THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
(Chapter 3)
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, Kevin Pendergrass.
Welcome to our study of the Book of Philippians. This is our third lesson in this study. The subject today is “counting all things lost for Christ.” What does it mean to count all things lost for Christ? We will be talking about the importance of putting first both Christ and His kingdom (Mt. 6:33). We live in a world with a lot of distractions and a lot of entertainment. Of course, there have always been distractions and entertainment in which people can get caught up. But we must “count all things lost for Christ.” Notice Paul’s mentality toward this in Philippians 3:4-7. As I read this, I want you to see how Paul once deemed many things of the flesh to be important. But from a secular standpoint, the things that once were important to him were no longer important.
“Though I also might have confidence in the flesh, if anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.”
Notice Paul’s attitude. He says, “If anyone thinks he can brag about the things he has done in the flesh, or the things of this world, I can brag even more.” He was not saying this to say, “I’m better than you; look what I’ve done from a fleshly standpoint.” His point was, “If someone wants to compare résumés, or if you want to see my pedigree, I will bring it out and show you that I have been involved in these things.” But his attitude toward those things was now, “I have counted them lost for Christ.” Matthew 16:26 teaches, “What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his own soul?” You may have all the things of this world, but if you lose your soul, in the end it profits you absolutely nothing.
In Philippians 3:13, notice what Paul had to say: “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” Paul was ready to press on and seek first the kingdom of God. How do we do this? It sounds easy, and it sounds great. A lot of people want to change. But how does a person change?
Even though the Christian life is a wonderful life, Matthew 7:13-14 makes it clear that it is a difficult life— in that only a few (those who do the will of God) will find eternal salvation. How do we truly “count all things lost for Christ”? Today we will examine three points so that we can have the same mindset that Paul had.
The first point is that if we are going to count all things lost for Christ, we must change our attitude. Our attitude must change toward sin, toward this world, and toward how we view God. Many people who claim to have been converted were never truly converted because they did not change their attitude. They had the mindset of, “I’ll be sorry for a little while, but then I will go back to doing what I’ve always done.” I heard a person say on one occasion, “I’m going to live the way I want to, but that’s OK because every night before I go to bed I will say a prayer real quickly.” That is someone who never changed his attitude toward the things of this world. He wanted to continue in those pleasures and sinful things, instead of changing his attitude.
Today I want to talk about King Solomon, about whom we read in the Old Testament. In 1 Kings 1:28-30 the first thing we read is that he was a king. If someone is a king, what does he possess? He has people who work under him. He has riches. He has e a lot of things that most people will never have. A lot of people would strive to be a king. They want to have that power, and want to have that authority. But not only was Solomon a great king, he also possessed great wisdom. In 2 Chronicles 1:7-10 we learn that Solomon possessed this wisdom. Wisdom and knowledge are things for which many people today strive. Some want to go to school and be a full-time student because they want more and more knowledge. People actually have (so they claim) “outsmarted God.” Of course, this is not what they have done. But they could claim that because they have so many degrees, and have gone to school so long, that they do not need God. Solomon was a man who had great knowledge and wisdom. He was a king. He had great power. He had great wisdom.
But in 1 Kings 11:1-7 we see that he also had all the women he (or anyone else) could ever want. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Think about having 700 wives and 300 concubines, which totals 1,000. If he spent one day with each of those women, it would take him more than three years to be with all of them. This was a man who did not need any more women. He had all the women he could ever want. People today strive to have more women. This tears up families and homes. Some men want “a woman on the side.” But Solomon was a man who had lots of women.
