Introduction
I. I personally was not, but I have certainly heard the zeal of some that have been; born in a Christian “home” that is.
A. I must believe that it would be a great benefit to have a strong Christian heritage.
1. I was once in a prayer group with a pastor, whose ancestry included a direct line to Jonathan Edwards
a. I must admit that he took no great solice in the fact however
b. He lamented at times that his ministry was no place near as worthy as the reformation preacher he descended from.
c. I believe he might well have felt better about the ministry God had given him, had he come from a less austaire pedigree.
B. Or, would, he would have been much better off to focus on what was really important, rather than questioning what he did not have.
II. For some of us, we know about this thing we call the Christian life.
A. We go to a “good” church
B. We’ve been baptized,
C. We attend church regularly
D. We know all the right answers.
E. We know what a “good” Christian looks like, what a nominal Christian looks like, and we might even believe we know what a non-Christian looks like.
F. We believe we know what being a Christian is supposed to look like, and we may even be saved and on our way to eternity with God.
III. But the important question is, “Do we really KNOW Christ?”
IV. Listen to what Paul writes in Philippians, chapter 3, verses 1-7
A. 3:1 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. 2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3 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, 4 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: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. 7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
V. I will admit that there may be some exceptions, BUT, I really do believe that most people want to please God.
A. I believe that when the last day finally comes, and every knee bows and every tongue makes the confession that Jesus is Lord it will not only because they finally realize the truth, but there will even be a sincere desire to please the Lord.
B. In Paul’s statement, he is not only saying, “I was born as close to pleasing God as any human could be”, he is also saying, “I made a conscious, willing decision to do everything in my power to please God.”
1. I was a Pharisee, because they followed all the law of God.
2. I persecuted the church, because the church was not committed to God.
3. As far as humanly possible, I PLEASED THE LORD,
C. But then one day, Christ finally broke through my God pleasing heart, and I found that all my human effort was in vain.
VI. None of us today would use the words that Paul used to speak of our attempts at pleasing God.
A. But we might say,
1. My parents, or grand-parents, even from my distant ancestors were Christians; I was born following God.
2. I was not only baptized, I was dedicated the first Sunday after I was born.
3. I was not only baptized, I was baptized by some great pastor, or in some great church.
4. I never miss a Sunday of church, even when I’m on vacation I find someplace to go WORSHIP God.
5. I go to Sunday School, I pray, I even fast.
6. I know I am going to heaven because.
B. And what we need to do more than anything else is echo the words of Paul, “But I count all that to be a loss in view of what is really important.”
C. None of my efforts, none of what makes me proud is worth one thing compared to “Knowing Christ.”
Knowing Christ
I. Of those first seven verses, for me verse 7 speaks the loudest.
A. “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.“
B. For the early part of his life, Paul had been a pursuer of God.
C. He had attained a high degree of distinction in life, he was “somebody.”
1. Somebody to be listened to,
2. Somebody to be respected,
3. Even somebody to be feared
D. And for many, that would be the ultimate of life,
II. But Paul says, “I finally realized that whatever was gain, was really a great loss compared to knowing Christ.”
A. Paul had everything that his profession offered and yet he counted it as a loss, but he doesn’t stop with saying that his past was a waste of time, he is also speaking about things in the future.
B. Verse 8 says, “more than the past, I count ALL THINGS A LOSS OR WASTE.”
III. We must understand, when he says compared to “KNOWING” Christ, he is not simply speaking of a head knowledge.
A. You can know things about Christ;
B. You may even be “saved.”
1. But the real fun, the real excitement is knowing Christ as in relationship, and resting in the fact that eternity does not rest in your hands, but His.
IV. That is the intent of verse 9, “righteousness not found in the law, but rather found in faith in Christ Jesus.”
V. I have a great concern for those that while claiming salvation through faith in Christ, also claim that they have perform some action in order to maintain their relationship with Christ.
A. My first question is, “On what are you depending on God being satisfied with you.”
1. For some in the early church it was circumcision, which was another word for keeping the law.
2. For some of us, it may well be some of those items I related earlier,
a. Baptism
b. The right church
c. The right activities
d. The right whatever.
B. If maintaining a relationship with God is dependent on me, I would never be quite sure, regardless of how good I was.
C. But if maintaining a relationship with God is dependent of my simple faith in the Son of God, then I can have peace.
VI. Second Paul wants to know the power of the resurrection.
A. In salvation we receive the Holy Spirit, which enables us to live in a new life; but we ask HOW.
B. But listen to the words of Colossians 3:23 - “1If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”
C. Keep your focus on Christ.
1. Don’t get lost in what makes you feel great in this world.
2. Don’t get lost in your pursuit of holiness and righteousness through your own power.
D. Colossians is written as a completed fact.
1. You have been raised,
2. You have been seated with Christ
3. Salvation is yours through faith,
E. What is really important is not the power as we perceive it in this world, but the power of a growing relationship with Christ.
