Personal notes from a Sunday morning at Denton Bible Church:

Music:

• Knowing You
• Lord I Lift Your Name On High
• Praise the Savior
• Amazing Grace/Chains Are Gone

Text Reading: Philippians 3:1 and 4:1

Sermon Notes (Pastor Tommy Nelson):

• Phil. Chapter 1: Live as Christ
• Phil. Chapter 2: Mind of Christ (emulate) can’t preach what you don’t live
• Phil. Chapter 3: Seek Christ
• Ver 1-9 justification (past)
• Ver 10-16 sanctification (present)
• Ver 17-21 glorification (future)
• a protestant downfall: just because you may have found Christ and believe that is sufficient, you no longer seek Him
• Verse 1: Paul said “rejoice in the Lord” (boast, glory)
• If you go to heaven, what would you say to Christ if He asked what did you do? gone to church, tried to do my best, did not knowing hurt someone – if they give you their resume, they are not “Christ-ians”…they have confidence in self, not in Him(things in the black…”gains”; self-righteous life); trust in yourself, but not in the redemptive life of Christ
• Verse 2: might stumble “beware of dogs” – false teachers (Jewish, nominal Christians, ceremonial law-yers). Paul says false teachers are evil workers
• TN: “no hymns start with ‘maybe’ “
• Paul defines circumcision as: 1) worship God/Spirit; 2) rejoice in Christ, 3) dismiss all honors/accomplishments as a means to reach God
• Verse 7: gains are losses, if you take Jesus, you must clean your hands
• Verse 8: all things are losses (despite moral gains)
• Verse 9: it’s all in being found in Christ; naked we come into this world, naked we leave…all we have in between is Christ
• Verse 10: “knowing” = “relationship”; alive to God, dead to sin
• TN: FCA experience…the guy who introduces you, creates your credibility (creates the illusion); that’s what Paul wants to be
• TN: “don’t be a Christian like I am a (Cowboys) fan”
• Don’t be tripped up…Christ plus anything
• TN: “velcro on a cue ball”
• Verse 12: sanctification…get honest about your sin; follow hard after Christ (press on despite your sins)
• Verse 13: Psalm 28:4; “See”, “Know”…forget living like you used to do, reach forward to what lies ahead
• TN: “don’t sit on your scrapbook”
• Verse 14: keep the faith; finish the race…the “prize” is what Christ thinks of you.
• Verse 15: God will reveal your salvation
• Version 16: walk the preordained line; don’t change because of the dogs (Ver 3:1), in other words: (TN) “dance with the one that brung ya”; stay straight – walk the path, walk the line, don’t stray from the path (also Colossians 2:4-5)