink it if it's like got danger attached to it, but yeah. I never thought about culture friendly, like malt, anything of that to do with a cup of tea, so I think yes, wise to walk it back, Twinings. Thanks for your contribution.
Sarah: Well no, it's just false advertising, isn't it? It's not actually going to detox you.
Felicity: Yeah, no friendly, friendly bacteria here.
Sarah: I know. I know. Anyway, on a different note, Felicity, what resources have you used to get into Season 11 and Philippines this time around?
Felicity: Yeah, we always do, just to be clear with our listeners, we don't know all the answers. In fact, no one really knows the answers, but we do use resources to help us kind of get further into the text. And one of the things that I like to do is listen to other people teaching on it. So I've been enjoying a series of sermons from St. Helens Bishops Gates, actually. That's been a good start for me. And then I've also got a commentary, an old commentary actually, by Alec Motier, who, and that's been helpful.
So they've been my two kind of big ones and then I've, yeah, the Bible project's been helpful and yeah, a few other things along the way. What about you? What's been inputting into your insight?
Sarah: That's helpful. I think for me, what's been really key is I've not used my normal journaling Bible that's already highlighted and marked up in this book, because it is a familiar book and I have read it a few times. And so it's been really important for me to have a just, I've just got kind of a booklet with it in, but it's been kind of a plain sheet of paper to start again. So I'm not taking in anything, any assumptions that I already had, if that made sense. And that really has made a real difference to me coming to it fresh.
Felicity: Mmm, that's good.
Sarah: I've read a couple of other resources on it. Melissa Kruger's Bible study has been helpful. William Taylor's book on partnership has been helpful. Some John Piper sermons. But generally, what I've most come back to is the fact that actually I'm just trying to really read slowly and read well on fresh text and not take other people's... I think with all the resources, it's really easy to take other people's answers and assumptions rather than just go into the text myself and trying to soak in this for myself, if that makes sense.
Felicity: Yeah, and I think that's a really good point just in terms of getting into the Bible, that the commentaries and the other sermons, whatever, they are kind of conversation partners after having been in the text for yourself in a way that means that you're not then just going to run with whoever's the most persuasive, but you're convinced yourself from the text, which then, and then it's helpful to have additional conversational input from these people. Yeah.
Sarah: Hmm. Yeah, definitely. You being one of them.
Felicity: Yes, indeed. Let us, let us in fact conversationally move into talking about Philippians. So you're going to read chapter three, verse 12, three to four, verse one.
Sarah: Let's go.
And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. For as I have often told you before, and now tell you again, even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their God is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame.
Their mind is set on earthly things, but our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends.
Felicity: Thank you, Sarah. So worth just reminding ourselves that this is a follow -on from chapter three. I felt like as we were getting towards the end of our passage last week, eyes and hearts were being kind of lifted heavenwards, weren't they? And so you've got this rejoicing to safeguard that we might actually keep looking heavenwards, keep pursuing the goal, as he says here, the goal for which Christ Jesus has taken hold of him. And so we have this kind of continually...moving towards the heavenwards direction.
Sarah: And that is the right phrase, moving towards, isn't it? Because actually the language here is pressing on, taking hold, straining towards, striving. Like I think it's really interesting kind of looking back on the letter. Do you remember back in chapter two when we had the, God works in me, but I work out my faith with fear and trembling, that kind of balance and that tension. And here we've got the, actually, yeah, I've been called and now I'm striving towards it. I don't just sit back. There's a real kind of movement in these first three verses, isn't there?
Felicity: Yeah and I love, I think that's so right and it's been a helpful thing actually for me as we've been in particularly in these chapters, chapters three and four, looking at the tenses. I mean this does come back to my kind of English teacher kind of like geekiness here but if you do look at... Well so you do have this as you say current present tense I press on to take hold of that but then if you look so I'm looking at verse 12 here press on to take hold of that that's present tense for which Christ Jesus took.
Sarah: No. Go on, show us.
Felicity: hold of me. So while we are actively pressing on right now, but it's for that which we already have in Christ Jesus. So the past tense there and we see it again in verse 14, for which God has called me heavenwards. So while we are pressing on in the present tense and we are looking to the future, that's kind of where we're going to end up. Actually, it is guaranteed for us. It has been bought for us. We are
Felicity: in the firm hold of Jesus. And that's just been an assuring thing, I think, for me. Because otherwise you strive on and you're like, I don't know, am I gonna make it? But no, it's okay. Like it.
