Philippians 3:1-7 (Summer Series 6)-Rev. Mark C. Wagner
Intro: Today we begin a chapter that opens a window deep into the heart of the apostle. In one of the most autobiographical sections in Scripture, we discover the glowing secret of the mighty ministry of this man. If you're here to learn how to worship more effectively, listen closely.
1. Joy is the distinctive sign of our victorious faith.
- We react to troubles with continuous rejoicing.
- Whatever comes we know he is adequate to meet it in and through us.
App: As remarkable as these assertions are, they are not new. This is the experience of the believer in any age. Sometimes, even though we are the teachers, we need to go back over the basics, the first principles of the Gospel.
2. Evil lurks nearby in the menace of external religiosity.
- Paul calls out his adversaries: dogs, evil-doers, mutilators.
- The Judaizers continually hounded him, trying to upset the Christians.
- An apparent show of devotion makes faith an empty, barren mockery.
App: Paul contrasts this with what we may call the measure of true devotion. Judaizers of any age glory in their activity and their zeal. But we glory in Christ Jesus and nothing else.
3. Confidence proceeds out of losing everything for Christ.
- Paul's lesson in life exposed his self-reliance: ancestry, orthodoxy, activity and morality.
- From all in which he might boast, Paul selects his weaknesses.
Conclusion: Paul teaches a truth that is repeated over and over in Scripture: whatever we count as gain must be counted as loss for Christ. When Paul stepped out of himself, he stepped into the fullness of Christ and a blessed new reality emerged.
"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ."
