Trusting in Christ Alone

Trusting in Christ Alone

Philippians 3:1-11

I. Introduction

A. Flood Damaged cars – Much like sin damaged lives. The car gets cleaned up and running and is resold as a normal car, but underneath there is major damage that may take time to show up. These cars often end up plaguing their owners for years. The only way out is to trade in the old car for a new one. In the same way, we have sin-damaged lives. We might clean up our lives to fool others, but the damage always shows up again. The only way out is to trade in the old life for a new one.

II. Works Are Worthless (1-3)

A. Explanation

1. “Finally,” implies that this statement is about what he is going to write –

a. Rejoice in the Lord – setting up for the joy he is about to explain

b. Rewriting about salvation – This is a theme worth repeating

2. Who to watch out for

a. Dogs – A term that is often used for the Gentiles. A pejorative term that would point out their uncleanness – Dogs were a specifically unclean animal to Jews. But instead of pointing to Gentiles, Paul is using it to point out the uncleanness of the Jews due to their unrighteousness

b. Evil workers – This again points to the Jew who would point others away from Christ and toward their own righteousness

c. Those who mutilate the flesh - katatomh vs. peritomh

i. Peritome is to circumcision, katatome is to cut off

ii. It is a way of Paul saying that trusting in circumcision for salvation is nothing more than a mutilation of the flesh

3. In all 3 of these cases, the problem is that the Jews want to work their way into God’s favor when Jesus did it for us

4. The reality – We are the circumcision

a. Circumcision is the sign of the covenant with God – But it doesn’t come from a physical circumcision (a work)

b. THE circumcision – Paul continues to turn the ideas upside down. “The Circumcision” was a term for the covenant follows of Judaism, but Paul applies it to Christians who trust in Jesus – We are the True Covenant people of God

i. Worshiping by the Spirit of God – the indwelling of God

ii. And glory in Christ Jesus – The Savior who died for us

iii. And put no confidence in the flesh – Those who understand their sin, repent of it and place their faith in Jesus

B. Application

1. Too many people were putting their faith in their own works which short circuits their need for Christ

2. Even today, there is a world of people relying on their own efforts

a. Outside the church – People think they can be good enough to be saved

b. Inside the church – legalism – people thinking that they must keep God’s favor through works

3. The truth is that our spiritual life begins when we give up on our good works and find life in the work of Christ

C. Illustration – The real problem is that we are one step away from being “those people” – Brene Brown Sociologist in a TED Talk

III. Lineage is Lacking (4-7)

A. Explanation

1. Paul begins to talk about his own merits – These are the things that he would rely on when He was a Pharisee

a. Circumcised on the 8th day

i. Jewish sign of the covenant

ii. Being done on the 8th day, he is no convert, but Jewish from birth

b. People of Israel – the Covenant people

c. From the tribe of Benjamin

i. The home of the temple

ii. The same tribe as Saul whom he was likely named after

d. A Hebrew of Hebrews – People who were working very hard to retain their ethnic identity – spoke the language and lived the life

e. As to the law – A Pharisee – The people who could crunch all of the laws down to every tedious detail leaving nothing to the spirit

f. As to zeal – a persecutor of the church – one who loved the things of God so much that he was willing to destroy everything that he felt was not of God

g. As to righteousness under the law – blameless – He had worked hard to follow every point of the law – But he knew it still wasn’t enough.

2. Everything that he had because of who he was as a jew was nothing in Christ

a. Whatever gain I had was loss for the sake of Christ

b. It was either Paul and his works or Christ and His works on Paul’s behalf. You could not and cannot do both

c. Paul chose to give up all that he had earned through his Jewish lineage to find everything in Christ

d. Road to Damascus experience

B. Application

1. Paul had the credentials in the world, but none of it impressed the God who creates man, sees him fall, knows his heart, and sins his own son to live perfectly and die for sinful man

2. What are you putting your value in?

a. Your athletic ability

b. Your academic success

c. Your rise to the top of your company

d. Your ability to make millions

e. What about your spiritual; life?

i. Your time spent in prayer in bible study

ii. Your time spent in church leadership

iii. Your ability to figure it all out and ask Jesus into your heart

3. Contrast – It is not about what we do for Jesus, but about what He is doing in us

4. Even when we brag about the good spiritual things, we do we set ourselves up to be more spiritually mature than the other lost people who haven’t figured it out – We boast in the flesh

5. Paul understood that in the flesh he could be somebody in this world, but in the eyes of God He was just another proud lost person who needed the redemption of Christ – It humbled him and gave him the ability for Christ to live through him

IV. Christ is Complete (8-11)

A. Explanation

1. Paul counts all of it as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord

a. Everything else was a loss – He gave it all up, his accolades, his degrees, his status as a Jewish leader, his power

b. Compared to knowing Christ – His relationship with Christ was greater because it gave him far more than the previous ever could

2. He counts them as rubbish (skubalon) –

a. The word is a slang term for dung. Equivalent to “crap” at best. Paul is trying to be crass to accentuate just how much he now sees in his own works and lineage

b. Trash illustration – What if the trash man quit coming for a month, what would you do to get rid of your trash? The longer it stays, the more it stinks. Ultimately, you will go to extremes to get it away from you!