VII. Third, Paul wants to know the “fellowship of suffering and conformity to Christ’s death.”
VIII. I believe what Paul is saying here is that he wants to grow in concern for others.
A. Righteousness based on keeping of the law and doing the right things is self focused.
1. I have to do this,
2. I have done that.
3. I believe I will get to heaven because my good outweighs my bad.
B. We might even be willing to do some “suffering” if it helps our cause.
IX. Christ did not die for his own sake, He died for ours.
A. The example of his death was concern for our welfare, and our eternity.
B. The sufferings of Christ was purely other’s focused.
X. I was very encouraged this past week by a couple of things,
A. My son, Ronnie has only been in this church a couple of times,
1. But someone from this body took the time to write him a get well card; that is other’s focused.
2. Someone else took the time to e-mail me and ask about his condition; that is other’s focused.
3. I know of at least a couple of other cards of encouragement and thanks that went out this week; that is others focused.
B. A young couple was in our church this week, making fliers to put in the neighborhood, and calling local schools about putting up some notices about the Café; that is other’s focused.
C. Wednesday evening a few of us met, to pray; that is others focused.
XI. What is really important, is not my own goodness
A. That is really important is knowing Christ,
B. Resting in the assurance of faith
C. Growing in the power afforded by the Holy Spirit,
D. And uniting with Christ in an outward, others focus.
Realizing There Is Work Yet To Do
I. The Philadelphia Eagles play football this afternoon.
A. If you follow football, you know that they have not done very well so far.
B. I was reading Friday’s paper, and I read,
1. “We can’t think about what is in the past.”
2. “We just have to concentrate on what is ahead.”
C. Translation;
1. “We can’t change yesterday.”
2. “There is still work to do today.”
II. That is the picture Paul is painting here.
A. I can’t live in what I was before I came to Christ; good or bad.
B. I can’t even live in what I have been after coming to Christ.
C. There is still plenty of work to do today, and I am in the race.
III. See that phrase, “I press on” in verse 12.
A. That word means “Run”, as in running a race.
B. The translators used “I press on” again in verse 14, only there it means, “stretch out.”
1. The picture of a relay race; both runners running hard; one stretching his arm as far forward as possible to lay the baton in the lead runners hand, who himself is running as hard as he can to reach the finish line.
a. It doesn’t matter how much of a lead there is, there is a race yet to be run.
b. It doesn’t matter how far behind they may be, there is always a chance to catch up.
IV. For Paul, what he did in the past didn’t really matter,
A. What mattered was knowing Christ; walking in communion with Christ; living in the power of the resurrection, and caring about the same things that Christ cared about.
B. But I am not there yet.
V. Some of us have gotten stuck in our relationship with Christ.
A. At some point in our past we came to faith in Jesus Christ, and then we stalled out.
1. The passage I read earlier from Revelation states that the elders and the four living creatures around the throne of Christ, “sang a new song.”
a. The realized something that was new for them about Christ.
b. Can you imagine that?
(1) They are in the very presence of Christ, and yet they learned something new.
(2) They sang a new song.
VI. Some of us have gotten stuck in singing the same old song.
A. We have forgotten that there is still work to do.
VII. Don’t allow your past to hinder your walk with Christ today.
VIII. But also, don’t become content with where you are now.
IX. What is important is to realize, there is still work to do.
Going In Unity
I. Part of the selfless attitude of union with Christ is realizing that not everyone is experientially at the same place at the same time.
II. Paul has just stated that even he has not attained to the perfect of Christ yet, but in verse 15 he states, “as many as are perfect.”
A. Where is the truth then.
B. The truth is those in Christ are postionally perfect.
1. Remember that completed fact.
a. We have already been resurrected.
b. We have already been seated with Christ.
2. We have been declared perfect, based on faith in Christ, BUT
III. What is important is our continuing work of knowing Christ.
IV. What is really important is that we realize we are still a work in progress,
V. And what is really, really important is that we not allow differences in the body to disrupt unity with one another and with Christ.
VI. Paul is closing with,
A. Realize that not every person in the body is going to be at the same place in their spiritual maturity.”
B. Realize that not everyone is going to agree on every point of fact, even with Paul.
C. Don’t allow disagreements over minor points become cause for disharmony in the body.
VII. Every person has been placed in the body, just as He desired, and every person is important to the accomplishment of the good works that God had prepared beforehand
