Our Walk Here, Our Hearts There

Our Walk Here, Our Hearts There

Philippians 3:1-9

Good morning!

Today my message is entitled “Our Walk Here, Our Hearts There!”

As we continue to look at the book of Philippians, we see that we are to live with joy in all our circumstances. In fact, we have a task to do here even though we desire to be with God.

Paul shares his walk that God gave him and encourages us to find our walk given from God.

Lawrence Richards puts it this way:

“A concern for heaven enables us to live a truly righteous life on earth.” ¹

This is only for a time, and then we can be with God for eternity. We need to up our game to be more like Jesus so that those around us have a chance to glimpse Christ through us. Our lives should reflect the righteousness of God.

Philippians 3:1-9 NIV

1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.

Paul is the master of long sentences and thoughts. Here, he uses the word “Finally” not to say he is done, but to state that he is on the last idea for that round.

Again, he puts in the theme of the book – “Rejoice in the Lord”.

2 Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh.

Lawrence Richards summarizes this verse with these thoughts:

“The unity of the church at Philippi was also threatened by Judaizers – men masquerading as believers who insisted that Christians were obligated to keep the Mosaic Law and, in effect, become Jews. Paul is very blunt about these “men who do evil^{” 2}

3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—

Colossians 2:11-14 NIV

11 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ,

12 having been buried with him in baptism, and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,

14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

Jesus was way more interested in the removal of sin and sorrow than of a fleshly ritual. His walk was one of redeeming people from the path of the world into the path to heaven.

4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence.

If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:

5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee;

6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.

Richards states: “Paul had taken pride in conformity to the Mosaic Law until he realized that it neither commended him to God, nor made him a truly righteous man.” ³                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

All that Paul had been and achieved while persecuting the Christians he now considered gone, worthless in his new walk. When he met Jesus on that Damascus road, his life started down a new path of doing what Jesus did.

8 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

Paul had so much and now he is confident that all he had was worthless compared to this new existence inside the love of God.

9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in (or through the faithfulness of) Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

Romans 3:21-24 NIV

21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Paul states in Galatians 2:15-16 NIV

15 “We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’

16 know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

As we participate in Communion, I want us all to remember that our Lord Jesus came as a mortal man to walk among us, to show us how much God loves us. Jesus also taught us the correct way to live so we can walk among the people, teaching them how to live. Jesus was and is our example of Godly living. Will you do the same?

Let’s pray!