“NOTHING ELSE MATTERS” Philippians 3:1-11
FBCF – 5/18/25
Jon Daniels
INTRO – Put you on the spot: How many of you make Scripture memory a regular part of your spiritual practice? Discipline of scripture memory so important. Psalm 119:11 – “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Major weapon against Satan & sinful temptations.
Ephesians 6:17 – “…take the helmet of salvation & the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
- Gk word for “sword” – machaira – dagger type sword – double-edged – used in close hand-to-hand combat
- Gk word for “word” – rhema – not logos (written word) – rhema is a specific saying or a specific word for an immediate specific need
I learned importance of memorizing verses of Scripture to be used as that dagger when the enemy attacks & I need a specific word right then. Learned that sometimes, memorizing just a piece of a verse of Scripture is important & can be used when temptation hits or life throws a major curveball. Some of the “daggers” I’ve memorized:
- Psalm 56:9 – “This I know, that God is for me.”
- Psalm 77:14 – “You are the God who works wonders.”
- Psalm 145:21 – “I will always praise the Lord.”
- Hebrews 12:2 – “Fix your eyes on Jesus.”
One dagger that has proven immensely helpful during the trials & temptations of life is Colossians 3:11 in the NLT – “Christ is all that matters.” That singular statement truly sums up the foundation of our lives as Christ-followers! Say it w/ me – “Christ is all that matters!”
- When you’re on a mission trip or going to serve fulltime as a missionary, (SAY IT!) Christ is all that matters!
- When you’re trying to navigate the swirling waters of parenting…
- When you are trying to be the husband or wife you are called by God to be…
- When you’re faced w/ a temptation to sin…
- When you’re trying to determine how to spend your money…
- When you’re faced w/ a career or business decision…
- When you are worshiping Jesus in a church worship service…
And that’s what Paul was saying in our Scripture passage today.
EXPLANATION – Philippians 3:1-11
Remember that Philippians is the NT book of JOY. Verse 1 contains 1 of the 16 references to “joy” in this letter when it says, “Finally, brothers, rejoice in the Lord.” Paul is winding this short letter down w/ an exhortation to remember that rejoicing in the Lord should be a dominant theme in the life of a Christ-follower. And the only way to keep rejoicing in the Lord is to remember that no matter what our circumstances are, Christ is truly all that matters, & our relationship w/ Him will provide us w/ sustaining joy.
APPLICATION – Truly, nothing else matters except Jesus Christ!
DON’T FOCUS ON FALSE TEACHINGS – v. 2
Lot of false teaching out there in our world. Paul was dealing with a group called the Judaizers who taught that the Gospel is Jesus PLUS conforming to the OT Mosaic laws. They taught that a Gentile had to become a Jewish proselyte first, & then they could come to Christ. It was a GRACE PLUS WORKS salvation.
- Had a longtime friend of mine try to propose the false teaching to my Big DOGS group that salvation is NOT by GRACE alone through FAITH alone in CHRIST alone, but that good works are also necessary in order for a person to be saved.
- Had to remind him & the rest of the guys in the group that it IS by GRACE we are saved THROUGH FAITH, & this is NOT from ourselves, it is the GIFT of God, NOT BY WORKS, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
- If we are NOT saved by FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE, then you may as well have walked up to Jesus as He was hanging on the cross pouring out His blood for us & said, “Good try, Jesus, but that’s not enough. I will take it from here!”
Paul called these false teachers “dogs.” For many of us who are dog lovers, that doesn’t seem too bad. But we aren’t talking about a cute little Yorkie or a gentle Golden Retriever or your best duck dog. In the ancient world, it was a strong term of derision & insult that the Jews used to refer to the Gentiles. Paul hit them hard when he turned that derogatory term back on their heads & basically said, “You folks are some flea-bitten, nasty, stinking, stupid, evil people!” Don’t focus on these & other false teachings!
DON’T FOCUS ON YOUR OWN ACCOMPLISHMENTS – v. 4-6
If the “dogs” wanted to focus on the importance of “Jewishness”, Paul could have put them to shame. When it came to the things of the flesh & the system that was in place before the coming of Jesus & the giving of the Holy Spirit, Paul had perfect credentials.
- “circumcised on the 8th day” just like OT Law required
- “Hebrew of Hebrews” – His Jewish ancestry & that he was a Pharisee, the strictest Jewish group
- His “zeal” led him to persecute the very people that he became – Christ-followers in the Church.
- “blameless” in following the Law
What about you & me? When it comes to our salvation, do we focus on our spiritual scorecards, thinking that our religious activities will somehow cause God to give us a gold star, or put us on the spiritual honor roll, or give us an A on our report card? Do we subtly or even purposefully believe that our good deeds & accomplishments will somehow earn us a place in heaven?
- All of us have had to try out for something: a sports team, cheerleading squad, band or school choir, a new job. Then someone who is the judge (might be coach or boss) will tell you that you are either in or out based on your skills, performance, & accomplishments.
- Many people view salvation like that. We “try out” for God, then HOPE to hear Him say, “You’re in”, based on our religious skills, spiritual performance, or good works accomplishments.
That will never happen b/c that’s not what salvation is all about. Instead of focusing on your accomplishments…
DO FOCUS ON KNOWING JESUS CHRIST BECAUSE HE IS ALL THAT MATTERS – v. 7-11
Paul makes it clear that salvation is all about knowing Jesus. Everything else is a loss. Everything else is “rubbish” (v. 8) – garbage – Gk – skubalon – only time in NT. Means “dung” – that stuff you step in out in the pasture! BF&M: “Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man & is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer.”
We are justified through knowing Christ – v. 9 – When you come to know Jesus – when you are “in Him,” you are MADE righteous through FAITH ALONE in Christ ALONE. You are justified – declared, “Not guilty” b/c, as 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
We are sanctified through knowing Christ – v. 10 – Sanctification is the process whereby we as Christ-followers become progressively more like Jesus. Do you hear the “process words” in v. 10?
- “that I may know Him” – That’s an everyday process. Colossians 1:10 – “growing in the knowledge of God.”
- “that I may share in His sufferings” – Our hardships & difficulties in this life make us more & more like Jesus who suffered for us.
- “becoming like Him in His death” – Jesus told us to “take up our cross & follow Him” (Matthew 16:24).
This is why Paul says in v. 14 to “press on…” Don’t ever stop! It’s the joy of our lifelong pursuit of Him!
We will be glorified by knowing Christ – v. 11 – Glorification when we will be completely & eternally free from sin in every way, & it will happen when we are finally in the presence of Jesus forever! That won’t happen b/c of your good works or accomplishments. It only happens for those who truly know Christ. We are the ones who will die physically but will be resurrected from the dead to face the joy of our Savior & be welcomed into heaven! Those who don’t know Christ will be resurrected to face the Judge of their sins & be sentenced to hell.
CONCLUSION – So what about you? Is knowing Christ truly all that matters to you?