However, Solomon was not only a king. Look at 1 Kings 10:23, which tells us that Solomon was greater than all other kings—“So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.” Solomon not only was wealthy and powerful, but he also surpassed all the other kings. Why are we talking about King Solomon? We are talking about him because he was a man who, most people would think, “had it all.” He might be a role model for a lot of people who think, “I wish I could be like him because that would be a wonderful life.” But toward the end of his life, Solomon was a man who changed his attitude toward these things. He had experienced it all, but then changed his attitude. Ecclesiastes 1:14 shows us Solomon’s attitude toward those former things: “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.” Solomon said, “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun.” If there is anyone who could speak from experience, it would be Solomon. But he said that everything was vanity because there was nothing to it. He had experienced all those things, but there was nothing to them. They did not make him happy. In Ecclesiastes 2:11 he said, “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.” Solomon said that it was like “grasping for the wind.” Solomon’s attitude changed. He did not say, “This is the way we should do it. This was great. I would do it all over again.” He changed his attitude. He said that it was like “grasping for the wind.” Have you ever tried to grasp the wind? You will never be able to do that because it is endless. You can’t do it. You would spend your whole life trying to do it. And that is exactly how Solomon described his former life. In fact, he summed it up in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 by saying, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” The conclusion is that we must fear God and do what He has commanded us to do. This is what will make us happy in life. Other things may lead to temporary happiness, but not eternal happiness.
Some people might say, “But aren’t there some people who are happy in their sin? Don’t they enjoy living their sinful lifestyles?” Yes, there are quite a few who enjoy their sinful lifestyles. When some of my friends were door knocking, they met a man who said, “I don’t need God. I built this house by myself. I don’t need God. Why are you coming to me? I’ve done all of this for me, and I’m enjoying my lifestyle.” Someone might ask, “Isn’t he enjoying that?” Yes, he is. Hebrews 11:25 says, though, that it is a “passing pleasure.” Sin is something that is pleasurable only for a little while. But then it passes away. It is like the parable Jesus told in Luke 12:16-21, which is the parable of the rich fool who was sort of like the man I just described. Many people are rich, but they are rich in their foolishness. The Bible says,
“Then Jesus spoke a parable to them, saying, ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, “What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?” So he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’” But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?” So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’”
The mentality of the rich man was, “I’ve got everything I’ve ever wanted. I’ve got more than I know what to do with. In fact, I’ve got so much I’ve got to tear down my barns so I can build bigger barns.” This was his mentality toward sin and the things of the world. Unfortunately, he did not change his mentality like Solomon did. In verse 20 the Bible says, “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” We cannot serve God and the world (Mt. 6:24). If we are going to serve God, we must serve only God. And our attitudes toward the world must change. We cannot be like the rich fool who had the attitude, “This is the life, and I’m going to live it up!” If we do this, we will be lost in Hell for eternity. How sad that would be. Our attitudes must change. Paul, in Ephesians 5:8-13, said,
“You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.”
We have to change our attitudes. People once were in darkness, and enjoyed the things they were doing. But Paul reminded them that they no longer could be that way. If we want to count all things lost for Christ, first and foremost we must change our attitudes. We must change our attitudes concerning the way the world would see it. Does that mean that some things might be intrinsically OK, yet we still need to change our attitudes? Of course. There is nothing wrong with sports, in and of themselves. But if sports come between us and God, we must change our attitude toward those sporting events. If it is more important for our children to be playing basketball or baseball than it is for them to be in worship services, something has to change. What has to change is our attitude.
Second, once we have changed our attitude, is that enough? Even King Herod changed his attitude. He was sorrowful for having killed John the Baptist. But he never changed his action. After we have changed our attitude, the next step is that we must change our action. It is not enough just to say, “I’m sorry” or “Yeah, I need to change my attitude toward these things, but I’m going to keep doing them anyway.” It doesn’t work that way. We cannot continue doing the things we once did. In Philippians 3:12, notice what Paul said: “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” Paul said, “I press on. I do not just stop; I continue. I change my action, and I continue being the person I’m supposed to be.” In Ephesians 5:15-17 the Bible teaches, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” What does it mean to “redeem the time”? The word “redeem” means “to buy back.” We have been redeemed by the Lord if we have obedient to His will. We have been redeemed or bought back. How can we buy back time? There is no way we can go back into time and live another day or week. This means that we must make the most of our time. Now that we have changed our attitude, we must change our action and make the most out of the time we have left. We should regret the things we have done wrong, but we must not allow them to be a hindrance regarding what we can do in the future. We must “redeem the time.” It is sad that many people start out as faithful Christians, but then end up as unfaithful. I’ve met so many people who were once “walking in the light as He is in the light” (1 Jn. 1:7-9). I’ve met people who had put on Christ by being baptized (Gal. 3:27-28). I’ve met those who have confessed Jesus as Lord, and said, “I want to do what the Bible says.” But a year, or two years, or ten years, or maybe just a few months later, they returned to the things of this world. Why? Because they never really changed and continued to change their actions. In 1 John 2: 15-17 we see why the warning is given.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
Here we see that we must not love the world. We must teach Christians the importance of not loving the world, and of not having the same actions or participating in the same things in which people in the world participate. There was a man in the Bible by the name of Demas (2 Tim. 4:10). He walked with Paul as an evangelist. He was at one time a faithful Christian. But as Paul was writing to Timothy, he said, “Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world.” The things of the world were more attractive to him than truth. Because of that, he fell away from the truth. How sad that is. He did not really change his lifestyle. He did not change his actions—and then continue to change them. Every day we must get up and live a life that is pleasing to God. Demas did not do that. He did not continue to change to meet God’s requirements. Instead, he went back and loved the world.
