Lesson 26 Philippians 3:1-11 Have you ever suffered buyer s remorse? You bought something, maybe very expensive, only later to discover after closer examination that your purchase wasn t quite what you expected. In other words, have you ever bought an item sight unseen on ebay? In our passage this week, we will get insight into Paul s actual thoughts and attitudes before and after his conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) as he suffers buyer s remorse over his former self-righteousness. Near our family cabin in Big Bear is an abandoned gold mine. The mine is about 70 meters long and actually still has tiny flakes of gold scattered in the rock walls. When I hosted my high school cross-country team annually for a week of mountain training prior to the start of school, a visit to the mine was usually on the agenda. Being a jokester, one year I spray painted some pea gravel with shiny gold paint and hid it in my pocket during our trip to the mine. Explaining to my runners that I needed to enter the cave first to check for bears, I used the opportunity to sprinkle the gold gravel on the ground in the far end of the cave. It didn t take long for the fifteen runners armed only with four dimly lit flashlights to find the first gold nugget. Gold fever broke out and for the next twenty minutes, my athletes frantically clawed at the walls and dug on the cave floor looking for gold nuggets. Each of the runners emerged from the dark cave proudly holding their newly found wealth. For the next three days, all the runners could talk about were their plans for their fortune with the gold nuggets. On the last day of camp, before we left for home, I brought out a hammer and smashed a gold nugget revealing the pea gravel under the coat of paint. When they discovered what they had worked so hard to attain was actually worthless, most quickly threw away their treasure. ~ 1 ~
What my runners experienced with their faux gold was similar to the emotions and attitudes Paul shares about his treasured self-righteousness as a Pharisee. Paul had dug and clawed his way ahead of his peers to appear faultless. When Paul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus he, like my runners, discovered that what he thought was treasure was truly trash (the word he uses in verse 8 means excrement in Greek) compared to knowing Christ and His righteousness. Paul, using accounting terms as he describes the loss of his self-righteousness and the gain of Jesus righteousness, sounds very much like the men in Jesus kingdom parables. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it (Matthew 13:44-46 ESV). Another lesson the runners shared with Paul was the necessity to run through the finish line and not coast or drift to the end of the race. Unfortunately, they had to learn this lesson the hard way, as the team lost a league championship when several runners failed to push the last few strides and were passed by opponents at the finish line. Paul does not want us to learn this truth at our expense so he uses a similar athletic metaphor to describe his own personal pursuit of holiness or sanctification through Christ. This is the same picture painted by the writer of Hebrews as he admonishes us to lay aside all that encumbers us and run with endurance the race set before us, fixing our eyes on the finish line (Hebrew 12:1 2). The world offers us gold which isn t real and tells us to relax and compromise. God s Word tells us the gold standard is knowing and believing in Jesus and trusting in His righteousness while running the straight race with endurance until we see His face. Prayer Start by praying over the passage and asking the Holy Spirit to give you fresh insights and wisdom in understanding it. Then read through the entire passage two or three times. The depth of theology is so great that I would strongly advise using the New Living Translation for one of your Scripture readings. Scripture Meditation/Memorization One of the most fundamental and rewarding Christian disciplines that pays back in full spiritual dividends is Bible meditation/memorization. It is an absolutely ~ 2 ~
fundamental in the formation of your spiritual development, spiritual walk and faith growth. In Psalm 1:1-2 (NLT), the Psalmist warrior, King David said, Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. Memory Verse [7] But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. [8a] Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Philippians 3:7-8a ESV Format Change We have all had weeks in which the time available for preparation of our Bible study evaporates under an unexpected event or a pressing project at work. To enable everyone to complete the study, even when time is at a premium, the daily questions are being divided into two categories: essential and expanded. The essential questions are those necessary to understand key points of the passage. The expanded or growth questions help expand knowledge and gain deeper insight into the Scripture. Philippians 3:1 6 Paul s Past The Judaizers were a persistent source of heresy in many of the early churches. As you may recall from our study in Galatians, the Judaizers instructed new Christians that they must essentially convert to Judaism and follow its laws as well as accept Christ to be saved. Paul devotes the first 11 verses of this chapter to refuting their viewpoint. In this first section, Paul lists his credentials (seven in all) in a show of spiritual one-upmanship that left the Judaizers in his wake. Paul s trump card was his position as a Pharisee. Only 6,000 Pharisees (literally separated ones) existed and they served as the spiritual authorities of all of Israel. Essential Questions: 1. Verse 1 starts with finally (he will write this again in Philippians 4:8) as he introduces the purpose of this section. ~ 3 ~
