Thank you for stopping by and taking to time to watch, listen, or read this week’s message, Eyes on the Prize.
I hope you find encouragement in your faith in Jesus, and maybe even learn something new along the way 🙂
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Recap
At one point last week, we talked briefly about whether or not, as Christians, we should be vocal towards the wrongs of society. Should we be vocal about our political leanings or point out the shortcomings of others?
Later that day, I was told that someone mentioned how Paul was vocal in the communities in which he worked. Yes, he may have pointed out some wrongs, but his purpose to any of his teachings was the focus on Christ. He always encouraged his listeners to keep their eyes on the prize that was found in Christ.
We see this in every letter that he penned. His letters were saturated with the name of Jesus. The letter to the Philippians was no different. As we move into chapter three, he writes…
Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. (1)
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He writes this to remind the people of Philippi to…
1. Pay Attention to the Message of Christ
“It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again”
He was basically saying that he had already shared this information with them. In fact, they had probably have heard this message several times. Even so, he was going to say what he already said again and again and again. Why? To protect them from the thoughts that infiltrate the mind.
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When our mind is not fixed on Jesus, we tend to wander. This wandering can lead to sin and hardships. So, it is important to be reminded of the same things over and over again. That message we need to hear and to ponder continually is the message of Jesus Christ.
This message is so important because He is our everything.
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In his telling of the message of Jesus, Paul continues…
Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reasons for such confidence.
If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. (2-7)
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Paul’s message to the Philippians here was to remind them to…
2. Place NO Confidence in the Flesh
The Jews were focused on the physical act of circumcision for their salvation. It was the sign of the promise that the Messiah would come from Abraham’s lineage. However, Paul states, and rightly so, that the true circumcision was a circumcision of the heart.
The Jews could do the physical act of circumcision, but salvation was not a physical matter. It was a spiritual one, a matter of the heart. If salvation came through actions, then Paul had all the reason to boast. His pedigree included…
- Circumcised on the eighth day.
- Of the people of Israel.
- Of the tribe of Benjamin.
- A Hebrew of Hebrews.
- A Pharisee.
- Persecutor of the church.
- Faultless in the things of the law.
However, for Paul, whatever he did for the Jewish religion, he considered it a loss because of Christ. Why? He realized that salvation did not come from our goodness, our works. Instead, it comes from Christ.
Because of this, instead of placing confidence in the flesh, Paul encourages the Philippians to…
3. Place ALL Confidence in Christ Alone
What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. (8-11)
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Why did Paul consider all that he had accomplished in his life as loss, as garbage? Even though he did all the “right” things, he realized that he did not know Jesus. He went through the motions, did the things he thought he was supposed to do, but did not know Christ.
This is the position Jesus referred to in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7 when He said,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ – Matthew 7.21-23
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Instead of placing confidence in his works, Paul learned the importance of placing all of his confidence in Jesus alone.
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When we gain Christ, when we are found in Him, it happens through the righteousness that is found through faith in Jesus. We cannot gain righteousness from the law, from the things that we do. Righteousness “comes from God on the basis of faith.”
Paul’s desire was to know Christ.
- To know the power of His resurrection.
- To participate in His sufferings.
- To become like Him in His death.
- To attain resurrection from the dead.
All this is possible by the grace of God through faith in Jesus alone. We cannot earn this salvation. We cannot work toward this salvation. There is nothing we can do to boast about our salvation. Our only boast is Jesus.
As Paul proclaimed his confidence in Jesus, he challenges the Philippians to…
4. Press On Toward the Goal Found in Christ
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (12-14)
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Paul understood his place in his relationship with Jesus. He knew that all his acts of righteousness were meaningless in his search for salvation. He knew that salvation was only through faith in Jesus.
Even though he knew this, he also knew that he had not obtained the life that God desired. Though he had arrived at his goal, he purposed to “press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of” him. To do this, he stopped relying on his past works and chose to focus on what was ahead. He focused on the prize for which God had called him. He focused on his life with Jesus.
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This is what we must do as well. Our good deeds, now and in the past, are meaningless compared to knowing Jesus as Lord. We must forget about our “achievements” and become laser focused on Christ alone. It is through Christ that we have life. He is the only way we obtain life now and forevermore.
Yes, our life in Christ will lead to good works, the “fruit” of our relationship with Him. These good works will point people to Jesus, not to us. They will be the result of the Spirit within us through our relationship with Christ.
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Let us keep our eyes on the prize found in Christ. Let us…
- Never tire of hearing the message of Jesus.
- Never trust in our achievements, but trust in Jesus alone.
- Never stop pursuing a deeper relationship with Jesus.
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Have a Great Day!