So many times today we, too, love the world. I’ve heard people say, “I don’t want the Lord to come back because I’m enjoying life too much.” We should enjoy life (the Christian life) to a certain extent. There are many blessings in this life that God gives us. But Heaven is far greater than Earth. Why would people want to continue to stay here? The reason is because they love this world. They are not changing their actions to those of Christ. We must walk properly, the Bible teaches (Rom. 13:13). We should not be involved in drinking parties, drunkenness, lewdness, lust, strife, or envy. We must get away from those things. We must change the way we live. In 1 Peter 4:1-2 we are taught, “Since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.” What is Peter saying? When we change, it is no longer about us living our lives in this fleshly body. Rather, it is about serving God and doing His will. In verse 3 Peter continues by saying, “For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.” But what happens when we change our actions in order to become a faithful child of God, and no longer are involved in sinful activities, how are those people with whom I used to hang out going to view us? Verse 4 answers that question: “In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.” What will happen when we change our actions? Will it be difficult at times because of the way our old friends treat us and talk about us? Yes, absolutely. That is what the Bible says. But it says, “Do not think it strange” when this starts happening. When people start to talk about us for being “weird” because we no longer do what we used to, we should expect such. We must know that people will see our change. And we must keep on changing. We must walk properly.
The Bible also teaches that we cannot handle the Word of God deceitfully. In 2 Corinthians 4:2 Paul said, “We have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.” We cannot handle the Word of God in a deceitful manner. In 2 Timothy 4:1-5 we read about those who have itching ears, and who heap up for themselves teachers who will justify their actions. But we cannot do that. We must change our actions and walk worthy of our calling (Eph. 4:1). The Bible also teaches in Proverbs 4:14-15 the importance of not walking the way we once walked. “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on.” Someone might say, “Well, I’m still going to walk in that way, and I’m still going to hang out with the same people. I’m still going down that path. I’m going to the parties, but I won’t drink like I used to.” The Bible says, “Do not enter that path.” We must not walk down the same path. Rather, we must travel another road —the road that God has provided “in the light” (1 Jn. 1:7-9). We must walk in the light as He is in the light. We must not travel the old path that we used to walk. Many people want to dabble in sin. They say, “I’m not going to do the things I used to do,” yet they end up falling right back into them. We must change our action.
