WEEK FOUR
Day Four
DAILY SCRIPTURE
Philippians 3:9
LEADER GUIDE QUESTIONS
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Know: Read Philippians 3:8-9
Note: Read slowly, carefully marking keywords.
count all as loss, gain Christ
Observation:
What is gained?
What is loss?
How is righteousness gained?
What: What did you gain at salvation?
“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;” Philippians 3:8-9
I have heard many people say that when they got saved, they had to give up everything; they were now on the “straight and narrow,” and Jesus was where fun went to die. People struggle with the idea that being a Christian now means that they cannot do what they once did. Party-goers had to give up partying. Drinkers had to give up drinking. Church is boring and unexciting. Going to church becomes a way to appease a guilty conscience for a time.
Some people just made Church a habit until they forgot about thier past; nonetheless, there is a tinge of regret associated with following Christ, as if they had to sacrifice something to be a Christian.
However, Paul had a much different perspective. All of Paul’s achievements meant nothing to him compared to knowing Christ. Paul’s achievements were akin to someone today, having climbed up the corporate ladder and having multiple plaques and prestigious titles, with the bank account to prove it.
Like a bank ledger with all the achievements in the credits, once he encountered Jesus, all those achievements were counted as losses, and Jesus and all of His benefits were the credit. Nothing Paul could ever do would amount to the riches of knowing Christ.
Before, Paul’s righteousness came from what he did. His ‘rightness,’ or his ‘right relationship’ with God, was based on the law. If Paul obeyed the law and did what was right according to the Mosaic law, he would be considered upright.
If we don’t clearly understand what Jesus accomplished through His death, burial, and resurrection, we can easily be ‘under the law’ by how we interpret scripture. We will believe that we had to give up something to follow Christ when, in fact, Jesus gave up His life so that we might gain everything in Heaven!
For example, staying on the topic of a past lesson regarding forgiveness, Jesus said this:
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14-15
After his resurrection, he said this:
“The forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to all nations!” (Luke 24:47)
In a previous lesson, I mentioned what forgiveness is not. Let’s talk about what forgiveness is. Forgiveness is the Greek word “aphesis,” which means “to put away” or “letting them (sins) go as if they had never been committed.”
God lets go of our sins and does not hold them against us; in fact, he carried our sins as far as the East is from the West. In other words, He forgot them as if they never happened. When the bank forgives a debt, the debt has been paid.
The wages (the debt) of sin is death. Jesus has paid our debt of death with his blood. “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12)
When were you forgiven?
“I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven for his name’s sake. (1 John 2:12)
Forgiveness is past tense. We are not forgiven as we go, we are not working towards being forgiven, and we are not forgiven some time in the future. All of our sins—past, present, and future—were paid for at the cross.
Neither does God forgive in installments.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” (Ephesians 1:7)
The Lord “pardons all your iniquities.” (Ps. 103:3) …(All means all.)
All were forgiven at the cross:
“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
“He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.” (Heb. 7:27)
Some people hold onto their sins as though they were unforgiven, but as far as God is concerned, all our sins were dealt with at the cross.
Here is the good news:
“He himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. (1 John 2:2)”
Propitiation means ‘satisfied.’ Because of Jesus, the demands of justice have been fully satisfied. Once upon a time the world was under the condemnation of sin, but God has forgiven all sin and there is nothing left to forgive.
What was the justice that was required?
When Jesus died, God was not punishing His Son. Many who have been brought up in evangelical western churches may have been taught that God’s wrath toward sinful mankind led Jesus to the cross for Him to endure God’s anger so that we would not have to. As long as we stay in covenant and obey God, we will have Jesus covering and forgiveness from the wrath of God. However this is not what Paul taught.
Paul taught that God (the Triune God) was in Christ reconciling the world to themselves (2 Cor 5:19). In other words, They were at the cross together, redeeming mankind back into sonship and letting go of the very thing that caused mankind to be separated from Him. The book of Judges shows us what God’s wrath looked like: protecting His people from groups trying to destroy them. God’s wrath is not directed at sin because He forgot our sin- all sin. So, it’s not sin that separates us anymore- it’s our unbelief (that He forgot it.) You may have regrets that keep you awake at night, but God remembers your sins no more. There is no price tag to His forgiveness.
In light of this, it brings our forgiving to a higher standard.
“ Forgive as you have been forgiven.” (Ephesians 4:32)
Before Jesus' death, He said, “ If you forgive, it will be forgiven.” (Matt 6:14). After His resurrection, He told His disciples, “The forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations ” (Luke 24:47). Jesus raised the bar to a greater place, which requires God's power.
Later, the apostle John admonished the church: “In the same way you are forgiven, we forgive.” (Ephesians 4:32)
Unforgiveness is like holding someone a prisoner. It dominates our lives and spills over into other aspects of our lives. It shackles us to an event or person from which we must be set free. It is a hindrance to freedom and our prayers. It destroys relationships and can make us sick. It brings torment because it keeps us bound to an event, causing us to rehearse it. If someone brings up the offender's name, the feelings come back fresh, and we can remember the offense in detail. The symptoms of unforgiveness are torment, hatred, darkness, anxiety, drivenness, heaviness of heart when you think of that person, rehearsed arguments, and avoidance.
When we don’t understand judgment and live in the judgment of others, the symptoms are sluggishness, living without a sense of power or well-being; we endure nagging physical problems, lack of sound sleep, and feeling hindered and opposed. When we are constantly judging we find ourselves in a cycle of judgment.
Forgiveness looks like what God did for us: canceling the debt.
When we forgive others, we cancel the debt they owe us, which, in turn, stops our judgment of the person and allows us to be healed of the wounding. Because you did not know what motivated them, you released them for any judgment you passed on them. We choose to operate in mercy and grace, saying we want what God wants for that person.
To forgive sound like this, “You owed me love and protection. You did not give it to me. I forgive you of that debt.”
God empowered us with His power to forgive. That does not mean we put ourselves in a constant position of being wounded. Powerful people can say, “That’s your pain, not mine. My peace and rest are not dependent on your health.”
Here is a powerful prayer when seeking to forgive:
“Father, what happened was wrong, and you agree. It can never be paid back by anyone but Jesus. I accept what you did for me, Jesus. You paid for it all, in full. I release ______________ to you. I forgive __________________ of the debt they no longer owe me. They are no longer guilty toward me. Thank you, Jesus, amen.”
Take a minute to check your heart. Is that account closed? Invite Jesus into the conversation to help you evaluate and ensure that His peace and forgiveness reign in your heart.
(The symptoms of forgiveness are peace, joy, and rest.)