Sermon Series on Philippians

As time is moving on, we decided to wrap up our series on Philippians on Sunday, 26 February 2006 by looking at Phil 3:1-21, under the title, Press on: Destination Heaven!

The flesh counts for nothing. Knowing Christ and all he has done for us is everything. So we press on into him because our destination is heaven.

1. Renew your joy in the Lord

Paul is never finished exhorting us to find our strength in God and never finished warning of that which could undermine our Christian foundation. There is a place of safety in this principle.

2. Watch out for diversions

Beware the dirty dogs, Beware those doers of darkness, Beware those darstardly disablers. We looked at what Paul was concerned about: anything that distorts the clarity of the Gospel of Christ in our lives.

3. Rid yourself of what has no value

Paul plays Top Trumps with his Jewish credentials and then writes them off as worthless when it comes to the far greater issue of laying hold of Christ in his life.

Sometimes we start up a profit and loss account with God. This is stinking thinking as far as Paul is concerned.

4. Value what has the most value

In order to gain Christ, we need to come empty-handed.

Paul just wanted to know Christ in his life and he was only prepared to put his trust in the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith in him. That's all that matters!

That was his value system. We have 86,000 seconds a day in our lives. How are we investing them? As a result of comprehending this amazing operation of grace in his life, that's the reason he wants to share in the fellowship of sharing in his suffering and somehow attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

5. Press on towards perfection

Lay hold of that for which Christ has laid hold of you: literally, arrested. Our citizenship is in heaven.

Conclusion

That’s how to stand firm in the Lord.

Cheer up in God! We’ve got something to boast about and its not anything you or I could ever have done. That’s nothing. We are those who boast in Christ and what he has won for us. Our right standing through faith. That’s all that matters. Now I press on to take hold of all that this truth means by running hard after knowing Christ and somehow being found worthy of this incredible privilege. So follow my lead. Press into him and press on to heaven!

And with that, we finish in Philippians for now. There is so much more in this part of scripture, but not enough time to look at it all. But I commend the rich truths in this book to you as a foundation for your Christian faith.

Bless you.