The last thing we need to do after changing our attitude and our actions is to change our destination. This is the most wonderful thing of all. When we change these things, we change our destination and realize where we are going if we are faithful. Philippians 3:14 tells us, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Isn’t it wonderful to know that if we have changed our attitude and our actions, we can know that Heaven will be our eternal home? In 1 John 5:13 John wrote, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” It is not a question of “Do we possess eternal life?” or “Am I sure I possess eternal life?” The Bible says that we can know that we have eternal life. But that is the case only if we have been obedient to God’s will. This does not mean that there will not be any difficult times for Christians. Matthew 5:11-12 teaches, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.” This means that if we are living as faithful Christians, at times people are going to persecute us. But we must continue to live faithfully. In Matthew 10:22 Jesus said, “You will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.” We can know that Heaven will be our eternal home—which makes all the trials and tribulations worth it. In Matthew 10: 22 Jesus stressed, “You will be hated by all for My name’s sake.” A lot of people do not want to talk about that or teach it. I heard someone say once, “Never let someone say at your funeral that you had no enemies.” Sometimes people think that’s a compliment. People will get up at a funeral and say, “Old so-and-so never had any enemies. And what a wonderful thing that was.” But what does Jesus say? Jesus said that if we are faithful, many will hate us. We will have enemies. But if we endure to the end, we will be saved. We have changed our destination. In Revelation 2:10 we are told that if we remain faithful unto death, we will receive a crown of life. Jesus said that there would be some persecution going on, and it would be difficult. There had to be a lot of attitude and action changes made. People had to continue making such changes. Their lives could have been taken from them (and some of them were). The warning was, “Even if it means your death, you must remain faithful so that you will receive the crown of life.”
But I also want to look at Paul’s mentality. Paul was someone whom you could truly say was “a convert among converts.” He was a man who used to persecute Christians, and who used to blaspheme God—think he was doing what was right. But he changed his attitude and his actions. Then he knew what his destination was. Look at what he said in 2 Timothy 4:6-8 (close to the time of his death):
“I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
Paul was a man who changed. He finished the race, and knew that when he died, if he had remained faithful, he would have Heaven as his eternal home. Do you have the same mentality that Paul had? Have you changed your attitude? The Bible teaches in Romans 10:17 that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Your attitude must be, “All I want to do is what the Bible says—nothing more and nothing less. I do not want to go beyond that which is written (1 Cor. 4:6).” Upon studying and hearing God’s Word, you must believe what you hear. You must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Jn. 3:16). But that is not where it ends. James 2:24-26 says that faith without works is dead. You must hear, and you must believe. But you also must repent. There is the change. You must repent of your lifestyle. Acts 17:30 says, “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.” Even then, you are not saved because the Bible teaches that you must confess Jesus as Lord (Rom. 10:10). But again, you still are not saved. Why? Because you have yet to have your sins washed away in the watery grave of baptism. The Bible teaches that you must come in contact with the blood of Jesus Christ in order to have your sins washed away (Rev. 1:5). When does this occur? Romans 6:3-4 and Acts 22:16 show that this occurs when we are baptized in water for the forgiveness of our sins. If you have not yet done this, we pray today that you will obey the Gospel of Christ.
Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
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1. What is the overall theme of this particular lesson?
2. What did Jesus say in Matthew 6:33?
3. What did Paul mean when he said in Philippians 3:7, “I count all things lost for Christ”?
4. In the second part of Philippians 3:13, what did Paul say he had done?
5. What attitude did King Solomon eventually express in Ecclesiastes 1:14?
6. What does Matthew 7:13-14 tell us about living the Christian life?
7. According to Ecclesiastes 12:13, what is our duty in this life?
8. What does Hebrews 11:25 teach us about the pleasures of sin?
9. In Luke 12:16-21 Jesus told a parable. What was the basic thrust of the parable?
10. How does the parable that Jesus told in Luke 12:16-21 apply to us today?
11. In Ephesians 5:8, what did Paul urge Christians to do?
12. What important point did Paul make in Philippians 3:12?
13. In Ephesians 5:17, what did Paul urge every Christian to do?
14. According to 1 John 1:7, what should Christians strive to do every day of their lives?
15. What does 1 John 2:15 urge Christians not to do?
16. Who was the man of whom Paul spoke in 2 Timothy 4:10, and what had he done?
17. What does Romans 13:13 urge Christians to do?
18. According to 1 Peter 4:2, how are Christians to live their lives?
19. In 2 Corinthians 4:2 Paul told Christians how not to handle the Word of God. What was his point in that passage?
20. What had the people described in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 done that was so wrong?
21. What is the point being made in Proverbs 4:14-15?
22. According to 1 John 5:13, what can Christians know?
23. In Matthew 10:22, what warning did Jesus offer Christians?
24. In Revelation 2:10, what did Jesus urge Christians to do?
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