Now That I Am Saved

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021 STUDY NOTES PHILIPPIANS 3:7-8 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES NOW THAT I AM SAVED INTRODUCTION In verses 4-6, Paul spoke of his life before he was saved, he was known as Saul Saul was a persecutor of the church and the followers of Christ In Acts 9:1-18 we read of the conversion of Saul, he met Jesus and was saved His question to Jesus was, “Lord, what will you have me to do?” (Acts 9:6) His life was completely changed that day, from that day forward he lived for Christ He was called by two names, Saul was his Jewish name, Paul was his Gentile name He may have received both names at birth, but Paul identifies with his Gentile ministry What was his decision when he met Jesus? He accepted Jesus as his Savior and Lord He committed his life to live daily for Christ He became a witness for Christ and ministered to others in the name of Jesus He wanted to learn more about Christ every day as he served and ministered In Philippians 3:7-11, Paul shares his testimony, telling us, “I am now saved” Php 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. “BUT” marks the contrast between Paul’s before and after salvation experience of life Identifying the difference between his life in the flesh and his life in Christ What things refers to what he told us in verses 4-6 The things of the flesh, the things of human ability, the things Saul trusted in for salvation The things he thought were pleasing to God and trusted in for a right relationship with God Like so many today, he believed that God would accept a works righteousness Saul was satisfied with his life as he compared it with other religious workers Many today are guilty of comparing their life with someone who goes to church They pick out the ones they want to compare with, Satan helps them make their choice The one they compare with is not the Christian who is living daily for Christ They look at the one who is lost, or they look at the carnal Christian (1 Corinthians 2:14; 3:1-3) Saul was a very religious person, but he was not right with God, he was not saved Saul considered his religious life to be a profitable life, he said, what things were gain to me The word “gain” is written in the plural, he considered all-of the deeds of his life as assets He considered his life to be of great value until he met Jesus on the Damascus Road Then those things all became worthless, of no spiritual value, of no eternal advantage Those I counted loss for Christ, the testimony of his life completely changed The very moment that Paul was saved he begin to think different, he said, “I counted” “I counted” means to add it all up and come to a value, to think about it and come-to a conclusion When he came face to face with Jesus, he faced up to his life, he gave serious thought to his life He thought about his life in the past and summed it up with one word, “loss” Paul put it all together in one package and tagged it “loss,” a life-long loss and no eternal gain He made an eternal decision, his life would now be “for Christ,” his testimony now was, Php 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Page 1 of 5 His life was no longer a religious life, he now lived a Christian life, Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Paul gave his past life to Jesus, accepted Christ for his present life, he trusted the future to Christ His life was still in the flesh, but he was now a new creation, 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. A true salvation experience will immediately become a life changing experience Christ becomes first, Christ is everything, it is all with Christ, through Christ, and for Christ There is nothing more important in your daily life than living for Christ, which Paul is telling us Which is very difficult to do in the world we live in today because of too many other things to do Satan presents many other “things” as life today, too many other opportunities to be involved in It was difficult in Paul’s day, he warned Timothy and told him what to expect, 2Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. We are witnessing the increase of sin and evil day by day in America, we live in a sin sick society Paul said it is going to get “worse and worse,” the news of today verifies what Paul said The time will come when evil will be worse than what we have already heard of or witnessed Paul also told us why it is going to get worse, because of “evil men,” evil men are wicked men Paul tells us why men are evil and wicked, because they are not men of faith, 2Th 3:2 And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. “Unreasonable” has the meaning of being out of place, being of a wrong mind Because they were not of a right mind, they were “wicked men” (same word as “evil”) There is a world of people in our world today that “have not faith” Not everyone loves the Lord, not everyone wants to learn the Bible Not everyone wants to be taught the Bible in-order to live according to the Word of the Lord Not everyone wants to listen to you talk about God, the Bible, or church That is why we must do what Paul told Timothy to do, 2Ti 3:14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; Paul told Timothy to continue, actually it was a command, Timothy “you must” continue Timothy, you are on the right path of life, stay there, it is the only way to live There are many roads of life that go in the wrong direction today and they are easy to travel Too many people are going the wrong way and they have plenty of company Pay attention to the signs that say, “Do not enter,” follow the sign that says, “one way,” Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Timothy had been taught the way of Jesus, 2Ti 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Throughout his time of growing up he was being taught the Scriptures Timothy had a strong conviction to live his daily life by, a solid spiritual foundation to stand on Scripture is the answer to sin and evil, 2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: You can use God’s Word for every step of life, it can be used for “doctrine” The word means “teaching” or instructing, the Bible is the authority when it comes to teaching In the early days of America, the Bible was used to teach the children and educate them Today the Bible is not allowed in public schools and the youth are well educated in worldly ways Today’s computer can give you answers and teach you things concerning a worldly way of life God’s Word is still the only useful way to teach someone how to live a victorious spiritual life Doctrine is the Word of God teaching what is “right,” the right way to live The Word of God can also be used for “reproof,” which is a conviction of what is wrong Page 2 of 5 Our world today tries to correct the problems of life without identifying the problem Today they are researching genetics in an-attempt to discover the source of evil They are trying to determine if evil is a sickness, a disease, or a maladjustment People sin because of the sin-nature, salvation is the only adjustment for the sin-nature Scripture describes the sin nature as a blinded intellect, a reprobate mind, a blinded heart, a seared