What is Your Confidence Placed In?

Introduction

Over the last few months at FBC Salem we’ve been going through the book of Philippians and this Sunday we’re going to be in Philippians 3:1-11. As I was thinking about what to do tonight this passage was in my mind and on my heart as I’ve been reflecting on what it means to know Christ and the importance of sharing the Gospel of Christ with others this week in Guatemala. Many people claim to know Christ but they place their confidence in something other than Christ.

What are some things that people are tempted to place their confidence in during this life?

Good works

Money

Popularity

Security

As a human being we have a default setting to place our confidence in ourselves - in our actions, successes, achievements, and our past. It’s not bad to be good at something, but we all know that success comes and goes. Our circumstances change in life - one minute you’re on the top of the world and the next you’re at rock bottom - kind of like a roller coaster. Our world changes - people change, attitudes change, happiness changes. Whenever there is change we struggle to adjust. We want to satisfy our problem with things that make us happy. Whenever we try to satisfy ourselves with things we will never be satisfied… In fact, things usually leave us feeling more empty than before

Ecclesiastes 1:14 CSB

14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.

Solomon was the wisest and wealthiest man on earth and he walked away from wisdom, love, and wealth empty. This is similar to what we read in the life of Paul in the New Testament as he has all the right things, he had the right relationships and friendships, he said the right words and had the right job… Yet it wasn’t enough. We read in Paul’s life that Jesus changed him. He went from persecuting the church to planting the church. From hating Christ to following Christ. What changed? Jesus changed this man from the inside out. Tonight I want to read this text and examine where our confidence is placed as individuals as we end this week and look ahead to what God has in store in the days to come.

Philippians 3:1–11 CSB

1 In addition, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. To write to you again about this is no trouble for me and is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh— 4 although I have reasons for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; 6 regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. 7 But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. 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 as dung, so that I may gain Christ 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. 10 My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, 11 assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.

This passage has 2 sections: Before and After Christ - this is also true in our testimonies

Before Christ

We love to receive credit for our actions and our works as humans. Why do you think social media is as popular as it is? We like other people to think that we do good things and to praise us for the nice things that we do. The same temptation exists with Jesus. We want the credit - we want to add things to Jesus Christ.

Jesus plus anything equals nothing. If we think that we deserve our salvation then we don’t understand the depths of our sinfulness and the gravity of God’s graciousness.

Look at what Paul talks about in these verses about his confidence in the flesh - he talks about his track record and resume. If anyone had a reason to be confident in who they are and what they’ve done, it’s Paul!

Circumcised on the 8th day, an Israelite, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews - look at his past. In 2022 people would say that Paul was privileged because he was born to a home with parents who took seriously their responsibility as Jewish parents. He had all of this stuff going for him and he had reason to be confident and the reasons continue on: he was a Pharisee who was educated by one of the greatest teachers in all of Judaism, Gamileal. He was zealous for the law and proved this by persecuting the church. He kept all of the laws and was blameless before them. This isn’t saying that he was perfect - but think of the religious check list. When the doors of the church were open, Saul was there. When there was a Bible contest, Saul won. Whenever the law was looked at, Saul stood out. He did what he was supposed to do.

Now, at this point do you see how Paul could have confidence in his works and actions? He did all the right stuff and came from the right place. Yet, he would discover that his works and knowledge weren’t good enough. This is the understanding that we must get to in our lives as individuals and what we must share with others too… We simply aren’t good enough on our own, and that’s perfectly ok because we read that Christ Jesus died for sinners who aren’t good enough to save themselves. We all need Jesus, and this is what verses 7-11 share with us.

After Christ

Before Jesus, Paul looked at his trophy list - his list of achievements… The things that say “Hey, look at me!” But after being saved by Jesus, He now considers those trophies as loss because they’re worthless. They do nothing but collect dust - he doesn’t regret his past but he no longer finds his identity in his past… His identity is now in Christ - not in things.

Think of some things that you’ve placed your identity in. Maybe that was a relationship or activity. Maybe a team or a job. Paul had a past too… But now he vows to use his past to glorify Christ and point others to him rather than finding his identity in what he has done.

See, Paul’s previous works couldn’t be the basis of his righteousness or salvation because they weren’t good enough. He had the wrong knowledge. He had a mental knowledge but he didn’t have saving faith. Think about the difference between these two things. How many of you know some kind of obscure fact or stat?

Any Cardinal fans here? This might be before your time but the Cardinals just signed Albert Pujols and he was the best player on their team from 2001-2011. I can tell you just about anything you want to know about Albert Pujols. He led the NL in batting average in 2003 and he hit .359. He hit a career high 49 home runs in 2006. He won 3 MVPs and 2 World series titles. I know these things because Albert Pujols was my guy growing up. I loved watching him hit and he was the reason I wore #5 when I played baseball. I knew his stats and I still know some of them… But do I really know Albert Pujols? No. I know some random numbers and pieces of information but that doesn’t mean that I genuinely know the guy himself. Likewise, so many people in our world know some things about Jesus. They know the Christmas version of Jesus or the Easter story… They know that Jesus was a real guy and a wise teacher. They know that He died on a cross and maybe they even know that He performed miracles and healed people. But there’s a temptation to just know the stats about Jesus instead of actually knowing Jesus.

Whenever you stand before God one day, He’s not going to ask you how many home runs Albert Pujols hit and He’s also not going to ask you how many people Jesus fed and healed during His earthly ministry. Those stats are good to know, but they won’t save you. Paul shares that the only thing that can save - the only knowledge that truly matters - is knowing Jesus Christ “my” Lord! The only thing that truly matters isn’t my accomplishments or trophies… It’s faith in Jesus Christ. It’s His righteousness changing my life.

Our accomplishments, actions, and achievements cannot save ourselves from the punishment of our sins. The only thing that can do that is faith in Jesus Christ. Before you get to the good news of the Gospel, we all have to be brutally honest with ourselves about why we all need Jesus so badly. If we were just a little bit sick, we’d just need a doctor. If we were just a little confused, we’d just need a counselor. If we were just a little bit lost, we’d need a guide. But we find in Scripture that before Christ we were dead in our sins… So God sent a Savior to conquer our enemy and die in our place on the cross.

The great news of the Gospel is that we are saved from God’s punishment, by God’s Son, for God’s glory - not because of our own goodness but because of His graciousness! He credits His children with Christ’s perfect righteousness so that today you are adopted into His family and so that one day in the future you will be welcomed into glory with open arms because you are declared innocent because of the blood of Jesus. This is the best news of all!

At this point we have to reflect and ask ourselves if we have genuine faith in Jesus?

If you have been saved by Christ - which I pray we all have been - then we have to transition and ask ourselves where our confidence is today? Is my confidence in my ability to talk with someone tomorrow about the Gospel? Is it in my ability to build? Is it in my ability to do something or is it in God’s power to do that thing through me?

Paul’s goal in life was to know Christ more and to grow to be more like Jesus through suffering.

There are people this week that we’re ministering to who 1. don’t know Jesus and 2. think that they’re fine as they are. We have one more opportunity tomorrow morning to share with them our desperate need for Jesus! As we think about going back home, we have many people in our lives who place their confidence in their own ability rather than trusting fully in Christ. Our responsibility is to place our confidence in Christ and to proclaim the Gospel to others and to be honest about our sinfulness and God’s holiness.