Christ Our Confidence, Rejoicing In Our Life of Faith

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GREETINGS

Good afternoon! As we continue in our worship through the preaching of God’s Word, please grab your Bibles...

…we are in The Letter of Philippians chapter 3 this afternoon, verses 12-21—Philippians 3:12-21.

… …

We’re in Philippians 3:12-21. For starters I’ll read v. 12-14.

Philippians 3:12–14 ESV

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

The title of our sermon this afternoon is “Christ Our Confidence, Rejoicing In Our Life of Faith”

PRAY

Introduction

Earlier this week I saw a bumper sticker that read, “Do you follow Jesus this close?” With my prescription sunglasses on, I could read it, but I was really far, so what’s the right answer?

Previously, Paul said, "for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."   In our text he says the same thing a different way, “I press on” in verse 14 “toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” He doesn’t see himself as having arrived. To the question, “Do you follow Jesus this close?”, Paul’s answer would be this ain’t close enough. Our text helps us understand in a deeper way just what it means to live for Christ and to die is gain. Paul says that His treasure in all of life is knowing Jesus. Referring back to verse 8, he says…

Philippians 3:8 ESV

8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

He’s talking about life in Christ, a real salvation through faith in Him, that can’t get enough of Him; that wants more of Him. That even when in verse 10 knowing Christ more is paved through suffering, Paul eagerly desires then to share in the sufferings of Christ, becoming like Him in His death. The reason why is because that’s how he’s going to really know Jesus. On the cross, Jesus’ sacrificial love for him (Paul) was on full display. He gets to know his Savior’s love for Him a little bit more every time he suffers.

It’s like the man who became a new dad. After a few weeks he called his dad to thank him for all the sacrifice he made. He says, “dad I never knew”.

It wasn’t until he became a dad that he began to understand what his dad did for him. In the same way, it isn’t until we suffer like Jesus suffered that we’re going to know Him better, know His sacrifice better, know His heart better, and know His love for me better. We don’t need to know every single detail to know enough that it was hard, that He did it anyways, and He did for me.

In the beginning of the chapter Paul says “Rejoice in the Lord.” For our consideration this afternoon, I want to explore from our text what it means to “Rejoice in the Lord”?

I. It means you are anchored in the gospel of Christ

Philippians 3:12 ESV

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

Paul sees himself as someone who has not yet arrived (“not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect”), but he presses on so that he will arrive (“I press on to make it my own”). Make what his own? “The resurrection from the dead” in verse 11. He’s laying claims on a salvation from sin, a victory over death, and a glorious eternal life that enjoys a relationship with God forever in heaven. He has not obtained the resurrection from the dead, but he will. When he dies, he will rise to be with Jesus.

But let’s make one thing clear. He will not be resurrected because he presses on. His efforts is not the reason for his salvation. Paul already established this back in verse 7, “whatever gain I had, I counted as loss”, meaning that his resume, his efforts, his doing doesn’t do anything for him. At the end of verse 8 he says, “…I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” His pressing on will not be the reason he is resurrected from the dead.

The reason he will obtain it is because of what we see in the middle of verse 9, “faith in Christ.” It’s not Paul’s pressing on that allows him to rise from the dead and have victory over death. It is through faith in Jesus that we gain the righteousness that is necessary to be resurrected from the dead. When we set aside our righteousness in verse 9 (which gets us nothing) and gain Christ’s righteousness through faith, we have the hope of resurrection in verses 10-11.

So the pressing on in verse 12 is not Paul trying to earn this thing for himself. He’s just describing how he gets to that part of salvation that’s already his through faith. Paul’s effort to press on, to keep pushing forward in the faith, is anchored to the gospel of Christ. He hasn’t been resurrected yet, at this point, because he hasn’t died yet. But when he does die, he knows that heeee wiiiill indeeeeed be resurrected from the dead.

Why? Look at the verse, “because Christ Jesus has made me His own.” Paul did not make himself belong to Christ. He did not squeeze himself into the family of God. He’s not part of the kingdom because he’s so good. “Christ Jesus has made me His own.” Imagine what this would do to a Paul who was the renown Saul of Tarsus.

In Acts 8:3, Saul was ravaging the church.

Then in chapter 9 on the road to Damascus, Saul met Jesus and Jesus confronted him with his sins when he says in 9:4, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

I believe Saul repented and believed in Jesus because in verse 5 he calls him Lord, and Ananias, a believer, calls Saul “Brother Saul” in verse 17. Then at the end of that verse he is filled with the Holy Spirit and in verse 18 he got baptized. And then in verse 20, “he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues.”

One minute he’s an enemy of God, the next minute he’s a friend of God. He was ravaging the church of Christ, then he became a mouthpiece for Christ. How? Because through the gospel, “Christ Jesus has made me his own.” He doesn’t deserve to be in Christ, and yet he belongs to Him doesn’t he? God was gracious to him … God was kind to Him … He doesn’t deserve an ounce of it and yet through faith in Christ He gets a full salvation according to the gospel.