Sarah: Yeah, yeah, you're not striving as a work, you're not striving to make it, you're striving because you've already been given that. And that's kind of this theme of citizenship that we are already in Christ, aren't we? We've already been united with Christ and we can see that then crop up in the latter part of the passage. I love that Paul's next verse though, in verse 15, he's just like, actually, those who are mature will think like this. So his view of Christian maturity is such that you will be yearning for that day of Christ, you will be longing to get to heaven, you'll be striving towards that day. That is his mark of Christian maturity. And then he's just very straight up, isn't he? Like, if you don't think like this, well, God will make it clear.
Felicity: Yeah, I know, I love that. Just like, oh, I'm just gonna leave that in God's hands then. You just need to sort yourselves out really. And I think that is, like even just coming back to the mindset, we've been talking about mindset a lot. Well, not we've been talking about it. Philippians has been big on heavenly mindset and this intentionality of who amateurs should take such a view of things. There's an active element to that, isn't there? So like take such a view, think heavenly ways about what you see before you. So have that heavenly mindset and as you do, then that is how we will in verse 16 live up to what we have already attained. This kind of living up, living out, living in a manner worthy of the calling to which we've been called. Yeah, and then I love that, to what we have already attained. Again, this is Jesus has got it for us, but we are to live out who we are as citizens of heaven. And even just knowing that.
Sarah: And we do that, yeah, and we do that by surrounding ourselves with people who are headed in that same direction, don't we? So he says, follow my example, keep your eyes on those who live as we do, because there's a real contrast, isn't there? There is only two directions here, and he makes it very plain that one destiny is destruction and one destiny is heaven, and there's no there's no fence sitting, there's no kind of in -between -ness here, is there? It's so stark what he presents. And he's saying, yeah, keep your eyes on those who live with their eyes fixed on heaven. Yeah, which
Felicity: Yeah, in contrast to these enemies of the cross. I mean, it's so right that he's got tears in his eyes as he's writing, isn't it? The devastation of seeing...this destruction as the destiny. And the contrast there, their God is their stomach, which is very much here and now, earthly kind of things, and their glory is in their shame. So there's glory now maybe, right here, right now, but ultimately that is shame. And I'm enjoying the kind of, it's like a flip -flop, isn't it? It's almost ironic that in verse 19, we have the picture of the enemies that are headed for destruction and whose glory is their shame. But then in verse 21, for those who are pursuing Jesus, who are
Felicity: but in Christ will transform their lowly bodies into that will be like his glorious body. So the glory, we are almost shameful now in the eyes of the world, but ultimately glory, glorious bodies through Jesus. Just really helpful contrast.
Sarah: Yeah. And again, it is that, and he's setting up that contrast again, isn't he, between those who set their mind on earthly things and those who set their minds on heavenly things. Like, it is the mindset again, which, yeah, I don't know why it surprises us, but like, oh, here it is What's at stake if I don't fix my mind on heaven? Well, it's pretty serious here, isn't it?
Felicity: Yes. And so I think it then prompts us to consider, well, to what extent do I have this kind of heavenwards perspective, this heavenly mindset? Where is that lacking in the way that I feel that? Or maybe not where is it lacking, but what might prompt me to drop my eyes and to just kind of get a bit caught up here rather than striving on for that. Have you thought about that this week? Where have you got to?
Sarah: Well, I mean, suffering is one of those key examples, isn't it? Where either, as we were saying last time, it can really clarify your heaven focus because you're like, gosh, everything's stripped back. Like, heaven is our firm hope in the midst of the storm. Or, suffering could, everyone, we all have the temptation and we all have the, yeah, the possibility that our hearts will harden in suffering our hearts will turn inwards and our hearts will turn to the world and to seeking refuge in the world and not in Christ, don't we? So that's not, it's not just super Christians who don't have that temptation, like we all have that very real possibility that our hearts will harden in times of hardship. And I think this is why he's saying it, isn't it? He's saying like, see how stark the contrast is and see what it is because he then says in
Chapter four verse one, doesn't he? Stand firm in this way, dear friends. You know, it's that kind of, again, that refrain of standing firm. You can do it because Christ has given you everything that you need to, to stand firm, and it is worth it when you look at the end goal. But you've got to keep your eyes on that end goal, otherwise it doesn't feel worth it in the here and now sometimes, does it?
