Forgetting, Focusing And Fixing

Oftentimes a crisis, like COVID-19, directs a person’s thoughts, words and actions, rather than Christ.

Today I will try to share what Scripture teaches about how we can order our mindset which will impact our mood and direct our movements.

In your Bible, the book of Philippians is a thank-you letter for a gift that the Apostle Paul received from the church at Philippi…it is the most personal letter Paul wrote to a church.

Like any other church, there were problems in the Philippian church which had the potential of destroying their unity and joy and Paul’s dealing with these problems are somewhat obscured by his gentle tone.

* There was selfish ambition and pride. People were looking out for “No. #1” rather than esteeming their brother or sister as better. (2:3-4; 4:2).

* There was the teaching of the Judaizers, who put more confidence in their religious trappings than Christ (3:1-3).

* There were those who thought they had arrived into spiritual perfection (3:12-14)

* There who were teaching that “because of grace, you could live anyway you wanted’. (3:18-19).

Today we have a similar set of problems that have the potential to destroy Christian unity and rob us of our joy.

In chapter three of this letter, Paul begins to attack these false teachers and their doctrines. In verse two he writes:

(Phil 3:2 NASB) Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision;

The expression, "Beware of the dogs" is used by Paul to refer to the false teachers who professed to believe in Christ, but depended upon keeping rituals for their salvation. They insisted that others do the same or they would not be saved. Paul refers to these Judaizers as those who were of the false circumcision.

In Philippians 3:3, Paul says that true believers are the true circumcision—not those who have gone through the ritual of being physically circumcised, but those who realize that the flesh profits nothing.

He goes on to give three characteristics of those who are of the true circumcision:

They worship God in the Spirit. Their worship wasn’t merely a ceremony. Their worship wasn’t for form and fashion and void of God. Their worship wasn’t merely emotional, soulish and fleshly.

They rejoice in Christ Jesus. Members of the true circumcision gloried in Christ Jesus.” They did not pride themselves in their personal attainment, ethnicity, or religious traditions. Jesus alone was the basis for their boasting.

They have no confidence in the flesh. The true circumcision didn’t boast in their natural abilities and accomplishments, because when it came to attaining a relationship with God, a Christian really comes to the Lord empty-handed.

In order to refute the doctrine circulated by the false teachers and bring the Philippian believers back to standing fast in the Lord, Paul teaches them to:

(1) Forget about their past,

(2) Focus on their present and

(3) Fix their eyes on the future.

These same truths and principles will help us today. So let’s quickly look at them.

1.) Forget About The Past

One particular teaching that was spreading like wildfire through the Philippian church was that the believer ought to take pride in his or her abilities and accomplishments.

If there was anyone who would have reason to glory in his natural abilities and accomplishments, it was the Apostle Paul. In Philippians 3:4-6 Paul listed his spiritual resume of qualifications.

Today, in order to be successful in the job market one must sell himself and one of the best ways to do this is with a resume. A good resume lists a person’s strengths, skill sets and career accomplishments.

The Judaizers were teaching that in order to be right with God…one must have faith in Jesus Christ, and a good “religious resume”.

In view of this, Paul was saying in Philippians 3:4, “If confidence in the flesh is the means by which God accepts us, I can boast about my accomplishments, in fact, I can boast more than you all! Just check out my resume!”

Now Paul wasn’t bragging here, he wasn’t being arrogant. He was just stating the facts. In verses 5 and 6, Paul shows off his resume. But then listen to what he says in verse seven:

(Phil 3:7 NKJV) But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.

Paul is using accounting terminology here.

* Before his encounter with Christ Paul added up all his natural assets and accomplishments. He summed up all of his pedigree, all of his orthodoxy, all of his activities and all of his morality; these he considers as assets—“money in the bank!”

* But after his Damascus Road encounter with Jesus Christ, Paul compared all of his assets to all that Christ is and discovered that he had a negative balance—a loss and rubbish!