It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming (III) Sunday

The almost infinite variety of sermons that can be preached on this phrase speak of (good) Friday as the death of things in our lives, and Sunday as the promise of resurrection out of the ashes thereof. I have been saying that we need to see the victorious Christian life as a series of deaths and resurrections. The Amplified Bible correctly interprets Philippians 3:11 giving “ That if possible I may attain to the spiritual and moral resurrection that lifts me out from among the dead even while in the body.” The “if possible” of this verse, does not means that Paul is doubting his salvation, as it would be easy to think many translations were saying. He is talking about knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection in the here and now in a life changing way. This power is inextricably linked to the fellowship of His sufferings (verse 10). Paul sees his suffering as a sentence of death with God's intention that “we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead,” and he links resurrection with deliverance (2 Corinthians 1:9, 10).

The resurrection of our dead spirit at salvation, is a sovereign work of God (Ephesians 2:8,9). The “if possible” resurrection spoken of in the above reference, shows the subsequent resurrections are not automatic. It is helped by people praying for us (2 Corinthians 1:11). In the Philippians reference however, Paul is talking about the “death” we need to engage in by jettisoning everything that hinders even, but perhaps especially, that which appears to the World to be good (verses 4-9). Verse 12 makes it clear that the war is on going. He says “Not that I have already attained ….., but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.”

The 2 Corinthians reference makes is clear that it is a series of resurrections, of deliverances. And of course, it is God who "raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us” (verses 9,10). For the longest time I was puzzled by the present tense in the verse “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing” in Romans 7:19. I though surly Paul had victory over this kind of thing. But interpreting the “not that I have already attained” from Philippines as a series of battles that are won or lost, put it is perspective for me. In twelve-step recovery groups we talk about layers like onion skins of things that need to be dealt with. In particular it is not intended to be the same old battle that is never won. Rather, it is a series of battles that enable us to increasingly attain to “the excellency of the knowledge Christ” for who Paul says he counts everything else as loss, as “dung” (Philippians 3:8 KJV).

Lord, I want to thank You again this morning for the assurance that those who sow in tears will return with joy carrying our sheaves. And that when we get the victory we will be like those who dream, with mouths filled with laughter (Psalm 126:1,2, 5,6). Help us Lord to single-mindedly forget those things which are behind, and reach forth unto those things which are before pressing in toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13,14) in Jesus Name Amen