Felicity: Yeah, no, I think that's right. And it's, I think that's such a wise, such a wise thing that anyone's hearts can harden in it. Not that we should be then kind of, you know, constantly nervous and double checking ourselves. Am I, am I hard in this? But actually having soft hearts towards having our mindset shaped, like it's a continual thing. It reminds me of that Romans idea of having our minds renewed. So the more that we,
Felicity: dwell on Jesus, chapter two kind of style, and the more that we see the heavenwards hope that we have, then the more inclined we are to pray that we would have this mindset. And I think that is something that's really challenged me, is that actually praying for this, it's not a given that we would have this mindset. I think verse 15 is really helpful actually, the intentionality of that taking such a view of things. So Lord, please help me to take such a view of the things that I see around me. So as we were talking about previously, the heaviness of the situations that we find ourselves surrounded by. Well, help me Lord to take such a view that I would see Jesus in this and I would really believe the glory that is heavenly given. That is where I'm headed and so therefore I can hold loosely to what is happening in front of me. Not that I'm not gonna be sad in that or emotional or all the realities of rollercoastering through life, but in the midst of that, would I have a Heavenwoods perspective.
Sarah: Yeah. Which is ultimately your safeguard, isn't it? Coming back to 3 verse 1. To rejoice in the Lord, to rejoice in this hope, to rejoice in Christ and all that we have in him. That is actually keeping us safe. And it's keeping us safe from walking down the way of destruction, isn't it? And that's good.
Felicity: That is good. I really enjoy that at the end there, you see again Paul's love for the Philippians, whom I love and I long for, these dear friends. And just a reminder that the most loving thing we can do for our friends, for our brothers and sisters in Christ, is to speak of these things, to remind of these things, and to pray for this heavenly mindset. And because, you know, sometimes if you're faced with other people's suffering, what do I say? Like, what do I do?
How do I pray? Well actually I think this is a really helpful just shape for that, a direction for that. Let's be gazing heavenwards.
Sarah: big time. And it might mean that you're not saying all of this in one go, is it? Like, there's a wisdom call on just sitting with someone and weeping with them, but praying, as you sit, praying to this end that they would cling to Christ and that this future resurrection hope that we have, yeah, which comes all and it could have
Felicity: No, this is true. Let's not preach a sermon.
Sarah: This kind of weaves in the rest of the chapter, doesn't it? That it all comes through Christ and his righteousness that we haven't earned in any way, which is the opposite of the earthly mindset that the people at the beginning of chapter three were having, isn't it? Yeah, that it's worth it. It's worth pressing into this reality even when the world shouts the opposite. And I think just that it's worth remembering that actually knowing Jesus means that
Sarah: Our whole direction of travel radically shifts and radically changes, doesn't it? Like this, yeah, there's two wholly opposite directions of travel here, whether you're an enemy of the cross or a friend of Christ. And actually, I think that I've been challenged on that. Does my life reflect that? Does my present reflect and orientate around my future hope? Is this what people see as they look at me and my life and our life?As a family, like are we orientated around the future that we're looking forward to kind of thing. I think I've been challenged on that as much as anything.
Felicity: Yeah, and really helpful just to be reminded that it does come through dwelling on Jesus. So you don't just parachute into this mindset actually. And that's why it's helpful that we have chapter two in this letter, that we have Jesus. And so as we see Jesus, so this mindset would come out of that rather than just us kind of pulling ourselves up into a heavenly mindset. That's not how it works, but yeah.
Sarah: Yeah, absolutely. Why don't you pray for us, Listy, as we long for this mindset?
Felicity: Love to. Heavenly Father, we praise you so much that you have taken hold of us in Christ Jesus. Thank you for the certainty we have in him and that as we dwell on him, we pray that you would lift our eyes and our hearts heavenwards. We pray that in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, whatever we see as we look around, that you would enable us to take such a view of things that we might strive towards heaven, press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenwards. Father, we pray that in every area of our lives that we would have this future focus and so be able to live life now in light of this. Forgive us where we're just lacking in that, where our eyes go down. So we pray, Father, that you would lift our hearts and give us great joy as we look to what is ahead and we pray this for your glory. Amen.
Sarah: Amen. Well, we're looking forward to getting into chapter four next week as we can have reached the end of the letter, which feels very sad already to be at that point. Before then, if you haven't already, do sign up for our newsletter. We send it out around once a month and we love to connect with our listeners that way and share what's going on behind the scenes as much as what's going on in your earbuds. So do connect with us that way. The link is in the show notes and we look forward to seeing you next Friday for chapter four.
Felicity: We'll see you then. Bye bye. This season is sponsored by Christian Focus.
We’d love to connect with you!
Find links to our social media below. Or sign up to our mail list to stay in the loop.
