Everyone wants to be happy, but happiness is shifty. Joy, on the other hand- Joy grounded in a relationship with Christ? That kind of joy runs deep and strong and is unshaken by circumstances. It's a joy worth looking into! So, join us as we study Paul's joy letter and purpose to be a people who rejoice at all times.
To Live is Christ
Speakers
Josh Blount
Lead Pastor
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Notes
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Philippians 1:21
For to me, to live is Christ.
Ephesians 2:1
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world...
Colossians 2:13
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ.
1 John 5:12
Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
John 14:6
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Without the way, there is no going; without the truth, there is no knowing; without the life, there is no living.
Thomas à Kempis
To live is Christ means our identity and security are in Christ alone, and our purpose is to bring him glory in all we do.
Timothy Keller
Philippians 3:3-8
Put no confidence in the flesh—4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put 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; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. 7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ
Quit Counting On Crap
Garbage - SKYBALON - Useless or undesirable material that is subject to disposal: refuse, garbage, manure, kitchen scraps, human excrement, dung. …
Philippians 3:5
Circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
Paul's shift from confidence in his achievements to finding value in Christ illustrates that true fulfillment comes from a relationship with God, not our worldly status.
Beth Moore
Psalm 118:8
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.
The first step to wisdom is to not trust in yourself.
John Calvin
If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God, you'll be at rest.
Corrie Ten Boom
Philippians 3:8-11
What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Make Knowing God Your Highest Priority
Information about someone does not equal a revelation of who someone is.
Jesus is not a dead historical figure from the past to be studied; He is a living, loving savior who wants to be encountered!
Philippians 3:8 NLT
Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,
The byproduct of knowing God is experiencing God.
Philippians 3:10
I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.
Philippians 3:10-11
I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
For us to share in Christ’s sufferings means joining Him in the same unwavering determination to obey God’s will.…
Most of the time, suffering takes place in the very normal activities of our day, as we choose to deny and die to our own interests so we can serve God.
Suffering means laying down our life to conform to God’s will.
There is a purpose to suffering and if faced rightly Jesus can drive us like a nail deep into the love of God and into more stability and spiritual power then you can imagine.
Timothy Keller
You can’t experience the power of the resurrection without being willing to suffer and die for the will of the Father.
Philippians 3:12-14
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Align With Your Citizenship
The popular culture that surrounds us does not determine how we think or how we live.
Romans 12:1
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.
Colossians 3:2
Set your minds on things above, not on things that are on earth.
2 Corinthians 5:20
We are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
An ambassador is a citizen from one country that represents the leadership and rule of another country
Think about eternity.
Some people are so heavenly-minded that they are no earthly good.
Oliver Wendall Holmes
History demonstrates that the people in this world who have done the most good are those who are the most heavenly-minded, thinking about eternity.
Colossians 3:2
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.