February 26, 2023.
7 “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,
9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of 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 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.“
Philippians 3:7–14 (NASB1995)
The Idea:
Here’s why Christ is NOT your first love: it’s simple, you love lesser things more.
To Love Him “First”:
I. You Must Feel His Worth
"More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,"
Philippians 3:8
The Value of Knowing Christ?
1. Jesus is the only source for finding peace with God
2. Jesus is your only source for eternal life
3. Jesus is the only source for finding the most meaningful life right now
II. You Must Obsessively Pursue One Thing
8 “the surpassing value of know Jesus Christ my Lord.
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings,"
Philippians 3:8, 10
III. You must receive a grace-filled forgetfulness
"… but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind … "
Philippians 3:13
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