- How can I measure how well I am doing as a Christian?
- Is there some kind of spiritual ‘scorecard’ I can check?
- This question has been one of the biggest sources of danger from the beginning.
Play Audio:
Summary so far
- Recap of the first 4 parts.
1. My sermon in a nutshell
- This week: Phil 3:1–9
- The context is God wanting them to be a beautiful loving community
- We can speculate that there was a problem...
Philippians 3:1–9
- Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord!
To write these things, for me is no trouble, and for you and it is a safeguard.
- Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.
- For we are the circumcision,
who serve by the Spirit of God
and glory in Christ Jesus
and put no confidence in the flesh
- though I myself have reason for such confidence in the flesh.
If anyone else thinks he has reason for 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,
regarding the law: a Pharisee.
- regarding zeal, a persecutor of the church;
regarding righteousness under the law, blameless.
- But whatever I had that was gain,
these I considered as loss for the sake of Christ,
- Indeed, I count everything as loss
because of the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
for whom everything is loss
and I considered them as dung!
that I may gain Christ,
- and be found in him
not having my own
righteousness (how I am measured by God)
from the law,
but that which comes through the faithfulness of Christ,
from God
righteousness (how I am measured by God)
on the basis of trust [in Christ].
AMF
- What is going on? (circumcision is just a marker for identity)
2. What was this False Teaching?
- Was he just having a hissy-fit?
- These letters tool a long time to write, and it is clearly very carefully worded.
- It is because the Gospel itself is under threat
- They need to be shocked out of complacency
- Throughout the history of the church there has been a tendency to want to measure our spirituality by external practices.
- Why is this?
- There is a famous book on improving workplace performance
- Give a daily scorecard! —Hey we got 76 today and they only got a 75
- People can be incredibly motivated!
- And what can be more important than what God thinks of us?
- We want him to say: Here is a checklist!
3. How we measure our Growth as Christians?
- Motivation of love:
- Story of a dog caught in a trap
- Focus on knowing Christ more intimately
- You have a choice: travel by bicycle or train
- e.g. My story of preparing this sermon
- Look at v.9 in our passage (see earlier)
- Righteousness – standing before God, (scorecard)
- How to we increase our score? —we are measured on how much we trust!
- This goes against the grain! Counterintuitive
- Summary: