Church on a Mission - Week 5 - Faith is living out our allegiance to King Jesus.

Last week we continued our series of church on mission and we ended up understanding that Salvation requires reverence and sacrifice.

What is the hardest thing you ever had to give up?

Philippians 3:1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
---Lord here means king. We say Lord but the truth is we are to celebrate with the King.
---Celebrate with the king
---Take a moment and think of something you need to celebrate with your King.

Philippians 3:2-3 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision
---Paul here starts out with here is what we do…
---Do…Celebrate with the King
---Don’t…Give into pragmatic theology
(ex: Works based faith; if I do the right things on the outside I will be fixed on the inside)

Philippians 3:3 who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh
---Do…Worship only in the Spirit of God and give glory to Jesus
---Don’t…Put confidence in who you are as a person

Philippians 3:4-7 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
-Paul:
---Grew up in a good family
---Super religious
---Wealthy
---Knew more about the Bible than anyone
---Popular among his people
---Thought he wasn’t that bad
-If your successful, have a good family, you go to church, know your bible, people genuinely like you and you do good, does that mean your a Jesus follower? Maybe if you believe the next statement

Philippians 3:7-9 But whatever gain I had, counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law,
---Everything you are do you count it as loss in reference to your relationship with Jesus.
---Easy answer is yes
1. What if God asked you to give up your family like he did the disciples?
2.What if he asked you to give up Christmas or watching your favorite sports teams?
3. What if he asked you to go live in a shack half way across the world by selling all of your possessions?
4. What if he asked you to not just believe his word but live it?
5. What if he told you to go to a Muslim country and share the gospel?
6. What if he asked you go tell a friend about Jesus where you know it may cost your relationship?

Philippians 3:9-11 but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
-What is faith? Faith requires us to live differently
---If there is resurrection you will live differently
-Faith in Jesus is believing the best is yet to come
---When you suffer you know that the best is yet to come
-Faith is grounded in discontent
---You will die one day and you will continue to have loss
-Faith is believing that gaining Christ is worth more than what you have lost

Faith is living out our allegiance to King Jesus.