Christ Is Worth More: Pursue Him Above All

May 17, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Profit Columns and Dumpsters

Paul sat with his life’s ledger. On one side: his heritage, religious accolades, and flawless law-keeping. On the other, a single entry: Christ. He took his “profit” column—everything that once made him feel worthy—and dragged it to the loss side. Not because those things were evil, but because they blocked his view of Jesus. He called them “dung” compared to knowing Christ. [28:06]

Jesus reshapes how we measure value. Paul’s credentials weren’t sinful, but they became rivals to grace. When we cling to achievements, family legacy, or moral performance, we risk making them counterfeit saviors. Only Christ’s righteousness covers us.

What résumé are you clutching? Write down three things you’ve leaned on for identity—career, reputation, or even church involvement. Hold that list open-handed today. Where do you sense Jesus asking, “Will you trade these for Me?”

“But everything that was a gain to me I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
(Philippians 3:7-8, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to expose one thing you’ve valued above intimacy with Him.
Challenge: Write “DUNG” on a scrap of paper. Crumple and discard it as you pray, “Jesus, You’re better.”

Day 2: Resurrection Power First

Paul’s goal wasn’t self-improvement. He wanted to know Christ’s resurrection power—the same force that blasted the tomb open. Only then could he endure suffering and die daily to sin. Resurrection isn’t just a future hope; it’s current fuel. Jesus’ victory empowers our obedience when deadlines crush or relationships fracture. [32:34]

Many try to “die to self” through gritted teeth. But self-denial without resurrection hope breeds despair. Jesus didn’t say, “Try harder.” He said, “Take My yoke”—linking our weakness to His endless strength.

Where are you striving in your own power? Stop. Sit still for two minutes. Whisper, “Your power, not mine.” What practical step could you take today to rely on His strength instead of yours?

“My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death.”
(Philippians 3:10, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for a specific hardship His resurrection power has carried you through.
Challenge: Text one person: “How can I pray for God’s strength in your life today?”

Day 3: Taken Hold, Pressing On

Paul raced toward Christ, not to earn love but because he’d been seized by it. “I press on because Christ Jesus took hold of me,” he wrote. His past failures (persecuting Christians) and successes (Pharisaic prestige) couldn’t chain or charm him. Forward motion flowed from grace, not guilt. [37:05]

We stall when we fixate on yesterday’s shame or trophies. But Jesus says, “Follow Me”—present tense. Your worst failure isn’t stronger than His forgiveness. Your greatest achievement isn’t brighter than His glory.

What memory keeps looping in your mind? Write it on a sticky note. Cross it out and write “TAKEN HOLD OF” over it. How might today look different if you believed Christ’s grip on you is sure?

“Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 3:12, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one way you’ve let past failure or success paralyze you.
Challenge: Take a 10-minute walk. With each step, pray, “You hold me. I press on.”

Day 4: Citizens of the Coming King

Philippian believers knew Roman citizenship’s perks: legal rights, infrastructure, prestige. Paul declared a higher allegiance: “Our citizenship is in heaven.” They could engage culture without bowing to it because their Savior-King was returning to renew all things. [48:58]

Earthly kingdoms crumble. Careers plateau. Reputations shift. But heaven’s citizenry rests secure. When anxiety about the future bites, remember: Jesus isn’t preparing a better resume for you—He’s preparing you for His presence.

What earthly concern feels heaviest today? Hold your hands palms-up. Say aloud, “This is Your kingdom, not mine.” What’s one way to invest in eternal priorities this week?

“Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
(Philippians 3:20, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reorient one area where you’ve prioritized earthly security over heavenly hope.
Challenge: Delete one app/social account for 24 hours. Use the time to read Colossians 3:1-4.

Day 5: Standing Firm in the Pattern

Paul begged the Philippians to “stand firm” by imitating his cruciform life. Not his personality or habits, but his pattern: clutch Christ, release all else. He wept for those who worshipped comfort, shame, and earthly things—enemies of the cross. [50:11]

Standing firm isn’t stagnation. It’s daily aligning with Jesus’ self-emptying love. When others chase success, we serve. When culture glorifies shame, we walk in grace. When fear shouts, we hope.

Who in your life models this “pattern”? Call or text them: “Thank you for showing me Jesus.” What’s one earthly attachment Jesus might be asking you to lay down this season?

“Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us.”
(Philippians 3:17, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for someone who helped you see His worth.
Challenge: Write a note to a younger believer: “Here’s how Jesus has been worth it for me…”

Sermon Summary

We gather around Philippians 3 to reckon with what truly defines us. Paul strips away his resume, his family pedigree, religious zeal, and moral achievement and calls them loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. We see that those former gains become liabilities when they compete with intimacy with Jesus. Paul refuses to bring self-made righteousness to God; instead he receives a righteousness from God that rests on faith. We pursue knowledge of Christ not as an abstract idea but as the lived experience of resurrection power, shared suffering, and being shaped into the likeness of Christ even in death to self.