And that puts Paul’s pressing on into perspective. Between now and when I die and rise to be with Jesus, it will take effort on my part to get there. Not earning salvation, but living out the salvation that’s already mine. Effort, effort, effort! That’s how I get there.

But what if I don’t put the effort in because I just don’t care? If it takes effort to get there and I don’t press on, then what? Good question, I’m glad you asked. Philippians 3:7-8

Philippians 3:7–8 ESV

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

“Effort, effort, effort!” flows out of “treasure, treasure, treasure.” When Christ made Paul His own, something happened to Paul—he started to treasure Christ. Pressing on is what treasuring Christ will look like in the life of the believer. It will endure the effort, even the suffering, because not only does it get you to the hope of salvation that is already yours, but it brings you into deeper fellowship with Christ who already made you His own; that’s the whole point of verses 10-11.

So to the question, what if I don’t put the effort in? My answer comes in the form of a question: Do you treasure Christ? Treasuring Christ and living for Christ comes together in the life of the believer because of the gospel. It’s an anchor.

“Rejoicing in the Lord” not only means that you are anchored in the Gospel of Christ, but it also means…

II. It means Christ has really set you free

Philippians 3:13–14 ESV

13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul again sees himself as someone who has not yet arrived. He is not yet an “already perfect” person— “I do not consider that I have made it my own” —he has not yet arrived. This makes his statement for living, out of Philippians 1:21, “for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain”, remarkable! He is not yet what he should be, “perfect”, but he is already today living for Christ; he does not wait for perfection to do so! You don’t wait until your perfect, and neither should you beat yourself up just because you’re not perfect. Acknowledge it, be humble about it, and just live for Christ.

Notice the focus: “one thing I do.” He’s not distracted about living for Christ; he’s focused. It almost looks though, like he’s doing a few things here, not just one. There’s “forgetting”, “straining” and “press on”. But if you look close enough, he’s only doing one. The “-ing” at the end of forget and strain, forgetting and straining, are a dead give away that they are not the main verb. The main verb is “press on.” That is the one thing that Paul does, he presses on, but those -ing words are helpful because it sheds light on what it means to press on.

It’s significance is tied to that phrase, “I do not consider that I have made it my own”, which is a restatement of what he said in the previous verse, “not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect.” This helps us understand what the forgetting and the straining means when Paul uses it to describe his focus.

“Forgetting what lies behind” is referring to his imperfections, his shortcomings and his sins. He is not yet perfect. Though he is righteous because he has the righteousness of Christ through faith (cf. v. 9), he is not yet what he should be in the flesh. But here’s the freedom, he can forget what lies behind. He can leave those things to the past, forget it, and leave it behind. Past failures, past shortcomings, past sins … past everything … shall not be a prison for me today. In Christ, I am not locked up in my past failures. I don’t need to rehearse and relive those things. I when I fall down in sin, I could get back up. I don’t need to swim in my sin. In Christ I am free to press on. I am free to leave those things behind. In Christ I am free to do so.

“Straining forward to what lies ahead” is referring to the moment you are in right now until you go to be with Jesus and “attain the resurrection from the dead” (v. 11). You don’t hang you’re imperfect past to this moment or your imperfect self to what happens next. You are free dear brother, you are free dear sister to look to Christ, to consider a glorious future with Him that is sure because you are anchored in the gospel of Christ that promises and guarantees that very thing. The word for “straining forward” means to reach out and so even though you are not imprisoned and haunted by your past, straining forward or reaching out means you don’t stay stuck in this moment either. This ain’t the final destination. Good or bad, you’re only passing through.

What Paul is describing here is a freedom in Christ. Freedom from your past, to leave it behind. Freedom in this moment, to push forward. You are free. So the one thing that Paul does is this in verse 14: he presses on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Same word as in verse 12 he presses on, but here it’s in the imagery of a race. There’s a goal to reach and prize to be had. It involves forgetting what lies behind because you don’t look back in a race; you keep your eyes forward. Straining forward to what lies ahead all the way even to the goal, reaching out so as to make the goal in order to get the prize.

The goal is the resurrection from the dead, but that’s not the prize. The prize is the treasure back in verse 8 to know Christ more so that in verse 10 you can be like him in his death. The prize is a depth of relationship with Jesus in Christ-likeness for the believer.

Show verses as you go over the bullet points

1 Corinthians 1:9 calls it fellowship.

1 Corinthians 1:9 ESV

9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

You were called to have fellowship with Jesus. It’s an upward call because it’s a vertical fellowship, a relationship with Christ Himself that you have been called to.

Between this moment and the goal of resurrection from the dead, we press on in this life of fellowship with Jesus to be more like Him

Romans 8:29 ESV

29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

That’s where it’s headed. That’s where it’s going. That’s the prize. When you go to be with Jesus, you will look nothing like sinful man, nothing like who you were, you will be perfect like the Son. That is not now, that is future for us. So we press on.

Philippians 3:15–16 ESV

15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

This is a good verse for disunity in the church or disagreements in the church, that God is over the disputes. God will reveal to you what is right. In the context, there is influence that is incorrect in verse 2.

Philippians 3:2 ESV

2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.

