Forfeiture – What Have You Lost?

This is the 1st of 4 Forfeiture posts.  
Part 2 is HERE
Part 3 is HERE

Sunday night (01.28.18), I had the privilege to preach - www.westcannon.org/live-stream
The text was Philippians 3:7-9 which are last week and this week's Fighter Verses.

In preaching a one time message Fighter Verses, I need to take some time in this message to develop some context.  I also wanted to help people better understand how to use and study the Fighter Verses.

Over the next four days, I am going to be posting notes about the passage from my sermon notes.  It is my prayer that these posts will encourage you to treasure Christ and fight sin.

The four days of posts are 
Today - Context
Thursday - Observation and 
Friday - Meaning
Saturday - Application.  
While the other days will have some application points,  Friday will have a summary of applications, some new applications and some great resources to help you treasure Jesus.

CONTEXT:

There are a couple of important things to know as we prepare to look at these verses.  An important principle in Bible study is Context, Context and Context.Context - an overview of the book.Context - the two chapters before Philippians 3.Context - the six verses before Philippians 3:7-9.  

Context:  An overview of Philippians:

Paul is not writing this letter to correct a church problem.  As a matter of fact, the only correction is directed towards two specific individuals in chapter 4.  This lack of church-wide correction makes this book different than most of Paul’s other epistles.  He is pushing the church towards Christ and Christian maturity.

In chapter four verse one, he writes the following about the church, "My brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,"At the time of the writing of this book, this is a great church.

Another great context study is reading and thinking through the different people who were saved in Philippi.  Read about the three different people in Acts 16. 

Context:  The two chapters before Philippians 3:

There is a theme throughout these two chapters.

Life is not about my name but Christ’s.  1:15-18

¹⁵ Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. ¹⁶ The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. ¹⁷ The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.  ¹⁸ What then?  Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Life is not about my will but Christ’s.  1:21-26

²¹ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  ²² If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.  ²³ I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.  ²⁴ But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.  ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

Life is not about my comfort but the cause of Christ.  1:29-30

²⁹ For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, ³⁰ engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Life is not about my interest but the interest of others because of Christ.  2:3-11

³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus

Life is not about my work but God’s work in his children through Christ.  2:13

¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 

In these two chapters, there are AT LEAST FIVE REMINDERS that Life is about Jesus Christ.  

Context:  Six verses before Philippians 3:7-9:

In chapters 1 and 2, Paul takes time to remind the church of the treasure we have in Jesus Christ.  "Finally," he reminds the church to "rejoice in the Lord" - treasure Jesus Christ.

Then in 3:2, Paul warns them that the  circumcision of the Judaizers, those trusting in their own works and not God’s, was just like ritual mutilations in pagan religions, like the prophets of Baal in 1st Kings 18:27, 28.  Like these prophets of Baal, we are arrogant enough to believe that we can manipulate the God, whether by self-mutilation or some other means, so he will serve us.

After all of this talk of treasuring Christ and not relying on the flesh, Paul lists out all of his "works of the flesh."  
WARNING, look out for those who trust in the flesh.

All of this should serve as a reminder that the Prosperity Gospel is a trap, a lie.

And I am not just talking about the “name it and claim it” “blab it and grab it” Prosperity Gospel.  The “I want a gold jet and Rolls-Royce” or “I demand a physical healing from God” Prosperity Gospel.

I am talking about the “If I do the right things, God has to bless me” type of Prosperity Gospel. 

Why does Paul make it a point to remind a church of these things?  Not just a church but a great church?

Because we need Gospel reminders that the Christian life needs to lived out God’s way, IN CHRIST JESUS THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AS REVEALED IN GOD’S WORD.