a. What is the purpose of this section, as stated in verse 1? b. False doctrine was rampant in the early church, just like it is today. In a similar fashion, the writer of Hebrews issued two warnings to his audience. What do you learn from: i. Hebrews 2:1 ii. Hebrews 5:12 14 2. Paul undercuts the ground of the Judaizers in verse 2 by calling them dogs and mutilators of the flesh. a. How would these two charges hit home against the proud legalistic Judaizers? b. How did Paul contrast these with the attitudes of true followers of Jesus? (Romans 2:28 29 will help.) ~ 4 ~
3. List the seven reasons Paul gives for why he could have put confidence in the flesh. Expanded Questions: 4. Paul doesn t hesitate to list his qualifications. According to Galatians 6:14, to what should we limit our boasting? 5. The church in Laodicea received a stinging rebuke from Jesus in Revelation 3. The city was known for its warm water sulfur springs (from which eye ointments were made), rich wool industry, and wealthy commercial operations. Like the Judaizers, what they counted as gain was really worthless. What do you learn from Revelation 3:15 20? Philippians 3:7-11 Paul s Present Verses 4 through 6 describe what was important to Paul prior to his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3 16) and the next four verses describe what became important to him after the reversal from a self-centered life to a Christcentered life was complete. The original language is helpful to fully understand verse 8: knowledge (Greek to intimately and experientially know), rubbish (Greek excrement), and excellence (Greek hyper/super value). Essential Questions: 1. In the original language, Paul uses accounting terminology to describe moving all of his assets from the profit column into the loss column in the ledger of his life. ~ 5 ~
a. What now takes the place of his legalistic righteousness in the profit column? b. By comparison, of what value are all of Paul s credentials and accomplishments compared to knowing Christ? 2. Righteousness is defined as the state of being morally perfect or justifiable. a. According to verses 8 9, what is the basis of our righteousness? b. What further insights do you gain in a parallel passage from Romans 3:20 24? 3. What is meant by, I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death? (Hint: read the passage in the New Living or Amplified translations.) ~ 6 ~
Expanded Questions: 4. The before and after transformation in Paul from his encounter with Jesus was spectacular but far from unique. a. What does 2 Corinthians 5:17 teach us? b. As you reflect back on your own Damascus Road before and after, what are some major changes you ve experienced? 5. Verse 11 should not be misunderstood as uncertainty about salvation by Paul, but as a statement of humility, not wishing to be presumptive. What does Romans 10:9 10 teach? Lesson 26 Summary/Take Away The purpose of this section is to distill all that we ve studied and learned from the Scripture this week into a single application that we could use in our own walk with the Lord. I can still remember how each man shared, through the filter of their circumstances, how the Spirit convicted them about which portion of the passage to put into practice that week. Now, years later, I am blessed to see how these applications have played out through time in the lives of these men bringing them into greater spiritual maturity as they live the victorious joyful life God intended for His followers. ~ 7 ~
Memory Verse [7] But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. [8a] Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Philippians 3:7-8a (ESV) Key Words/Phrases Write out the definition of these key words. You can use a regular dictionary or go to one of the Greek sources listed in the Tool Box at the end of the study. You may also use a concordance to see where else and how the word is used in the Bible. No Confidence in the Flesh (Philippians 3:2) Fellowship of His Sufferings (Philippians 3:10) ~ 8 ~
Tool Box Step 1: The Bible. Read the passage in a couple of different versions. If you are having trouble understanding a passage, choose a more dynamic version such as New Living Translation. To focus in on the exact meaning of a verse, choose a more literal translation such as English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible or New King James Version. Step 2: Study Tools. Use these to help you dig deeper. Background Information: 1) Unger s Bible Dictionary, 2) Bible Dictionaries online at biblestudytools.com and blueletterbible.com. (recommend both David Guzick and Chuck Smith s commentaries/study notes); Word Studies: 1) Zodhiates The Complete Word Study New Testament, 2) Vine s Complete Expository Dictionary, and 3) Strong s Dictionary of Bible Words. Step 3: Commentaries. Commentaries should not be used in place of studying God s Word directly, but they can give you additional insights. Some good commentaries include: Warren Wiersbe, J. Vernon McGee, F.F. Bruce, the Expositors Bible Commentary, NIV Application Commentary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary (edited by Walvoord & Zuck), the Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, and William Barclay (*great for background and culture, but be careful of his spiritual applications). Step 4: Online Assistance. Should you have a specific question about the study please e-mail your inquiry to: mannygwcm@gmail.com ~ 9 ~
MESSAGE NOTES Teacher: 2015 Mark Newton. All rights reserved. Express permission granted for use and reproduction by Harvest Christian Fellowship, Riverside, CA. *Added questions by Warehouse Christian Ministries, Sacramento, CA ~ 10 ~