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September 11, 2020, Friday, 4:11 PM
Manila, Philippines
CCF 4W'S Put Your Confidence In Christ!
WELCOME
In what ways do you find yourself boasting about your religious or spiritual "credentials"? Do you focus more on changing outward behavior rather than helping bring about true heart transformation through Christ as you relate to others? Why?
WORD
Philippians 3:1-11
Righteousness Through Faith in Christ
3 Finally, my brothers,[a] rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God[b] and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people 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 righteousness under the law,[c]blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Collecting things may give someone a sense of fulfillment or a sense of security. Over the past few weeks, we have seen people do this & go to the extreme by hoarding stuff they think they need. This gives them a sense of control, security & a feeling of confidence, sadly at the expense of other people. But where should we put our confidence when it comes to our earthly life? The apostle Paul gives us a timely reminder in
Philippians 4:19
19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Jesus should be the source of our confidence. More than our earthly needs, however, is a far greater need which will spell the difference between eternal joy & eternal regret.
Luke 12:15-21
15 And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 16 And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?'18 And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry."' 20 But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."
reminds us that our possessions do not define us, lest we be fools. Our greatest treasure is Jesus Himself! When we have him in our lives, we have everything we need! In Him, we have forgiveness, assurance of salvation, purpose in life, transformation in our lives & in our hearts; these are the things that really matter. So the more important question to ask is, where should we put our confidence when it comes to eternity? PUT YOUR CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST!
1. KILLJOY: SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS
As we will learn in Philippians 3, self-righteousness is a dangerous killjoy. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia defines self-righteousness as "a term that has come to designate moral living as a way of salvation or as a ground or as a ground for neglecting the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, "for as long as we are depending on what we do for our eternal salvation, we are being self-righteous. The apostle Paul reminded the church in Philippi to find their joy in Jesus & he also wanted to safeguard them against the trap of self-righteousness.
Philippians 3:1
Righteousness Through Faith in Christ
3 Finally, my brothers,[a] rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
Paul asked them to beware of the dogs, the evil workers & the false circumcision;
Philippians 3:2
2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.
these are the Judaizers, Jews who taught that faith in Jesus Christ is not sufficient for salvation. They taught that one has to be circumcised & one must follow Jewish law in order to be saved. They were teaching a false gospel thus calling God a liar. They were only interested in the superficial; outward compliance to the law & not life transformation. They put confidence in the flesh; in what they do; for salvation.
2. TRUE GOSPEL
Salvation is by faith alone, in Christ alone. In contrast to what the Judaizers were teaching, true circumcision is of the heart. We worship God in Spirit & in truth. Our glory is not in ourselves but in Christ, therefore we put no confidence in the flesh.
Philippians 3:
3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God[a] and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—
3. PAUL'S TESTIMONY
Paul was once totally convinced of his own self-righteousness & he recounts this in
Philippians 3:4-6
4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people 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 righteousness under the law,[a]blameless.
He was circumcised on the 8th day, according to original command in old testament. He was of the nation of Israel, not a convert from another race or religion. He was of the tribe of Benjamin, one of Jacob's favorite sons & where the first king of Israel came from. He was a Hebrew of Hewbrews, meaning both of his parents were Jews. He was a Pharisee, a revered religious leader of the Jewish people. He was a persecutor of the early Christians & he took it upon himself to get rid of the enemies of Judaism & he was blameless as he followed all the rulers & traditions of the Jewish system. How do we translate this today? Some of us have been raised in Christian families are involved in many ministries & do all the Christian "stuff". Though these are good, none of these credentials can bring us to heaven. That is why our confidence should be put in Christ alone. Jesus met Paul (then Saul) when he was on his way to Damascus & his life was never the same. Paul realized that he was spiritually bankrupt; no amount of self-righteousness could ever bring him to heaven, only faith in Jesus. In fact, he even considered himself as a chief sinner,
1 Timothy 1:15-16
15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
yet he found mercy. Paul now counted all his former "assets" as loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:7-8
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
Paul made the life changing decision to move from self-confidence to Christ confidence; from self-righteousness to Christ's righteousness!
Philippians 3:9
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
4. KNOW JESUS MORE & MORE
When we trust Jesus as Lord & Saviour; our bankrupt, empty spiritual account is suddenly filled with the righteousness of Jesus Himself! God the Father imputes to us the perfect righteousness of His Son! Knowing this, just like Paul, our lifelong goal should be to know Jesus!
Philippians 3:10-11
10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
The more we know Christ, the more we love Him & the more we love Him, the more we want to know Him & the more we know & love Him, the more we become like Him. So how can we apply what the apostle Paul said; to know Jesus more & more? In the triumphal entry of Jesus, a fulfillment of the prophecy by Zecharias, he came not to overthrow the Roman government as most were hoping, but to overhaul & transform people's lives. He was gentle & He came riding in a donkey.
Matthew 21:4-5
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 "Say to the daughter of Zion,
'Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt,[a] the foal of a beast of burden.'"
Not long affer the people shouted, "Hosanna, Hosanna" He was treated like a beast, an animal. This is how he bore the burden of our sins. He took our place on the cross. As we get to know Him more, we can become humble, selfless, a servant like Him. Why did Paul want to know the power of Jesus resurrection?
Philippians 3:10
10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
There is no power anywhere that can do that! Only the power of Jesus can transform people from the inside out. Becoming more like Jesus cannot happen simply thru our own effort, it takes supernatural power; the same power of the resurrection! Lastly, Paul wanted to know the fellowship of Jesus sufferings. No one wants to suffer, but suffering is part of life. We need to learn how to respond to this the way Jesus did.
1 Peter 2:23
23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
We need to learn to be like Jesus; entrusting Himself to God believing He is in control. In
Philippians 3:11
11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Paul was confident in his eternal salvation because of Jesus. He know that someday he would ultimately arrive in eternity with Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
We can look forward to the some thing if we put our confidence in Christ!
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. Have you put your confidence in Christ Jesus alone for eternity? Why?
Mia answer: Yes I have put my confidence in Christ Jesus; because I know that he will not forsake me
Kathy answer: I have put my confidence Christ Jesus because I know He would carry my burdens.
2. What steps will you take to know Jesus more each day?
Mia answer: I will spend more quiet time to know Jesus more each day
Kathy answer: I would read the Bible and have quiet devotion time with God, or even joining fellowship.
3. In what areas of your life do you need to become more like Christ? Share specific action
Mia answer: In my attitude of my life I need to become more like Christ; sometime I can't help but get pissed
Kathy answer: In my attitude of my life, I needed to become more like Christ as much as possible. But, I have short - tempered and get irritated easily. I even dropped my patience if I could not carry it anymore.
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