To Gain Christ

Philippians 3:1-11

In order to know God and obtain His righteousness, you must forsake your vainglorious deeds of self-righteousness so that you can gain Christ.

In Philippians 3:1-11 Paul teaches us about the necessity for abandoning our confidence in the self-righteous deeds of the flesh, hoping that they will make us righteous before God. Instead, he teaches that we must look on those things as rubbish in comparison to the glory of knowing Christ.

EXEGETICAL OUTLINE:

1. The Lead In: Rejoice in the Lord (v1)

   1. the necessity of our rejoicing being in Christ in the face of opposing doctrine

      1. When false teachers attack Christianity, they attack Christ and his triumphant and meritorious work on the cross. Rejoice all the more in Christ.

   2. the safety of repetition when it comes to teaching sound doctrine

      1. It should be a joy for us to repeat the glorious truths of the Bible to one another and to our children. Especially in times of trial

2. The True Circumcision (v2-4a)

   1. The Ferocity of Identifying False Teachers

      1. Paul doesn’t mince words

   2. The Circumcision of the Heart is the ultimate sign of a Christian

3. Paul’s Pedigree (v4b-6)

   1. The Superiority of His Credentials

   2. The Blamelessness of His Conduct in relation to the other Jews

      1. Calvin: “Paul speaks here of that righteousness which would satisfy the common opinion of mankind.”

4. The Loss for the Gain (v7-11)

   1. The Utter Worthlessness of His Credentials in Comparison to Knowing Christ

      1. The things of this world which keep us from coming to Christ may be spectacular, but are terrible enemies and great hindrances. They are worthless

      2. We are not justified or made righteous by our works. They are DUNG

   2. The Excellency of Christ

      1. Not my own righteousness, but the righteousness which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith

      2. By faith we know Christ

      3. “conformed to his death”

[2Ti 2:10-13 NKJV] 10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 [This is] a faithful saying: For if we died with [Him], We shall also live with [Him]. 12 If we endure, We shall also reign with [Him]. If we deny [Him], He also will deny us. 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

Sermon preached at Covenant Heritage Reformed Church in Hampton, VA 10/23/2022