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  • When Christ becomes your greatest treasure, everything else finds its proper place.

 

1. Before Christ, Paul treasured ___________________ Philippians 3:4-6

 

Philippians 3:4-6 (NASB) 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.

 

  • God's gifts make wonderful gifts...but terrible gods.

 

2.   Christ _____________________________________ Philippians 3:7-9

 

Philippians 3:7-9 (NASB) 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,

 

  1. _______________________ became Paul’s greatest pursuit    Philippians 3:10-11

 

Philippians 3:10-11 (NASB) 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.

Takin’ It Home…

  1. Examine your _______________________________
  2. Enjoy God’s gifts without ______________________
  3. Make _____________________ your highest priority  

Digging Deeper: 

Paul uses the language of accounting. In Philippians 3:7–8, Paul describes his former accomplishments as gain and loss. He pictures his life almost like a financial ledger.

Before meeting Christ, Paul placed his heritage, morality, religious effort, and reputation in the gain column. He believed those things made him spiritually rich.

But after meeting Jesus, Paul moved everything to the loss column—not because every item was evil, but because none of it could compare with “the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

Paul’s point is not that Christ merely improved his life. Christ completely changed the way Paul measured value. That raises an important question for us:

 

What are you still counting as gain that may be keeping you from seeing the surpassing worth of Christ?

The gospel gives us an entirely new way to evaluate life.

What the world calls gain may become loss.

What the world calls sacrifice may become joy.

And what the world overlooks may prove to be the greatest treasure of all: Knowing Jesus Christ.