Philippians 3:1-11 - What Are You Living For?

20-10-18 Philippians 3:1-11 – What Are You Living For?

HBI: vs 8 Everything that we have done and accomplished in this life is nothing. All that really matters is to know Him and His righteousness through faith.

Þ Intro

- George Mueller was not always a person of such great faith and good character. As a young boy growing up in Germany in the early 1800s, he often stole money from his dad. As a teenager, he sneaked out of a hotel twice without paying for the room. One time he was caught by police and put in jail. As a Bible college student, George loved going to bars, drinking, gambling, and being the life of the party. He also loved making fun of people, especially Christians.

- One day, a friend invited George to go to an off-campus Bible study. He went only because he wanted to make fun of the Christians later. But to his surprise, he liked the Bible study. For the first time, he saw people who really knew and loved God. He attended each evening. Before the end of the week, he knelt at his bed and asked God to forgive his sins.

- George's friends saw a change in him immediately. He no longer went to bars or made fun of people. He spent more time reading his Bible, talking about God, and going to church. Soon he found that his friends did not want to be around him anymore.

- When George told his father that he had decided to become a missionary, his father became terribly upset. He wanted George to have a high-paying job and not be a poor missionary. He told George that he would not give him any more money for school. George knew he had to do what God was calling him to do, even if his dad did not support him.

- George could have lived an affluent life but he gave that up for the sake of following Jesus into ministry, where he knew God was calling Him.

- He never had much but that was okay with Him, He was serving the Lord. All that matters is to know Jesus this is what we are to live for, this is what Paul tells us.

- All the things in your life, the things you used to think would get you into heaven all the traditions you may follow, all that matters is knowing Jesus and boasting in Him alone.

Þ Watch Out – 1-3

- What are you living for? But before we are to learn what it is, we are to truly live for we start out with that type of life we are to watch out for.

- Like any good preacher Paul starts off the passage by saying in conclusion yet has 40% of His sermon left to go. Don’t you love it when we do that?

- But after that he reminds us that for our own safety there is something that he needs to repeat to them to make sure they understand. As you live a Christ centered life Watch out!

- We start with the question what are you living for? But then get to what we are not to live for first. There are those that would lead you astray as you strive to live a life for Jesus.

- Philippians 3:2 Watch out for “dogs,” watch out for evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh.

- He really wanted them to be careful about these people as he repeated it 3 times for their benefit, or just to get his point across.

- Dogs, evil doers, and mutilators of the flesh where all referring to the same group of people. It was those Jewish people who though they called themselves Christians made it a requirement to still follow the old laws to be one. They are called Judaizers.

- So, Paul would bring the gospel of Jesus to the Jews first and when they either responded or turned Him away he went to the gentiles. They where looked down upon by most of the Jews but could become one of God’s children according to them by adopting the old customs.

- But here was Paul and the rest of the disciples that where now teaching that the old ways where no longer necessary but rather fulfilled in Jesus.

- The gentiles that Paul was witnessing to did not follow the Torah, the old laws but rather followed a new way. The Judaizers would often refer to them as dogs.

- Not the same type of dogs that we see now, nice dogs that people keep in their house as pets. But rather wild stray mongrels that would likely attack if you got to close. They were considered unclean by Jews.

- So, by using this term and turning it back on them he was saying they were unclean and the Gentiles who followed Jesus where now the true circumcision.

- They were workers of evil because they where adding requirements to salvation that Jesus never added.

- He called them the mutilation. It is a word play that he used, he used the word for circumcision and changed it to mean cutting to pieces. Again, the Judaizers missed the point and where adding requirements that were no longer there.

- Speaking of a specific people but as we live a Christ centered life, as we learn what we are really living for we need to remember to know our faith and watch out for those that would add or take away requirements that are necessary to salvation and the word of God.

- For the true way to live for God is this : Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh—

- Our confidence is not in the flesh, our circumcision is no longer of the flesh, but it is a heart attitude. The bible talks of circumcision of the heart.

- Which refers not to a physical act but rather setting aside our hearts, asking the HS to examine our hearts to make sure we are truly living a Christ centered life.

