OUTLINE:

Right Pursuits vs. Wrong Pursuits (Philippians 3:1-6)
- Paul’s Pursuit: A continual call to rejoice in the Lord, finding joy in Him over self-striving efforts (vs. 1).
- Wrong Pursuits: Warnings against confidence in the flesh and legalism (vs. 4-6). (Example: Serving in the church or community as a means of earning favor rather than from a transformed heart.)
- No Problem for Me and Safe for You Truth: We must shift our priorities from self-centered striving to a pursuit of an intimate relationship with Christ.
The Cost of Pursuing Christ (Philippians 3:7-14)
- A Radical Shift: Viewing past achievements as loss compared to knowing Christ (vs. 7-8).
- Transformative Relationship: Paul desires not only intellectual knowledge but relational transformation through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection (vs. 9-11).
- Pressing On: The goal is to leave behind both successes and failures to focus on the prize—Christlikeness (vs. 13-14).
- No Problem for Me and Safe for You Truth: True pursuit of Christ involves both personal cost and transformative gain—sharing in His sufferings and becoming like Him.
The Ultimate Reward of Pursuit (Philippians 3:18-21)
- Worldly Pursuits vs. Heavenly Pursuits: Warning against following earthly, self-centered desires that lead to destruction (vs. 18-19).
- The Promise: The ultimate transformation when Christ returns—our bodies transformed into His glorious likeness (vs. 20-21).
- No Problem for Me and Safe for You Truth: Our ultimate reward is found not in earthly success but in the full redemption and transformational work and person of Jesus Christ.

QUESTIONS:

What stood out to you most from the sermon on Philippians 2?
The world believes joy is found in autonomy. Do you believe joy is found in being able to do whatever you want whenever you want? Where does this pursuit of autonomy ultimately lead a human to?
The Bible teaches that joy is a result of unity. What ingredients do you bring that builds community up and creates unity? What ingredients do you bring to break the community down and bring confusion?
The world believes that joy is found in vanity or self-centeredness. What does self-centeredness do to relationships? Where does self-centeredness ultimately lead a human to?
The Bible teaches that joy is found in humility and selflessness. What does the Bible say God will do for those who humble themselves? (Matthew 23:12; James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:5) How has God historically proven this through the life of Jesus?

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