The Discovery Of A New Set Of Values

THE DISCOVERY OF A NEW SET OF VALUES Philippians 3:1-11

Proposition: The discovery of a new set of values takes place when one trust Christ as one’s Savior and commits one’s life totally to Christ.

Objective: My purpose is to challenge all to trust Christ completely in discovering a new set of values and living for Him.

INTRODUCTION:

Illus: J. Paul Getty was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, into a family already in the petroleum business, he was one of the first people in the world with a fortune of over $1 billion U.S. dollars. He was an avid collector of art and antiquities. In his book, How to be Rich, he said: "To be truly rich, regardless of his fortune or lack of it, a man must live by his own values." "Each individual has to establish his own standards of values, and ...these are largely subjective. They are based on what the individual considers most important to him and what he is willing to give for a certain thing or in order to achieve a certain aim." “If those values are not personally meaningful, then no amount of money gained can hide the emptiness of a life without them….It has always been my contention that an individual who can be relied upon to be himself and to be honest unto himself can be relied upon in every other way. He places value — not a price — on himself and his principles. And that, in the final analysis, is the measure of anyone’s sense of values — and of the true worth of any man." Values are those things or people that what really matters to you & has true worth to you in your life. It speaks of worth, what people highly think of, esteemed & importance. Some put value on things, money, and people while some put value on Christ & serving Him in His kingdom. What do you value most? What are you willing to pay for it?

Paul remembers the experiences of his life & what he values most. Paul was raised in a home that put much value on their Jewishness & was proud of it. Some of the things that were important were: the rituals like circumcision, race that mag-nified Jewish heritage, outstanding in their religion, following strict rules of the Phar-isees & he had a reputation that were above reproach. However, he learns what really matters in life. He has experienced the living Christ & it has turned his life upside down. I am sure that his family & friends felt he had gone off the deep end, but he found the true happiness that Jesus spoke about when He said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you… Rejoice & be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Paul says something like this in our text: “I valued what my parents gave me and what I attained thorough my own efforts. I then discovered true values in Jesus Christ. All this brought me real joy.”

I. THE APPROACH: Caution (vvs. 1-3) “Rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh”— One day, Saul of Tarsus, the rabbi, met Jesus Christ, the Son of God and on that day Paul’s values were radically changed. Paul says, "Now that you know that I love you and am committed to you, and now that you understand the necessity of being united, finally I can tell you about what is of utmost importance. I want to talk to you about the surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ."

1. A word of apology (v. 1) “For me to write…is not tedious, but for you it is safe”— It seems the church at Philippi was disturbed by the Judaizers, those teachers who put much effort in being true to the law of Moses in keeping the 613 rules, and mix the observances of it with the doctrine of Christ and His institutions. He begins the chapter with warnings against these seducers. He exhorts them to rejoice in the Lord. The Christian can always find real joy in the Lord, no matter what his circumstances may be.

2. A word of admonition (v. 2) “Beware of”— They are to beware of dogs, of evil workers and of the mutilation. All three expressions probably refer to false teachers who sought to put Christians under the laws of Judaism and taught that righteousness could be obtained by law-keeping and ritual.

1). The character of the deceiver “Beware of dogs”-- In the Bible, dogs are unclean animals. They were scavenger dogs, not house pets that prowled without a home or owner. In eastern countries, dogs were homeless creatures, running wild in the streets and scrounging food as best they could. Here Paul turns the tables and applies the term to those Jewish false teachers who were seeking to corrupt the church.