Title: Philippians-Confidence
Place: BLCC
Date: 7/23/17
Text: Philippians 3.1-11
CT: Our confidence is found in Jesus.
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FAS: Writing in The Harvard Business Review, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, a CEO and business professor, had some surprising conclusions about self-confidence and leadership. Thomas wrote:
There is no bigger cliché in business psychology than the idea that high self-confidence is key to career success. It is time to debunk this myth. In fact, low self-confidence is more likely to make you successful. After many years of researching and consulting on talent, I've come to the conclusion that self-confidence is only helpful when it's low. Sure, extremely low confidence is not helpful: it inhibits performance by inducing fear, worry, and stress, which may drive people to give up sooner or later. But just-low-enough confidence can help you in the following three ways:
1 Lower self-confidence makes you pay attention to negative feedback and be self-critical.
2 Lower self-confidence can motivate you to work harder and prepare more.
3 Lower self-confidence reduces the chances of coming across as arrogant or being deluded.
Of course Christians would add a fourth and most important benefit for low-enough self-confidence—it helps us put our ultimate confidence in the Living God. But Christians can agree with this article's conclusion: "In brief, if you are serious about your goals, [low-enough] self-confidence can be your biggest ally to accomplish them. … It is therefore time to debunk the myth: High self-confidence isn't a blessing, and low self-confidence is not a curse—in fact, it is the other way around."
Matt Woodley, editor, PreachingToday.com; source: Thomas Chamorro-Premuzic, "Less Confident People Are More Successful," The Harvard Business Review (7-6-12)
LS: Who or what we put our confidence in has a lot to do with how we live.
We are in our third week of Philippians. We looked at how we are to be more like Christ in the first week. Last week we looked at how by not grumbling and complaining we become true children of God, blameless in this perverse world and ready to shine His glory to the rest of the world.
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This week we are moving into Philippians 3.1-11.
Do you have an old box that contains old artifacts from your past? Heck you may have a room full of stuff from your past. What would you find there?
For me it would be full of my successes. My things I had loved. The music I listened to. The sports I played. The things I chased after thinking they were what were important in life.
But when I ask some important questions I start to wonder what I was thinking.
What do you treasure?
Is there anything of surpassing value?
Is there anything that deserves our lifelong, passionate pursuit?
The answer is yes. Paul describes it in verse 8 from our text today.
What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord
Paul reminds us that nothing on earth compares to knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. You will never regret pursuing Christ.
Paul describes what a Christian isn’t, what a Christian is and how one can become a Christian. My goal for this sermon is that we look at whether we are a follower of Christ.
Elsewhere in the Bible the idea of “knowing Christ” involves salvation.
John 17.3, Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.
So salvation is about knowing Jesus. It doesn’t merely mean to know about Him; it means that you have a relationship with Him. And those that know Christ want to know Him better and better.
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Phil.3.1, 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.
Paul writes this passage to remind believers of their need to stay focused on the true gospel of Jesus. Salvation is not about knowing some things about Jesus. But it is also not about doing religious things to earn acceptance before Jesus.
This text really speaks against legalism, that is, the temptation to derive your justification before God, your acceptance by God and your forgiveness from God from by your own religious works. We are reminded we cannot earn salvation. It is a gift to be received. But even dedicated Christians have a tendency to forget the gospel daily.
Galatians 3.1-9, You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Legalism is self-atonement. It is self-salvation that only leads to pride or despair. We must resist the gospel of human achievement.
The church will be protected from legalism and false prophets by studying only the true gospel regularly. Every church should be the “same things” church. We must change the ways we present it, but we must never change the message. What we must be the same about is the truths of the gospel. We must constantly remind one another of the gospel, rehearse the gospel, sing the gospel, and proclaim the gospel---not only for the unbeliever, but also for continuing to build up the believer. Repeating the gospel is an expression for love for other believers.
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Philippians 3.2-4, 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. [Screen 5] 3 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— 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence.
Paul has three ways of telling if you are a Christian in verse 3. He is in great contrast with what he says about the dogs in verse 2. Now some of you really like dogs and may not like what Paul is saying here. But dogs were not seen as cute pets. They were nasty, unclean and dangerous.
Paul viewed those that tried to undermine his teaching as feral dogs. The “Judaizers” were ones trying to get the followers of Paul to revert back to Judaism. They believed gentiles should be circumcised to become Jews before they were allowed to be Christians. But the leaders of the church including Paul, Barnabas, James and Peter denied this claim and preserved the gospel of grace.
Many do the same thing that these Judaizing dogs were doing, namely by adding to the gospel. When you add to the gospel, you lose the gospel. It is not Jesus plus your works. It is Christ and Christ alone. [Screen 6]
Way 1. We serve the Spirit of God (3.3b) As Christians we serve. Paul is talking about a life devoted to God in spiritual service.
Does the Spirit of God dwell in you? Do you worship and serve God by the Spirit? Don’t base your assurance on attendance to meetings or involvement in social work. Rest and rejoice that the Spirit of God dwells in you, enabling you to worship and serve God for the praise of His glory. [Screen 7]
Way 2. We Boast in Christ Jesus. (3.3c). Paul is saying that the true people of God, the followers of Christ “boast in Christ Jesus.” Our glory is in Christ Alone.
Paul states in Galatians 6.14, May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
We don’t glory in our earthly status, in our achievements, or in our gifts. Personal boasting in salvation is excluded for the Christian, for salvation has come to us through the work of another, a gift from the sovereign and gracious God.
If you meet someone who claims to be a Christian but isn’t making much of a deal about Jesus, you have reason to be suspicious of their claim.