- Our boast is not in the things of the flesh but rather in Jesus Christ and How He has changed our lives. It is living our lives for Him.

Þ Boast in Christ – 4-7

- What are you living for? Is it for things of the flesh, things that you have done that make yourself look good? Watch out for that and watch out for people who would add to the gospel and what it means to be a child of God.

- What we really need to livre for is not money or riches or things of the world but rather seeking Jesus and knowing Him.

- Paul knew what it meant to live for the world and be able to boast about worldly accomplishments. Vs4

- He was a circumcised member of the nation of Israel. Just like the dogs yapping at his heals trying to get rid of him, he was one of them one.

- He was a persecutor of the church, the same people he was now a part of. He was there at the stoning of Stephen but Jesus changed his life one day. He was a trained Pharisee under Gamaliel.

- This may not seem like much now. But put into context this was huge. His old life, the one Jesus saved him from, he was an influential man.

- He had everything that his attackers would have wanted, and likely they would have been jealous of Him. Like George Muler who gave up what would have been a good life to live for Jesus building and running orphanages.

- I Have known a few people who have been like this, extraordinarily successful according to the world. By the standards of everyone else they have it all but give it all up to follow God in Ministry.

- All that was gain to Him He counted as loss. They would have thought him crazy for what he had given up for the sake of following the Messiah that he used to persecute the followers of.

- But Paul found something out. If you are living your life for earthly accomplishments and comforts, you may have a good life now.

- But if you have eternity in mind the earthly things should not matter. What will matter is living your life for Jesus and boasting rather in what He has done in your life.

- So, what in your life can you count as a loss for the sake of Knowing Christ and being found In Him. What can you give up in your life that is not worth it to join in the ministry of the church?

Þ Know Christ – 8-11

- What are you living your life for? Are you living it for the things of the world to boast in the world? God’s concern is not all the things you have accomplished on earth but rather where your heart is at and what you are doing to follow Him.

- Philippians 3:8 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ

- All things are to be considered loss. Not just a few things in your life but all things are considered loss other then knowing Jesus.

- I have never had a lot of stuff as far as the world is concerned but I have worked jobs that could have eventually put me there. But I came to the realization that the only thing that matters is knowing Jesus and following His will for your life.

- What are you living for? Philippians 3:9 and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith.

- Our own righteousness is not good enough, but rather our right standing before God, our salvation is found in God alone. We need to live for Jesus and work on becoming more and more like him.

- An author I was reading responded to righteousness and Holiness and the length of the pursuit to get to that end goal. He was saying that it takes one day longer then death.

- Our lives, our righteousness are to be found not in what the world can offer but rather as it says here to be found in Jesus.

- The goal? What a goal it is to know the power the resurrection of Christ offers to those that were once lost in sin. A power that frees the sinner from sin, that offers eternal life in Jesus. To know that because of it death has been defeated and Jesus victory won once and for all.

- Also, to fellowship with the sufferings of Jesus. This is a little more difficult to swallow then the power of the resurrection.

- To fellowship with the sufferings of Jesus is okay, and we can rejoice. Jesus suffered and yet so might we. Why do we put up with it though?

- We do it because we are living for Jesus, we deserved death and through the messiah we have life eternal. Because through the strength of the Lord we can endure. Because blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Þ So What?

- Jesus told the parable of a rich man who found a treasure in a field then went, sold all he had and bought the field to receive the treasure. Selling all you have with joy, to have the treasure of the kingdom, is a parable-way of saying: count everything as loss in order to gain Christ.

- Who would sell all they had for an earthly treasure that disappears? Some people might. But what about a treasure that is eternal, a forever future in Glory, who wouldn’t give all they have to know the messiah who can do this for you.

- It is hard to give up what we know, what we have, but the goal makes it all worthwhile. Do you struggle with seeking the things of the world? Maybe you do not know where to find Christ?

- How can you know Jesus, this is what we are to count all things as loss for. We can know Jesus by reading the word of God on our own. By memorizing the word of God like we have seen here today. By spending time in prayer.

- We need to learn to know Jesus and follow where He leads so we can live a Christ Cntered life.