Philippians 3:17-21
“Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.”
“Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things and they think only about this life here on earth”… My, my, my… This is a great summarization of the motivation of many in our modern culture.
We are watching in real-time our culture become increasingly more in love with personal gratification and desire, and less concerned with eternal truth and righteousness. As Paul wrote, this deconstruction of morality is a cause for mourning and great concern. The path of self worship and glorification of human desire is a sure path to destruction. When we make ourselves the point of our existence, we are choosing to be subject to the control of our temporal and weak beings. There is a very real and finite end to ourselves. Left to ourselves we are weak, fragile and void of life.
Creation can never find meaning without knowing the intent of its Creator. Humans will never find fulfillment and meaning without knowing the hand that formed us and then willingly submit to His leadership. Being in control of ourselves is the most meaningless, dead-end purpose one could ever hope for. It’s a great deception, and people who spend a lifetime focused on self always find the horror that the end of their lives bring.
Anton LeVey, author of the Satanic bible and high priest of the religion dedicated to the worship of Satan, was once quoted saying, “There is a beast in man that needs to be exercised, not exorcized ”.
This was one of his primary philosophies in life, to serve and exalt his primal urges and desires. Unfortunately for him at the end of his life he ultimately found out how wrong he was. His philosophy led him to the end of himself and ultimately eternal destruction.
His dying words were “Oh my, oh my, what have I done, there is something very wrong…there is something very wrong….”
This is the sober truth and reality of the human condition, left to ourselves we are bound for hell and eternal destruction.
As Paul writes there is a remedy. We make a choice today to be submitted to Jesus in preparation for tomorrow. We remind ourselves that Jesus is returning to free us from the dead impulses of our temporal bodies. Eventually putting all of creation, whether willing or not, underneath His control. We remind ourselves that we are on borrowed time, and that the point of our existence is not our short journey on this earth. We are headed to an eternal life where our actual purpose of glorifying King Jesus is fulfilled at the end of the age.
This is a purpose and the great choice that saves us from the deception of being controlled by ourselves.
Love,
Pastor John