Do you boast about Christ among your friends? Do you glory in Christ in your ministry publicly? Do you use your platform to lift up Jesus? Churches can be known for many different things. Let’s be known for boasting in Christ and Christ alone. [Screen 8]
Way 3. We Put No Confidence in the Flesh (3.3d-6). Paul says the people of God “do not put confidence in the flesh”. This is pretty simple. Everyone has confidence somewhere, but the Christian does not put it in his own effort or goodness. The Christian puts his confidence in Christ alone.
This important message reminds us that our tribe doesn’t provide us with any confidence of being able to stand before God’s holy presence. When it comes to being accepted by a holy God, your nationality doesn’t matter, your traditions don’t matter, your education doesn’t matter. We stand safely, securely and confidently before God because of the work of another, namely Jesus Christ.
Where is your confidence? What will enable you to stand before God and receive His grace instead of His judgment? Do you follow the three ways we just looked at? We serve by the Spirit of God. WE boast in Jesus Christ. We put no confidence in the flesh. [Screen 9]
Phil.3.4 If someone else thinks they have reasons to put 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; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
While we can’t make one for one correlations between Paul’s self portrait here and non-Jewish religious people, we can make some general applications for people today who aren’t trusting in Christ alone for eternal life. [Screen 10]
Don’t put your confidence in a ritual. Paul says he was circumcised in the first class way, on the eighth day. Converts to Christianity could never claim this.
People today may put their confidence in spiritual rituals: Like being baptized as an infant or attending certain meetings. These experiences are not grounds for spiritual confidence. Paul went through all the Jewish ritual, but considered it to no advantage. Salvation is about becoming a new person or creation in Christ. Not going through some particular ritual. Look only to Jesus and follow him. Be baptized and lead a life worthy of your gift. [Screen 11]
Don’t put your confidence in your ethnicity. Paul saw himself as “of the nation of Israel”. He was a physical descendant of Abraham. Yet this special relationship and privilege did not give him any reason for confidence. Just as being a member of the United States does not give us any advantage over any one else. We all have to look to Jesus Christ for our confidence. [Screen 12]
Don’t put your confidence in your rank. Paul goes on to say he was of tribe of Benjamin. Paul came from a very respected tribe. Jerusalem was even found in Benjamin. Yet Paul says even this does not give him confidence in his salvation. Only his relationship with Jesus Christ gives him the One to trust. [Screen 13]
Don’t put your confidence in your tradition. Traditions can be fine as far as they go, but you should put no confidence in them when it comes to salvation. Paul was a Hebrew of Hebrew and was devoted to his culture but that did not give him the confidence he needed.
We also cannot rely on our culture heritage or family tradition for salvation. We must tell all that they must not trust tradition. We must trust the ultimate Hebrew, Jesus himself. [Screen 14]
Don’t put your confidence in your rule keeping. Paul says regarding the law he was a Pharisee. Paul belonged to this group. They had added so many laws to the original OT law s that no one was sure what was in the original. I’m sure it was a challenge for him to follow Jesus’ commands. Love God love people.
You will meet people today who think their salvation comes from being a moral person. To be clear I am not encouraging rule breaking or doing what we want when we want with who ever we want.
Many believe that moral people get to heaven. The truth is it is not good or moral people who get to heaven. It is saved people, those who know Jesus and follow Him.
A preacher sat at the bedside of a family member who was dying. He was trying to explain to him how the gospel worked. He read Ephesians 2.8-9, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
The family members response was, “I was in the boy scouts.”
That’s fine but keeping the code of some group doesn’t merit eternal life. It didn’t for Paul as a Pharisee, and it won’t us either. Salvation isn’t by rule keeping.
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Don’t put your confidence in your zeal. Some say we can believe what we want to as long as we are passionate about it. Well no one was more passionate than Saul of Taurus about persecuting Christians. He wasn’t just Pharisee in name he was zealous about it…until Jesus knocked him off his horse. Being zealous for the wrong thing is worse than not being zealous at all. If you are taking actions that turn people from Jesus you are messing up.
Salvation does not come by passion. People are passionate about many things. Salvation comes by knowing the real man of zeal and passion, Jesus Christ.
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Don’t put your confidence in your obedience to the law. Paul wraps up his religious resume by saying, “as for the righteousness based on the law, faultless. Paul was a very righteous person and obeyed the Old Testament to a “t”. But Paul knew even this was not enough as he says later that his true righteousness does not come from the law but only through Jesus Christ.
Other systems promote works-based righteousness, but the gospel is about imputed righteousness. It is about receiving Christ’s righteousness as our own. The most sincere religious person cannot keep God’s law. We need Christ. He lived the life we should have lived, and he then died the death we the lawbreakers should have died.
Let me ask you again, Where is your confidence? Are you trusting in your traditions, your ethnicity, your rank, your rituals, your rule keeping, your zeal, or your obedience to the law.
Paul says a true Christian or follower of Christ puts no confidence in these things. Our confidence lies in another, namely Jesus.
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7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 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 9 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. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
At the center is Christ. He leaves only Christ in the plus column.
It reminds me of a hymn we are going to sing.
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
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Have confidence in Jesus.
Paul is showing us in our passage today there is an ocean of glory for us to know and experience. He never grew tired or stagnate with knowing Christ. Instead he wanted to know Him better. He traded his own self-righteousness for God’s perfect righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. Let’s not be content today with just sticking our toe in the water. Let us pursue Jesus deeply and long for the day we see Him. Let us seek the One with scars on his hands, who defeated death through His own resurrection. Nothing on earth compares to knowing Christ Jesus as our Lord.
Invitation: As I Survey
Bibliography:
Merida, Tony; Chan, Francis; Christ centered Exposition Exalting Jesus in Philippians, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville Tennessee, 2016
