Sermon: New Focus in Life
Bible Passage: Philippians 3:5-14
I. Paul underwent a complete transformation when he became a follower of Jesus Christ
1. Prior to his conversion, Paul had many credentials to his advantage—assets/gains (vv. 5-6)
a. After his conversion, Paul deliberately distanced himself from those credentials (verses 7-9)
b. He de-emphasized his self-promoting heritage and personal achievements (vv. 7-9)
c. He made sure that those credentials would promote his “self” (vv7-8a)
d. Paul traded his inherited and acquired gains for life in Jesus Christ (vv. 7-8)
2. After his conversion, Paul’s life was lived by means of Christ and His achievements (vv. 7-11)
3. For Paul, “knowing Christ” was more valuable than the combined value of his former life (verse 8)
4. “Knowing Christ, his Lord” became the only focus of his present and future life (verses 7-14)
II. (1) What brought about such transformation in Apostle Paul’s life and (2) how he shifted from mundane gains to “knowing Christ”?
1. Apostle Paul’s understanding of the Gospel and salvation broadened
2. For him, salvation is a lot more than activities like baptism and church going
3. It’s a continuous celebration of the “righteousness of God” (verse 9)
a. Righteous standing before God
b. God gave sinners a status that enables them to stand before Him and relate with Him continuously as a son relates with his father
c. No one ever thought that such a “standing” before God will become possible to sinners without their ritualistic behavior
d. This standing gives access to the following:
e. This status before God is not obtained by human efforts—religious activities or righteous behavior
4. God gave this status to sinners by means of the “faithfulness of Christ” (verse 9)—Jesus’ birth, ministry, death, burial, and resurrection
III. What was Paul’s plan to accomplish “knowing Christ”?
1. To respond personally in faith and obedience to God’s self-revelation (verses 7-8)
2. To continue to live with the righteousness that is imputed to him through the faithfulness of Christ (verse 9)
3. To be obsessed with the thoughts of resurrection from the dead (verse 11)
4. To pursue (intentional pursuit) what Christ has already done for him (verse 12)
5. To leave behind all that hinder his progress (verses 13-14)
Take Away:
Make Christ the goal of your life