Philippians 3 a topsy turvy world

But wait…. I just told you where not to park.  I need to tell you where to park.
3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
2:8 the death of the cross.9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
We live in a topsy turvy world.  If you seek to be first you will be last in God’s sight. Mk 9:35
If you seek to win you lose, and if you seek to lose you win Mk 10:25
If you seek to serve you will reign. Mk 10:35-45
Wait.. so if I really want to reign I gotta serve right? Isn’t there something wrong with my thinking there? I trade this  for this and I win!!
It is sort of like the guy who asked the question on altruism at Teachers’ College:  “If altruism is to be unselfish and not think of yourself, why should I be altruistic?”  The lecturer proceeded to answer: “You will be better off in the end: You will have people like you, you will find it opens doors for work for you, you will get wealth from it.”  “So how is that altruistic?”
Likewise the Lord Jesus promises fulfilment in life.  John 10:10 “I am come that they might have life and have it abundantly.”  But wait, if you seek  to have abundant life by using Jesus to get it, you won’t get it.  Love is the most fulfilling of things.. but if you love to get  love, you are not being loving.
That’s why the cross is central to the universe.
“But God commendeth His own love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The cross the death, resurrection and exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ is the central fact of history.  His coming again is the culminating fact  of history on earth.
Paul doesn’t ask us to look at the cross and emulate it.  He asks us to look at the cross, death resurrection, ascension, enthronement and return of Christ as the culminating fact of eternity, and the culminating fact of your life.  Everything else pails into insignificance alongside that.
You won’t worry about your vindictive, hateful criminal, malicious, indifferent, ungodly, self serving enemies when you park your mind at the cross and His return in glory.  Because even the bad things in you will be transformed by that!
Park your mind here!!
3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
 
 

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