Don’t Waste Your Life (Philippians 3:1-11)

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MPS: You waste your life when you rely on anything or anyone other than Christ for your hope, salvation, and joy. Don’t be persuaded by fools or pride, but abandon self righteousness for Christ’s righteousness.

I. Don’t waste your life being influenced by fools. (1-2)

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 

2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.

• Verse two refers to the Judaizers who relied on their traditions for salvation.
• They expected Gentile believers to adhere to Jewish law before being accepted as Christians.

II. Don’t waste your life trying to earn your salvation. (3-6)

 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for 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; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

• The new circumcision are those who have been saved by Christ. “25 Circumcision benefits you if you observe the law, but if you are a lawbreaker, your circumcision has become uncircumcision… a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter.[k] That person’s praise is not from people but from God.” (Rom. 2:25;29)
• Paul checked all the blocks as a Jew’s, Jew. He no longer looked to his achievements or worldly qualifications as something to boast in.

III. Live a worthwhile life by abandoning your good works. (7-8)

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 

• Paul is compelled to abandon his earthly treasures for the sake of gaining Christ’s treasures.
• Indeed all of Paul’s previous work in the law is considered worthless.
• Does that mean we should neglect good works? “ For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26)

IV. Live a worthwhile life by knowing and relying on Christ. (9-11)

9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

• Verses 9-11 layout a three-fold application of Christ’s saving work to the individual believer.
• Justification (v. 9): is the declaration of God that we are no longer guilty.
• Sanctification (v. 10): has two parts. First, God sets us apart from the world as His people. Second, it is our increasing growth in Christ, which sees our being set apart from the world.

Glorification (v. 11): is the future work of God in which He transforms our mortal flesh into our heavenly bodies that we will dwell with Him in the New Heavens and New Earth.