Joy's Focus (continued)

Pastor Jay continues part 3 in his Philippians series – teaching from chapter 3, using Joy as our focus.  We are reminded that we have purpose in our present and there is promise in our future.

PHILIPPIANS

PART 3 – JOY’S FOCUS

Philippians 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 

Philippians 3:1 (NLT) – Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith. 

JOY KILLERS

Philippians 3:2,18-19 – Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.  Unaware of the benefits of the cross.  Addicted to pleasure.  Earthly minded. 

Romans 12:2 – Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

Romans 8:6 – The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 

JOY’S FOCUS

1. There is no future in my past.

Philippians 3:7-11 – But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 

2. There is purpose in my present.

Philippians 3:12-14 – Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 

3. There is promise for my future.

Philippians 3:20-21 – But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.