TEXT: Philippians 1:3-11 (CSB) – “I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.”
Have you ever wanted something to last forever? Have you ever come across something that breaks down – or falls apart?
We are constantly bombarded with the “temporary” in this life. That is why this story of a light bulb in Livermore, California caught my eye. The light bulb was turned on in 1902 at the Livermore, CA Fire Department. 71 years later it was still burning. By today’s standards, it should have burned out 852 times. But you see, this light bulb was made by Shelby Electric Co. They are now out of business for an obvious reason. Their bulbs lasted, and nobody reordered.
God gives us something that will last forever – and Paul talks about it in verse 6. The Amplified Version reads – “And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ – right up to the time of His return – developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.”
We are going to ponder on that unending security that we have. We will establish 4 principles from this passage over the next couple of days. Ready?
The first Principle we discovered dealt with the Person of our security. – Principle #1 – The degree of our security is directly proportional to the degree we trust Christ – and Him alone to hold us. The second Principle dealt with the Provision of our Security – Principle #2 - – The degree of our security is directly related to what we believe about the method of our salvation.
NOW WE WILL CONSIDER THE PROCESS OF OUR SECURITY
“That He who began…will carry it on….” Paul in the Book of Romans gives us the path from eternity past to eternity future.
o Romans 8:29,30 – “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”
o Foreknowledge
o Predestination
o Calling
o Justification
o Glorification
God states in the O.T. – “At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family-from beginning to end." 1 Sam. 3:12 – What God starts – He will finish.
Jesus didn’t shed His precious blood on Calvary to bring us half-way home!
o Before the creation of the world, the Plan was MADE!
o At the Garden, the Plan was LAID.
o At the Cross, the Plan was PAID.
o At the Tomb, the Plan was RAISED!
The process of our security reaches far into eternity past, is involved with our present, and goes into eternity future.
So, we develop
Principle #1 – The degree of our security is directly proportional to the degree we trust Christ – and Him alone to hold us. The second Principle dealt with the Provision of our Security – Principle #2 - – The degree of our security is directly related to what we believe about the method of our salvation.
Principle #3 – The degree of our security is not hinged upon our today – but our realization of the work past, present, and future.
Tomorrow we conclude with Principle #4 that deals with the Promise of our Security.
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