They do not agree with what Paul says in verse 3 which is to put no confidence in the flesh. I mentioned Judaizers last week who do put confidence in the flesh, who do have this aura about them of having arrived. It takes maturity to know that you’re good works amount to nothing, that salvation is not earning even though it is effort, and that even though you’ve done great things for the Lord, you understand you are not yet what you should be. Which is why Paul says I haven’t arrived in verse 12. I haven’t arrived in verse 14. But I am free to live for HIm, with the sure hope that I will be with Him, that I will see Him and be conformed to His image. It takes maturity to live life this way with that trajectory in mind.

So we’re a work in progress, aren’t we? But here’s the thing. God is a part of our progress. God is at work in your life. He has not left you or abandoned you. To this day He is still with you, He is maturing you. So even though you forget what lies behind which, in the context, is your shortcomings and failures, there is on the other hand something in the past that you keep: the lessons that God has shown you along the way. You don’t drop that, you don’t lose that. As a matter of growth and maturity, you keep that. You keep the progress made. You keep the lessons learned.

Verse 17 says,

Philippians 3:17 ESV

17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.

Notice “brothers” at the beginning of that verse and “us” at the end of that verse. Your progress, your pressing on, will be made in the company of other believers. You don’t go at this alone.

2 Timothy 2:22 ESV

22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

There’s a fleeing. Something you run away from. …

There’s a pursuing. Something you run towards. …

Notice those words, “along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

“Along with” means you don’t do this by yourself

“those who call on the Lord” means other believers

“from a pure heart” means that they really love the Lord

Your progress, your pressing on, will be made in the company of other believers. Back to Philippians 3, according to verses 15 and 16, there will be a mix of mature and not so mature in the company of other believers. The more mature ones here in verse 17 are those we try to model our lives after because their maturity is marked by Christ-likeness that is more developed than yours. And if the treasure is as verse 8 states “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” then I will gladly glean from you and your example in order for me to grow.

There’s an element of discipleship here where in the body of Christ we are helping each other along. In keeping with the race analogy, this helps me understand that we all win.

Our joy in Christ means…

III. It means to die is really gain

     A. No Christ, No Gain (v. 18-19)

Philippians 3:18–19 ESV

18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

Life outside of Christ, is ultimately going to lead to destruction…to ruin…because that’s what sin does. According to the Bible, what we deserve for our sin is death. We deserve to be separated from God. We deserve to be cast out. The refusal to come to Christ is to the detriment, the ruin, or our soul. We need Jesus to save us. So if you don’t know Him today, come that you might have life.

And dear Christian, right after Paul says “imitate me” in verse 17, what do you see him doing in verse 18? He’s weeping for lost sinners. Where do you think he got that from? Do you remember in Luke 19 when Jesus enters Jerusalem one last time before his crucifixion. It says…

Luke 19:41–42 ESV

41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

Paul, like Jesus, wept for lost sinners. We know, what Paul knows and what Christ knows: apart from Christ, sin in the end will only lead to your destruction. If Christ is not your treasure, then His glory is not for yours to enjoy.

     B. In Christ, Is Gain (v. 20-21)

Philippians 3:20–21 ESV

20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

If you believe in Jesus Christ today, think about what Paul has been saying in this chapter.

Verse 1 - You have true joy in Christ

Verse 8 - You have the real treasure of knowing Him as Lord

Verse 9 - You have the righteousness of Christ

Verse 11 - You have the true hope of being with Christ

Verse 12 - You belong to Christ

Verse 13 - You have freedom to live for Christ

Verse 15 - You will grow in Christ

And for now, Verse 20, we wait for Christ to come back, so that we can be like Him in His glory.

Conclusion

Our citizenship means you belong here. You hear that Christian, you belong here…

You have a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s not just your Lord, He’s the Lord of this universe. He’s the Lord of lords and the King of kings. He has supreme authority and ultimate power and He has saved you. Not only are you a citizen of heaven, Christ has made you His own. You belong to Christ.

And by His authority you will be like Him. This is why it’s a joy to be in Christ. May it be your joy today.

Pray

COMMUNION

As the men come up to pass out the elements for communion, we now enter into a time of communion. If you are a baptized believer in good standing with your church, we invite you to join us in communion as we celebrate the Lord Jesus Christ in a time of remembrance. Communion is a time of remembrance, it’s a time of remembering Jesus Christ. The remembrance is a celebration. God wants you to have joy, God wants you to be happy … in the right thing and in the right way. Philippians 3:1, “Rejoice in the Lord!”

Rejoice in the body. In Communion, the bread represents the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:24 ESV

24 … “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

He sacrificed His own body for you.

Rejoice because He did not hold back.

What was offered up on the cross was the perfect sacrifice for your salvation.

Rejoice in the blood. In Communion, the juice represents the blood of Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:25 ESV

25 … “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Blood was spilt on the cross.

The blood of Jesus washes you and cleanses you from all sins (past, present, and future)

By His blood you are made clean.

Pray

Christians, eat and drink, knowing Christ forgives our sins though His body by His blood. Go ahead and take the bread and then the juice.