Those who cultivate a servant’s heart and withstand a servant’s hardships, we will receive a servant’s honor.

PHILIPPIANS 3:1-11 (NASB)

3 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.

2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, 4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation 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 the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

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 [f]the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

DISCUSSION

1.     Throughout this series we are putting on “boots” for JOY. We are walking it out.

a. In what realistic ways are you walking out your JOY? 

2.     We are told to put no confidence in the flesh (ourselves).

a. What does that look like for you? How can you redirect your confidence to confidence in the Lord?

3.     Looking at your past is good, because you can see what God had brought you through.

a. Give examples of how God has and continues to rescue you.

4.     Now looking at the present.

a. What have you lost in order to “gain” Christ?

When we fully surrender to Christ, His new way of life provides, even in suffering, JOY. We can find JOY because of the prize set before us, Christ.  

5.     Rubbish is “leftovers” from our past. Because all we have done ourselves is “rubbish” compared to gaining Christ. 

a. What would you consider rubbish in your life?

b. Are you willing to lay all that down to gain Christ?

6.     Do you know Jesus by personal experience? Or are you just a “churchgoer”?

PRAYER

Father,

Open our heart and eyes to see clearly that nothing we have done for personal gain compares to knowing Christ and living for Christ. Help us to understand that anything we lay down will never compare to the price Christ paid for us on the cross, for our eternal salvation. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

            Amen

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