We commit to ongoing pursuit because God has already taken hold of us. Paul admits he has not arrived, yet he presses on with focused intensity, forgetting past failures and refusing to rest on past victories. That forgetting guards our trajectory: shame can paralyze us and pride can make us coast. We intentionally reach forward for the prize promised by God, allowing revealed truth to demand obedience now rather than waiting for full clarity later.

We imitate the pattern of Christlike humility and self-denial and pay careful attention to examples that model that pattern. The cross opposes a culture of appetite, self-glorification, and earthly fixation. Many live as enemies of the cross by trading eternal transformation for temporary comforts. Therefore we reorient our allegiance: our citizenship belongs in heaven, and we wait eagerly for the Savior who will redeem and transform our bodies and our world.

Practically, we learn to work without being owned by work, to succeed without worshiping success, and to lose without losing our identity in Christ. When Christ proves worthier than every former anchor, we can reshape our lives around gratitude-driven pursuit, obedient movement, and hopeful waiting. We embrace imperfect action on the truth we possess and trust God to reveal more. In every season we choose the pattern of laying aside lesser things in order to take hold of the surpassing good of Jesus, living as pilgrims whose hope rests not in passing things but in the coming King.

Key Takeaways

1. Value Christ over all achievements We reassign value so that everything that once granted status now reads as loss beside Christ. This revaluation frees us from building identity on cultural honors and redirects our longings toward knowing Jesus himself. We refuse to let past credentials define our standing before God or others. [25:25]
2. Righteousness comes through faith We reject self-righteous resumes and rest in a righteousness granted by God through faith in Christ. That relocation of trust shapes how we live, removing desperate performances and inviting grateful dependence. Faith becomes the lens by which we walk, not a last-ditch backup. [31:03]
3. Press forward, forget what is behind We actively forget both shame and pride to maintain forward momentum toward Christlikeness. This discipline prevents past success from anesthetizing us and past failure from immobilizing us; both distort our pursuit. The race requires singular focus and continual reaching toward the prize. [37:37]
4. Live as citizens of heaven We reorient allegiance from earthly comforts to heavenly reality, awaiting the Savior who will renew all things. This citizenship reframes work, pleasure, and politics as temporary goods under Christ’s coming rule. Hope rooted in that coming transforms present choices and resists short-term appetites. [48:22]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:43] - Honoring seniors and gifts
[04:04] - Prayer for graduates
[24:21] - Choosing Philippians passage
[25:25] - Reading Philippians 3:7-11
[28:06] - Revaluing former gains
[32:02] - Resurrection power and suffering
[36:01] - Pressing forward, forgetting past
[44:33] - Imitate Christ, avoid false patterns
[48:22] - Citizenship in heaven and hope
[52:15] - Closing prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Philippians 3:7-11 (ESV)
"But whatever gain I had, I 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, 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."

Observation Questions

What metaphor does Paul use to describe his former achievements and status (e.g., religious credentials, moral efforts)? How does this metaphor clarify his perspective on their value compared to Christ?
In verse 8, Paul says he "counts everything as loss" present tense. What does this imply about the ongoing nature of valuing Christ above all else? [28:06]
According to the passage, what three aspects of knowing Christ does Paul prioritize: "the power of his resurrection," "the fellowship of his sufferings," and "being conformed to his death"? How do these contrast with worldly measures of success? [32:02]
How does Paul describe the source of righteousness in verse 9? What does he reject as insufficient?

Interpretation Questions

Why does Paul use strong language like "rubbish" (or "dung") to describe his former gains? What does this reveal about the danger of letting achievements or status compete with Christ? [30:06]
Paul says he presses forward by "forgetting what is behind" (v. 13). How might past failures and past successes hinder someone’s pursuit of Christ? [37:58]
The sermon mentions that "citizenship in heaven" reframes how we view work, politics, and earthly comforts. How does Philippians 3:20-21 challenge a culture obsessed with temporary satisfaction? [48:22]
Why does Paul emphasize knowing Christ (v. 10) rather than merely adhering to religious rules or doctrines? How does this align with his rejection of self-made righteousness?

