50 Preaching/Teaching:Philippians 3:1-11-

Achieving the Goal

Introduction:

Game 6 of the NBA finals the lakers were without the greatest scorer in NBA history. Everyone thought the 76ers were going to win it all. And this rookie steps into the plan and says, have no fear 32 is here.

Magic Johnson would go on to have maybe the greatest game of all time:

Magic Johnson scored 42 points, including all 14 of his free-throw attempts. He added 15 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a block and was elected MVP of the series.

I know a lot about Magic, but I don’t know Magic, he has never made a mortgage payment for me.

But when I met my wife and was dating her I actually knew her. Not well but I knew here, so much so at this time that I bought her some coffee for our first date. Now you have to remember that this was like the first date I had ever been on and I was terrified so much but I knew her in a real way at this point.

Many of us know a lot about God, we know what the Bible says about him but it is almost like we know about him like I know about Magic.

But God created us so that we would know him intimately for a lifetime, My relationship with Heather is a better picture of what our relationship with God is supposed to look like.

But there are so many things that can get in the way from keeping us from knowing God intimately:

Religion-can get in the way. Definition

Ignorance-

Is your idea about God to know about him or to know him intimately?

Today in Philippians we are going to see three guides we need to follow to intimately knowing Jesus.

The first guide to knowing Jesus intimately is:

1. Right teachers (1-6).

Philippians 3:1 NASB95

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.

v. 1-There were a lot of reasons the Philippians could rejoice. They could rejoice because of Paul, that the Gospel was spreading, that they were a generous church. But all these things are small in view of the real reason we rejoice because of what God has done through his son in Jesus.

Finally the rest of the book Paul is making his approach of what he wants his readers to walk away with.

Rejoice and joy is a big topic in this book. There has been a lot to rejoice about:

They could rejoice that the gospel was going out despite their circumstances.

They could rejoice in their relationship with Timothy or Epahproditus.

But the greater idea of joy is the fact of what we have available because of what Jesus has done on our behalf.

Now he is just going to jump into it there are teachers that can keep us from what God created us for.

False Teachers add to the gospel

Philippians 3:2 NASB95

Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision;

These teachers were adding to the gospel and paul wants us to be clear that what they are doing is not good. He says beware of them and describes them as dogs, evil workers and false circumcision.

They were most likely Judaizers who were teaching that believing in Jesus was not enough that you had to be circumcised as well.

Philippians 3:3 NASB95

for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh,

He contrasts false teachers to who they are. False teachers keep people from hearing the good news but they can also side track Christ followers.

He tells us who we are:

True Circumcision

Romans 2:29 NASB95

But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.

Baptism

He tells us what we do

We worship

He tells us what we don’t trust in

Flesh

Gospel-connect the sin part here.

Application:

We have to make sure the people we are listening to are pointing us to Jesus. Would it not be terrible if we thought we could not come to Jesus because we had to earn it.

False teachers teach a works based message.

Paul wanted to show them the folly of their argument. before Paul became a Christ follower he thought that you had to earn a relationship with God.

If anyone could have earned a relationship with God it was Paul before he was a Christian.

What was Paul teaching

Have you ever thought about this before Paul became a Christ follower, Paul was a false teacher.

Look at his resume before he was a Christian.

Philippians 3:4–6 NASB95

although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

If anyone could do it was Paul. But Paul is saying this is impossible.

When I ask people what do they think it takes to get to heaven, most people say these kinds of things.

I do more good than bad

I grew up in church

I try to be nice to people.

But those things will keep us from what we were created for a relationship with God

Application:

Are false teachings keeping you from intimacy with God.

From doing what you were created to do.

There are things that keep Heather and I from the oneness God has created us for.

False teaching will keep your from God.

So we must have right teachers who point us to Jesus.

The second guide to knowing Jesus intimately is:

2. The Right target: Jesus (7-9).

Right teachers led us to the real guide Jesus himself.

When I first became a Christian these were my favorite verses of the Bible.

Philippians 3:7 NASB95

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

Paul’s score card changed.

His past successes kept him from intimacy with God.

Isn’t it freeing to know that God loves us not because we have a great resume but simply because he is God and God is love. As a result of this Paul literally counted all things loss. He deliberately said anything that is going to keep me from Jesus I will do away with.

Philippians 3:8 NASB95

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,

Paul did not settle for lesser treasure.

He uses the word surpassing value of knowing Jesus.

This is of greater value than anything in the world. Not just to know Jesus a little but to know him intimately.

Knowing God is so great that he says anything else is literally like Dog Poop. That is how great knowing Jesus is.

Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible Paul’s greater goal 3:8–11

Its derivation is uncertain, but it appears to have referred to excrement, food gone bad, scraps left over after a meal, and refuse. In extrabiblical Greek it describes a half-eaten corpse and lumps of manure.

I have been so blessed to be married to Heather. She is such a blessing in my life. As we have went through the quarantine it slowed me way down and one of the things that I was reminded of is that the greatest thing about being married is literally the relationship I have with Heather. To make it to where we are as a married couple has taken hard work and time spent with her. To get to know her it has taken work on both of our parts. Whether RCC is a success or a failure, whether I live a long life or short life the key to marriage is a great relationship walking side by side each other. If this is true in marriage how much greater is being able to have an intimate relationship with the creator of the universe.

But the reality is we don’t think everything is dog poop compared to knowing God. As a matter of fact if we are honest with ourselves there are other things in our lives that are more important than our intimacy with Jesus.

What is more important for you than intimacy with Jesus? It could even be good things.

Job

Family

Fame

Fortune

What is keeping you from being able to say Philippians 3:8 honestly.

Paul knew why he was confident (9).

Philippians 3:9 NASB95

and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

THIS IS THE GOOD NEWS OF THE GOSPEL.

Key Words

Works Based Righteousness

Faith Based Righteousness

Story of Charles Blondin to explain faith

Since beginning a relationship with Jesus I have talked to tons a people and in the south a lot of these people grew up in church and what I have found is that a great number of people who think they are believers have never put their trust in Jesus. Today is a great day to begin that journey where you say I know longer trust in my self I trust in the saviour who loves me.

Could Contrasts be the key word now what is the best context

Ironic that Paul was a false teacher before he met Jesus.

Point 3

I was watching a show over quarantine and one of the guys who was a Muslim said, “Our Strength is our suffering.” They were willing and expected to suffer for their cause. W