conscience, and a defiled emotion What else can you expect from a sin nature other than sinful and evil acts, even violent acts Evil acts that will increase and intensify under the continual influence of Satan’s ways The answer is God’s Word being used to teach what is right and to teach what is wrong The Word of God must also be used for “correction,” which means to set something straight The Word of God restores, makes right, sets straight, there is no better way to improve a life The Word of God can be used to teach what’s right and to teach what’s wrong The Word of God will teach you how to make the wrong right and how to stay right Paul has one more point concerning the Word of God, it “instructs in righteousness” The word translated “instruction” means the bringing up and training of a child Scripture includes everything necessary for the spiritual growth and maturity of our life After your life has been made right, Scripture will teach you how to stay right God has a purpose for our life, 2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. A “man of God” is the Christian who studies the Word of God, the one who learns it and lives it When God’s Word controls your life, you are then “perfect and thoroughly furnished” Perfect does not mean sinless, it simply means being what we are supposed to be Completely qualified to do what we are supposed to do as a Christian, the life we are to live Perfect means being able to fulfill our purpose in life and having the confidence to do God’s will Learning the Word of God gives us the assurance of being a Christian and living as a Christian The Word of God equips us to do “good works,” which is the purpose of the Christian life, Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. The advertising world promotes sin and evil, government is seeking to control sin and evil One example is “Gun Control,” but it is the sinful mind that must be controlled The answer to violence is not going to come from any law passed by our government Satan is filling minds with evil through video games, TV shows, movies, internet, and cell phones Even if our government stopped all-of the above, no more videos, movies, or internet It would not stop sin and evil, evil is going to grow worse and worse (2 Timothy 3:13) God has an answer, but He is not depending upon government regulations to prevent evil His answer must come through Godly Christians, Godly parents, Godly Church Families This world is not going to be a better place to live until Jesus comes back But until Jesus comes back, we can live better in this world, life with Jesus is the best way of life Every Christian has a responsibility, learn the Word of God, and live the Word of God Talk the Word of God with others, teach others the Word of God Paul is telling us that he made his decision for Christ, and nothing would change his mind Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, “Yea doubtless” makes a very strong point, yes indeed, no question about it Paul wants us to fully understand what he just said and what he now tells us Page 3 of 5 Again, he says, “I count,” just as in verse 7, but now adds “all things” Not just the things he had just mentioned in verses 5 and 6, but anything and everything else Anything that would conflict with Christ being first in his life would be counted as “loss” Consider what Paul said, what hinders the spirituality of many Christians today? Is it financial gain, material gain, worldly fame, personal popularity, social status? Putting Christ first does not mean that you will lose those things, which is explained in, Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Meaning everything you really need for life) Nothing would come between Paul and Christ because without Christ in your life there is no life Christ is greater than anything and everything else, Christ surpasses all things Which Paul stated when he said, for the “excellency,” which means there is none better “Excellency” is a strong statement, meaning superior over all others, better than any other No one or anything surpasses the superiority of Christ, “of the knowledge of Christ” Paul is not referring to a head knowledge about Jesus, but to a personal relationship with Jesus Which is explained when Paul says, “Christ Jesus my Lord” Paul wanted us to be sure we understood who he was referring to, he plainly identifies Him He is “Christ,” Christ is His official title, His Divine title, Christ is “Who He Is” The Greek word “Christ” has the same meaning as the Hebrew word “Messiah” As a title they both mean “the Anointed One,” which the Jews questioned Their question was, “is Jesus the Christ,” is He the Anointed One, is he the promised Messiah? The heart of Paul’s preaching was to prove that Jesus was the Christ “JESUS” is His human name, the name means “the Lord is salvation” The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said unto him, Mat 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. Mat 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. The Christian faith stands upon the truth that Jesus is “Lord” After the resurrection of Jesus, the title “LORD” became significant The full meaning of the title became real, it was real to Paul when he said, “my Lord” That is why all that Paul is telling us is true and so meaningful to Paul He is telling us, Jesus is “my Lord,” and nothing is going to change that Paul’s life backed up his testimony, FOR WHOM I HAVE SUFFERED THE LOSS OF ALL THINGS Paul used a business term which identified with operating in the red, going bankrupt According to worldly values the Christian is going to go bankrupt if they give up worldly assets According to Paul the only profitable earthly business is spiritual business Paul used that word “count” one more time, and he made a very strong point The Greek word translated “Dung” is found only here in NT, Paul searched for the right word It means waste, all that was considered worthless, that which is thrown away, useless material Like garbage, refuse, rubbish, that which is thrown to the dogs Paul is using the strongest term he could find to express how little he valued everything in life in comparison with life in Christ He is really not making a comparison, he is showing us that there is no comparison Do we need to take a spiritual inventory? How much waste material is there in our life today?? How much needs to be thrown out?? How much of our life is useless, harmful, contaminating? We need to check our spiritual life for the same reason Paul did, THAT I MAY WIN CHRIST Page 4 of 5 “Win” is the same Greek word translated “gain” in verse 7, Christ is the way you win “WIN” is a popular word today, people like that word, they like to hear “You win” You will never win without Christ, you will never win with Satan and sin In the next few verses Paul is going to explain how you win with Christ Paul is going to explain to us “perfection” He will tell us about living in the daily grace and peace of God He will tell us about living in daily spiritual power Along with assurance--perseverance--victory over circumstances--joy—a personal testimony Eternal heavenly rewards, which we can compare with Paul’s words in, Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. Page 5 of 5