Philippians

 Religion confuses sanctification with justification  Judaizers are “dogs”  Works-righteousness is “dung”

 In Christ, love can’t be earned and personal trophies can’t be a point of pride  Result? Humility, Freedom and Praise

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead- vs

T HE GOAL IS NOT TO BE KNOWN BY G OD FOR MY GOOD WORKS, BUT TO KNOW J ESUS THROUGH HIS SACRIFICE FOR ME

I come to know God by experience  In his power  Based on his Word  Accessed through prayer

A real faith will always include life-changing power Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! - 2 Corinthians 5:17

Fellowship of sharing in his sufferings= koinonia- intimate communion  Through pain and suffering  Changed how Paul viewed his circumstances: opportunity to know Jesus intimately

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me- vs predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son- Romans 8:29

The end-result: sinless perfection Because I won’t be perfect until heaven, does that mean I can just relax and do what I want?

Brothers, 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- vs T HE WAY TO BECOME WHAT G OD CREATED ME TO BE IS TO BECOME GOAL - ORIENTED AND SINGLE - MINDED

If I have any other ultimate goal than Jesus, I have the wrong goal What are some lesser goals Christians have? What makes them wrong?

Following Jesus means 2 things: 1) Leaving the past behind  My past can inform me, but it shouldn’t control me  I leave my righteousness behind. I brag on God, not me

Following Jesus means 2 things:  I leave my sins and failures behind For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect- 1 Cor.15:9-10

Following Jesus means 2 things:  A true view of myself leads to self- acceptance in Christ, which brings effective (life-changing) grace  If I don’t admit the truth about myself, I’m not open to the grace of God

Following Jesus means 2 things: 2) Living with an eternal perspective How does that perspective change my life?

All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained- vs The tests of maturity: righteousness in Christ, single-minded devotion, leaving the past behind and living in light of eternity

Have I experienced God’s power in my life? If not, do I need to place my faith in Jesus? Can I embrace the times of suffering as an opportunity to know and experience Christ’s comfort?

What do I need to leave behind? Do I understand that I am not my sins? That I am not the things that have been done to me? Can I forgive and move on?

How might living in light of eternity change the decisions I’m making today?