Chasing Jesus: Forgetting the Past, Pressing On

Paul writes from a Roman prison and still says, “Rejoice in the Lord.” Philippians 3 treats that repeated call as safe, needed, and rooted not in easy circumstances but in Christ Himself. Paul warns the Philippians about Judaizers who want to add law keeping, circumcision, and religious effort to faith in Jesus. Those demands sound spiritual, but they turn confidence away from Christ and back toward the flesh.

Paul calls those false teachers dogs, evildoers, and mutilators of the flesh because their religion makes people try to earn what God gives by grace. The true circumcision belongs to those whose sin has been removed from the heart through faith in Christ. God receives worship in Spirit and truth, and Christ Jesus alone receives the glory. The flesh gets no confidence, because human effort cannot add one thing to the finished work of Jesus.

Paul then lays out a resume that could have impressed anybody. Paul was circumcised on the eighth day, born an Israelite from Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee, a student of the law, zealous enough to persecute the church, and outwardly blameless. Those credentials included both things assigned to him and things he had worked hard to accomplish. Yet Paul’s religious record could not make him right with God. The law requires perfection, and even Paul’s best efforts were mixed with pride and opposition to Christ.

The contrast between Paul’s old life and his new life turns everything upside down. Paul counts all former gain as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord. His old religious credits would not transfer. His cherished treasure was like Confederate money, his spiritual stock had gone bankrupt, and the evidence he meant to offer for his defense before God had become evidence against him.

Paul even calls those prized things rubbish, scubalon, something fit to be discarded. The point is not that family, heritage, skill, accomplishments, or possessions are automatically bad. The danger comes when those things define a person, sit on the throne of the heart, or keep a person from chasing Jesus. Mary chose the better part because she sat at Jesus’ feet, while Martha’s busy service became a distraction from the One she meant to serve.

Paul presses on because Christ Jesus has made him His own. The prize is knowing Christ, sharing His sufferings, living in resurrection power, putting fleshly desires to death, and becoming more like Jesus. The past must lose its grip, distractions must be laid aside, and the eyes must stay on the finish line. Christ remains both the goal of the race and the treasure at its end.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Confidence in flesh always fails. Paul’s background and discipline were real, impressive, and deeply religious, but none of them could produce righteousness before God. The flesh can build a strong resume while remaining far from Christ. Faith receives the righteousness that human effort can never achieve. [52:34]
• 2. Knowing Christ outweighs every credential. Paul does not merely add Jesus to his list of accomplishments. Paul counts everything else as loss because knowing Christ has surpassing worth. Every identity, possession, and success must become secondary to personal fellowship with the Lord. [58:15]
• 3. Good things can become distractions. Mary and Martha show that activity for Jesus can quietly replace time with Jesus. Service becomes spiritually dangerous when it keeps the heart from listening, praying, and growing in relationship with Christ. The better part remains sitting at His feet. [66:24]
• 4. Christ calls believers to press on. Paul refuses to live off his past, whether that past contains failures or accomplishments. Christ has already taken hold of him, and that grace drives him forward toward greater likeness to Jesus. The race requires focus, endurance, and a settled refusal to let lesser things define the goal.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [27:42] - Chasing Jesus in Philippians 3
• [32:49] - Rejoice in the Lord
• [35:23] - Warning Against False Confidence
• [37:45] - The True Circumcision
• [44:36] - Paul’s Religious Resume
• [49:18] - Legalism and the Pharisees
• [53:31] - The Rich Young Ruler
• [55:50] - Counting Gain as Loss
• [59:19] - Rubbish Compared to Christ
• [65:40] - Knowing Jesus First
• [69:32] - Forgetting the Past and Pressing On

Bible Reading

Philippians 3:1-14

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.” [29:31]

2. “Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.” [29:40]

3. “For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—” [29:48]

4. “—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:” [30:21]

5. “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;” [30:27]

6. “as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” [30:38]

7. “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” [55:47]

8. “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” [58:40]

9. “and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—” [30:43]

10. “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,” [01:08:12]

11. “that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” [01:09:09]

12. “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” [01:09:38]

13. “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,” [01:09:46]

14. “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” [01:09:46]

Luke 10:38-42

38. “Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.” [01:06:13]

39. “And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.” [01:06:41]

40. “But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’” [01:06:50]

41. “But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,” [01:07:01]

42. “but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.’” [01:07:09]

Mark 10:17-22

17. “And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’” [53:31]

18. “And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” [53:38]

19. “You know the commandments: Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” [53:45]

20. “And he said to him, ‘Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.’” [53:57]

21. “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’” [54:26]

22. “Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” [54:52]

Hebrews 12:1-2

1. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” [01:10:33]

2. “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” [01:10:52]

Observation questions

1. What three descriptions does Paul use for the false teachers in Philippians 3:2, and what were they urging believers to add to faith in Christ? [35:35]
2. What parts of Paul’s background were given to him by birth, and what parts came through his own effort and religious discipline? [47:36]
3. In Philippians 3:7-9, what words does Paul use to describe his former “gains,” and what does he want instead?
4. What contrasts can the group see between Mary’s response to Jesus and Martha’s response to Jesus in Luke 10:38-42? [01:06:41]

Interpretation questions

1. Why does Paul say that believers should “put no confidence in the flesh” even though good works, family heritage, discipline, and accomplishments may all be good gifts?
2. Paul says that righteousness comes from God through faith in Christ, not from the law. What would it look like for a person to trust in religious activity while still missing a real relationship with Jesus? [01:05:40]
3. The rich young ruler had kept many outward commands, but his possessions held first place in his heart. What does this show about the difference between outward obedience and wholehearted surrender to Jesus? [54:40]
4. Paul presses on because “Christ Jesus has made me his own.” How does knowing that Christ has already taken hold of a believer change the way that person pursues growth and obedience? [01:09:38]

Application questions

1. If someone introduced you by the five things you are most proud of, what would likely be included? Are any of those good things becoming the main source of your identity or confidence before God? [42:43]
2. Where are you most tempted to rely on the flesh: your upbringing, church background, good behavior, knowledge, work, possessions, reputation, or something else? What would trusting Christ rather than that thing look like this week? [53:05]
3. Paul counted everything as loss compared with the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. What is one good thing in your life that could become harmful if it begins to compete with time, obedience, and fellowship with Jesus? [01:02:25]
4. Martha was busy serving Jesus but was distracted from Jesus. Are there responsibilities—even church responsibilities—that can make it difficult for you to sit at the Lord’s feet in Scripture and prayer? What small change could help protect that time? [01:05:59]
5. Is there a past failure that you keep replaying, or a past accomplishment that you keep living off of? How can Philippians 3:13-14 help you release its grip and strain forward toward Christ? [01:09:59]
6. Hebrews says to lay aside every weight, not only obvious sin. What is one “weight” that may be slowing down your pursuit of Jesus right now, and what would it mean to lay it aside? [01:11:03]
7. Paul’s goal was to know Christ and become more like Him. What is one specific area where you want Christ’s resurrection power to reshape your attitudes, desires, speech, or relationships this week? [01:08:12]