Philippians – It’s All About Jesus

Guess what? It’s Friday again! How does it fly by so fast? The moments seem to be slipping through our hands like sand and there’s so much to do for Jesus! We’ve got to make each moment count, sweet friends! Live intentionally! Stay focused! (Just thinking out loud about the vapor-ness of life.)

Well, let’s get into it, ladies!

In our text today, we’ll find why Christ is truly our all in all. These three short verses pack a powerful “It’s all about Jesus” punch! Although our study today will be focused on Philippians 3:9-11, I have given you a link that will include verses 7-8 in order to provide context to today’s study.

Please begin by reading Philippians 3:7-11. You will find the Amplified gives you an expanded view of our text.

We enter verse 9 with the eternal union that occurs when we receive Christ yet on another level, it is one that must be maintained as we walk through this life. It is being “in” Him. Beautifully paralleled is Jesus’ call to abide “in” Him in John 15:1-17.

While similar in thought, the two concepts are doctrinally different. Abiding in Him is part of the process of sanctification (John 15:1-17); Being found in Him is the state of justification (Phil 3:9-11). The first is what we do because we are His. The second is what we are because we are His.

Our focus will be on the state of justification as found in Philippians 3:9.

Righteousness – right standing before God – holiness as measured by God’s standard.

1. Read Psalm 143:1-2 and explain who is righteous.

2. Based on 1 Corinthians 1:30 and 2 Corinthians 5:21, how is righteousness obtained?

For some reason, when I was growing up, I thought that when I got to heaven God was going to weigh my good deeds and my bad deeds and somehow, I was going to gain entrance by a tip of the scale in my favor.

It doesn’t work like that.

God is Holy. Perfect. Immutable. There is no deed good enough, no amount of charitable works that will give us a foot into heavens door.

Righteousness (right standing before God) comes to us through Christ – the Righteous One – and only through Christ.

3. According to Isaiah 61:10, how are we clothed with the robe of righteousness?

As Christians, we may do righteous works, but what makes them truly righteous is that we have become righteous in Christ. Our works of righteousness flow from a redeemed soul which has been made right with God because of what Christ did on the cross.

Understanding what it cost to give us a right standing before God is what makes the cry of our hearts resoundingly say, “That I may KNOW HIM!”

4. Read the Amplified version of verse 10. Do you pursue knowing Christ like that?

5. How does Philippians 3:10-11 compare with Galatians 2:20?

Sweet sister, there is SO much more wrapped up in these three verses and I wish we had time to park here for a few weeks. Our lives, our purpose and our destinies are engulfed in who He is! It truly is all about Jesus! Everything, truly is all about Jesus!

Oh, to KNOW HIM MORE! That’s the goal of our lives.

Isaiah 26:8 says, “Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws,we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.”

May that be true of each of us! Oh Lord, make it be true of us!

Well, before you go, I’d really like your help with something. I’m not really very good at this whole webpage stuff, so with a little (really a lot) of help from a friend, the bio page of my site has been revised and includes a link that shares my back-story as well as my testimony. I’d love to know what you think. Is it better to just click the link to my testimony, which I posted at Scripture Dig, or should I just have a page that shares it on my site? Would love your feedback!
Here’s a link to my site
and here’s a link to my story.

I’d love to have you join us in our study of Philippians! You can receive your Bible study in your inbox by clicking this link. Or you can click on the Google or Networkedblog link to receive it in your feeder.

© Stephanie Shott, 2011

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