Knowing Christ Message 4

Knowing Christ

Message 4

“We are all trying to get to same place.”

Me:

When We all Get to Heaven

a. A great hymn

i. When we all get to Heaven,

ii. What a day of rejoicing that will be!

iii. When we all see Jesus,

iv. We'll sing and shout the victory!

b. Verse 3 says this

i. Onward to the prize before us!

ii. Soon His beauty we'll behold;

iii. Soon the pearly gates will open;

iv. We shall tread the streets of gold.

Pearly gates

i. Often used in jokes

ii. Revelation 21:21 (NLT) — 21 The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.

Revelation 21:21 NLT

The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.

We:

We are all trying to get to the same place

a. Do enough good and you are in

i. Proverbs 20:6 (NKJV) — 6 Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, But who can find a faithful man?

Proverbs 20:6 NLT

Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?

ii. The sad reality is none of us are good enough

iii. When we put our confidence in our goodness the end is our destruction

b. Paul understood this well

i. Philippians 3:3–4 (CEV) — 3 We don’t brag about what we have done, 4 although I could. Others may brag about themselves, but I have more reason to brag than anyone else.

Philippians 3:3–4 (CEV)

We don’t brag about what we have done,

although I could. Others may brag about themselves, but I have more reason to brag than anyone else.

ii. The amazing Apostle Paul

iii. Let’s just see

God:

The Brag Sheet

a. The Hebrew of Hebrews

i. Philippians 3:5–6 (NLT) — 5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.

Philippians 3:5–6 NLT

I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.

The privileges of birth

Circumcised on the eight day

Pure-blooded Israel

Tribe of Benjamin

– Most noble – Most respected

The achievements by self-effort

Hebrew of Hebrews

(The who’s who of Jews)

A Pharisee

Zeal

(In persecuting the church)

Blameless

(without fault)

d. You can brag?

i. I can even more

ii. We still do this today

iii. Our worth is in what we have or who we are

iv. We want to go viral

You:

The Value of Achievements

a. There is value in doing good

i. A good example is first responders

ii. Other professions or status

But when you stand before God

i. Philippians 3:7 (NLT) — 7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.

Philippians 3:7 NLT

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.

ii. Matthew 5:20 (NLT) — 20 “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

Matthew 5:20 NLT

“But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

iii. Here is a really sad verse

iv. Matthew 7:22–23 (NLT) — 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

Matthew 7:22–23 NLT

On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

We:

I want to do good things

Loving your neighbor

i. I do kind things because of what Christ did in me.

ii. Not to earn my way into heaven

I love my neighbor because Christ loved me.

iv. Not to earn favor with God

Are you trying to achieve heaven

i. Are you “trying” through human effort?

ii. Matthew 7:23 “I never knew you”