"Be Confident!" - Philippians 3:2-14 - Mike Maglish

LifeSpring Christian Church Sermons

Be Confident!
Philippians 3:2-14
Mike Maglish

December 26, 2024

According to a Gallup poll, around 36% of U.S. adults express a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence, which is considered a relatively low percentage compared to previous years, indicating that a significant portion of the population does not feel highly confident.

“When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things.”

Joe Namath

2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. —The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Php 3:2). (2016). Crossway Bibles.

Dogs - Wild dog. Filthy.

Evildoers - Bad, Immoral, Wicked, Wrong, Difficult, Harsh, Incorrect

Mutilate the Flesh - Circumcision

2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. —The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Ga 5:2–6). (2016). Crossway Bibles.27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. —The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Mt 23:27–28). (2016). Crossway Bibles.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 —The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Php 3:3). (2016). Crossway Bibles.11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. —The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Col 2:11–15).

(Php 3:4–6)

Christian Flesh

• Family Heritage
• Church you attend
• Education
• Achievements
• Bank Account
• Good Deeds

RELIGIOUS people put their CONFIDENCE in their FLESH

(Php 3:7–11).

When we GIVE UP confidence in FLESH we GAIN Christ

(Php 3:12–14).

Make my own/make me his own - καταλαμβάνω (katalambanō)

Obtain requiring effort, attack, overpower by force

We MAKE IT our own when we PRESS ON for the prize

(1 Co 9:24–27).

Prize - βραβεῖον (brabeion).

Derived from “brabeus” - The judge at the public games who assigns the prize

Takeaway: Identify where your CONFIDENCE is lacking and PRESS ON in Christ