Application Questions

What “gains” in your life (e.g., career, reputation, relationships, or even religious habits) might risk becoming “loss” if they compete with your intimacy with Christ? How can you actively reorient their value this week?
The sermon warns against letting shame or pride derail our spiritual growth. What practical step could you take to “forget what is behind” and press forward—whether by releasing guilt or resisting complacency? [37:37]
How might living as a "citizen of heaven" reshape your daily priorities? Give one example of how this truth could change your approach to work, conflict, or cultural pressures.
Paul says righteousness comes through faith, not performance. Where do you feel tempted to rely on your own “resume” (good deeds, knowledge, or reputation) instead of resting in Christ’s finished work? How can you practice dependence this week?
The sermon urges "imperfect action on the truth we possess." What is one area where you’ve waited for clarity instead of obeying what God has already revealed? What small step of obedience can you take today? [40:48]
How can you intentionally pursue "knowing Christ" (not just about Him) through practices like prayer, serving others, or embracing seasons of suffering? [33:27]

Sermon Clips

63s

#CitizensOfHeaven

“Right? Forgetting lesser things to gain Christ. Pressing forward because Christ has taken hold of us and standing firm because we know that he's coming back. We know that he's coming to make all things new. Graduates, the world is about to hand you a thousand different places to place your hope. Right? It's gonna say, hey, place your hope in your career, in your degree, in your income, in your reputation, in your freedom, in your political beliefs, in your future plans. Right? But and it's not just for you guys. This is for all of us. Our citizenship is in heaven. Our hope is not in earthly things. Our hope is in the savior that comes from heaven, and he's coming to make all things new.”

33s

#RighteousnessByFaith

“So Paul's he's talking about his resume. Paul, he doesn't wanna stand before God with his own resume in his hands. That's not where he wants to be found. He wants to be found in Christ because he knows if if I have a righteousness of my own from the law, it's not gonna be enough. He needs a righteousness that is outside of himself. He needs a righteousness that is through faith in Christ, that comes from God, and that is based on faith.”

40s

#GraceThatTransforms

“Because when we see what he gave up to take hold of us we can't sit still. Paul is not pursuing Jesus out of insecurity or out of trying to earn that favor. He's pursuing Jesus because he's in awe of what he's been shown. He's in awe of that grace. Jesus stopped Paul when he was running full speed in the wrong direction and he took hold of him and he completely turned his life around. That is what grace does for each of us.”

34s

#ReevaluatedByChrist

“Everything that used to define him gets reevaluated in light of Jesus. Right? None of the things that he used to place his confidence in can provide what Jesus has provided. They cannot make him righteous. They cannot save him. They cannot give him resurrection life. Only Jesus can. And so if Christ is worth more, right, if we believe that that is true, then that old pattern of thinking can be done away with.”

27s

#ChristOverEverything

“He says everything else is like garbage. Verse 80 says, because of him I've suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung so that I may gain Christ. Now that's that's not a really polite word that he uses there. Right? He's saying if anything is competing with Christ as my ultimate source of confidence, I have to throw it out. I have to I have to get it away from me. It stinks. It smells bad.”

35s

#ResurrectionPowerFirst

“Alright? Nothing else compares. I I just want to know him. He wants to know the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his sufferings, and to be conformed to his death. Alright? And that sounds backwards at first. We we would expect Paul to say first suffering and then death and then resurrection. Right? He puts resurrection power first to make a point here. Right? And it is that Christ and his resurrection power enable us to endure suffering and to die to self.”

48s

#LiveAsHeavenlyCitizen

“He wants them to finish in this manner, right the manner of those who lay aside all things for the sake of Christ. Those who pursue him from a place of gratitude for what Jesus has already done for them and those who recognize that our citizenship is in heaven, that this world is not our home. And so our last point Christ is our hope. There's there's two different opposing ways that to live that he lays out in his passage. He says you can live with your mind set on earthly things. You can live for your appetite and for your comfort and your status and your success, or you can live as a citizen of heaven.”

38s

#JesusNotCaesar

“Right? This would have made a lot of sense to the church at Philippi because they cared a lot about their citizenship. Philippi was a Roman colony. They knew how important it was to be a Roman citizen, what that meant. And so Paul's saying, hey, your truest allegiance is not to Caesar. Caesar is not king, Jesus is king. Right? We wait for our savior from heaven. And when our savior comes it says he will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.”

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Southside Baptist Church This sermon · AI assistant

What replaces earthly achievements as basis of identity?

What grounds true righteousness before God?

What is the Christian's true citizenship?

Christ Is Worth More: Pursue Him Above All

Devotional

Day 1: Profit Columns and Dumpsters

Day 2: Resurrection Power First

Day 3: Taken Hold, Pressing On

Day 4: Citizens of the Coming King

Day 5: Standing Firm in the Pattern

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Christ Is Worth More: Pursue Him Above All

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