3. In order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him – Notice that it is a requirement to know Christ. You cannot. Trust in yourself and know Christ

4. He desires righteousness - Justification

a. Not the one that comes from the law

b. But that which comes through faith in Christ

c. The righteousness of God that depends on faith

5. Sanctification

a. That I may know Him – Knowing Christ in a deeper way through his faith

b. And the power of His resurrection – The resurrection power that gave new life to Paul

c. Sharing in His suffering

i. As opposed to the health and wealth doctrine

ii. This is truly loving Jesus – in the same way, I want to know the sufferings of Lisa and the boys

iii. It also means that there will be suffering in Christ that will draw us nearer to Him.

d. Becoming Like Him in His death – dying to self (Galatians 2:20)

6. Glorification - That by any means necessary I may attain the resurrection from the dead – The ultimate hope of every Christian

B. Application

1. Christ is completely everything to the true believer

2. There is no room for self in the life of the Christian – We give up everything for Christ – Nothing else matters

V. Conclusion

A. Tim Keller’s illustration – Mothers don’t want their children to eat candy before dinner. The sugar can mask the hunger for real nutrients. It satisfies a momentary desire but doesn’t give the long-term nourishment that are needed. This world does the same.

What Happens to Flood-Damaged Cars?

Thousands of cars are damaged or destroyed by floods every year but don’t assume all those vehicles end up in a junkyard. Some are repaired and resold in other parts of the country without the buyer being aware of the car’s waterlogged history. In fact, Carfax says 378,000 flooded cars were back on the roads in 2021. In addition, 2022's Florida’s Hurricane Ian, and the atmospheric “bomb cyclones” that brought flooding to California, Nevada, Texas, and other states will certainly add many more damaged cars to the used-car market.

The key takeaway is that you need to be vigilant when buying a used car, even if you don’t live near a traditional storm area. That’s because flood-damaged cars are often transported well beyond their original region after major storms to locations where consumers may be less aware of the warning signs to look for.

Water can wreak havoc on automobiles: rusty floorboards, and water-logged electronics that control so much of the car, including safety systems, and airbag controllers. It may take months or years, but corrosion can find its way to the car’s vital electronics and the long-term effects of water damage can haunt buyers for the life of the car.

But as Consumer Reports found years ago in an investigation of rebuilt wrecks, some flood-damaged vehicles reappear with a clean title. Be especially wary of any used car being offered with a “lost” title or with only a bill of sale.

Kenneth Potiker, owner of Riteway Auto Dismantlers, knows what advice he’d give to people considering the purchase of such a vehicle. “I would tell them not to buy a car like that — that would be the best advice. If it floods inside a car, water damage is one of the worst types of damage.”

We're All One Step from Being 'Those People'

Sociologist Brene Brown's TED talk "The Power of Vulnerability" has garnered over 10 million hits (as of August 2013). For good reason: we are hungry for the freedom to admit our vulnerability. Brown pushes us to embrace our own brokenness, with the reality that we are not alone in it, that we are—or easily could be—just one step away from the broken people all around us. Brown says:

We are "those people." The truth is … we are the "others." Most of us are one paycheck, one divorce, one drug- addicted kid, one mental health diagnosis, one serious illness, one sexual assault, one drinking binge, one night of unprotected sex, or one affair away from being "those people"—the ones we don't trust, the ones we pity, the ones we don't let our children play with, the ones bad things happen to, the ones we don't want living next door.

Adapted from Elisa Morgan, The Beauty of Broken (Thomas Nelson, 2013), page 25

Finding True Joy in Christ

Pastor Tim Keller used the following example to show how to find ultimate joy and satisfaction in Christ:

Do you remember when your mother used to say, "Don't eat candy before meals?" Why did she say that? Because she knew it would ruin your next meal. The trouble with eating candy is that it gives you a sugar buzz, and then you don't feel hungry. Candy masks the fact that your body needs proteins and vitamins. The sugar buzz from candy masks your hunger for the real nutrients that you don't have.

Things like sex, power, money, and success—as well as favorable circumstances—act like spiritual sugar. Christians who have these spiritual candies may say, "Sure, I believe in God, and I know I'm going to heaven," but they're actually basing their day-to-day joy on favorable circumstances. When the circumstances change, it drives us to God, because when the sugar disappears, when the candy gets taken away, we're forced to pursue the feast that our souls really crave. We'll hunger for the spiritual nutrients we really need.

Timothy Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York, from the sermon "Joy," (preached 4-18-10); to listen to the sermon, click here; submitted by Van Morris, Mount Washington, Kentucky

Masters Winner’s Identity Isn’t Golf but God

In February of 2022, Scottie Scheffler was a 25-year-old beginning his third full season on the PGA Tour, ranked 15th in the world. He was still seeking his first victory on the game’s top circuit. And on Sunday April 10, Scheffler became a Masters champion as well.

In a press conference after his victor, sporting his new green jacket, Scheffler was asked how he balances his desire to compete—which is fierce—without letting it define who he is as a person. Scheffler then opened up about his faith:

The reason why I play golf is I’m trying to glorify God and all that He’s done in my life. So, for me, my identity isn’t a golf score. Like my wife, Meredith, told me this morning, “If you win this golf tournament today, if you lose this golf tournament by 10 shots, if you never win another golf tournament again. I’m still going to love you, you’re still going to be the same person. Jesus loves you and nothing changes.” All I’m trying to do is glorify God and that’s why I’m here and that’s why I’m in [this] position.