St Mary's Church Almondsbury

 

 

To know God, build up each other as Christians, and proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord to our neighbours

 

 

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ÒA Life Worth LivingÓ Sermon Series
The theme of this series is that living the Christian life is a positive, life-enhancing experience. That is, how it is possible to live the Christian life positively, practically and joyfully.

Philippians 3: 1-9
Who worship in the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh (v3)

 

 

 

 

Sermon 6: New Attitude - Confidence

 

á       How can I be sure of a relationship?

á       How can I know they love me?

á       How can I know God loves me, accepts me?

á       Everyone has a basic choice of two alternatives: To trust what we can do for ourselves, or what God can do for us.

 

Paul says there are three marks of being a Christian:

 

1. Who worship in the Spirit of God

á       Worship is service in two senses: praising God, and doing good for others.

á       This requires enabling from above, the power of God at work in us.

á       Note the order: the Holy Spirit in us (i.e. being a Christian) generates good works, not good works makes us a Christian.

á       Our security is grounded on God is working in us, not that we work to bring him in.

 

2. Boast in Jesus Christ

á       Boasting can be good (generally regarded as bad).

á       This good boasting is a joyous satisfaction.

á       We have security because we rely on what Christ has done for us.

á       We trust his finished work on the cross to deal with our wrong doings that separate us from God.

á       Trust in him and praise him alone.

á       No ground for self-work and self-glory.

á       A Christian is not a Ôself-made manÕ.

 

Then St Paul states the negative to accentuate this:

 

3. Have no confidence in the flesh

á       We do not trust in circumcision;

á       But other physical confidences to make and maintain our relationship with God.

á       He calls people who preach that we can know God through physical things ÔdogsÕ (v2).

á       Extreme talk - but eternity is at stake.

á       Paul had good birth (tribe of Benjamin), good breeding (education) and good career (persecuted Church);

á       Counted this as loss, rubbish – useless, black box, not green box, stuff.

á       Paul says that he does not have Ôa righteousness (goodness) of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ.

á       Christ takes our sin and we receive his righteousness.

 

Application

Is your security in your relationship with God depending on:

á       That God is working in you by the Holy Spirit;

á       Christ has removed your sin;

á       ChristÕs righteousness is yours?

 

'A Life Worth Living' Sermons

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contact the Church Office

Rev. Philip W. Rowe, Vicar of Almondsbury and Olveston with Aust
The Vicarage, 3 Sundays Hill, Almondsbury, Bristol, BS32 4DS
01454 613223

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