Revival In Us

Philippians 3:4-16

 

Introduction: The life of Paul the Apostle is the next most powerful example in the Bible for us to follow.  We see his beginning and how the Lord Jesus came in and transformed this religious Pharisee into one of the most dynamic individuals in the New Testament.

 

I.                    Pressing on – Bringing Revival = Vs 13-14

A.     Rejecting our own self-righteousness

1.      This creates a sense of need for God in man

a.       Man needs a relationship with God

b.      One knows something is wrong between them and God

c.       All they have is just hope that God will accept them

B.     Men want to be right with God

1.      They want God to look after them and help them

2.      They want acceptance and approval

3.      Then one sets out to become ‘good enough’ to be acceptable to God

a.       Try to do enough ‘good works’ to please God

C.     Doing this is a kind of religion

1.      Is one of works, doing good, being good

2.      Trying to secure God’s favor

3.      Trying to make oneself acceptable to God

4.      Making one’s self approved of God

D.     It is a ‘religion’ of self righteousness

1.      Being good to earn and merit God’s favor

2.      Trying to attain total perfection = impossible

Thought: God is perfect and not a single person is perfect.  No person can do enough good to become perfect no matter what he does.  In fact man is already imperfect; and once perfection is lost, it is lost.  Imperfection can never become perfection, not by human, imperfect flesh.  Imperfection cannot make perfection.

3.      Point is: No person can ever earn or merit the right to live in God’s presence

4.      If a person is going to live in God’s presence =

a.       It is because God loves him enough to accept him

b.      Transforms him into a perfect person

c.       This is what God does through Jesus Christ

d.      God accepts men through His Son

e.       Through the love and grace of His Son Jesus

E.      It was the Gospel of Jesus Christ that Paul had missed

1.      So many miss Jesus trying to get to God

2.      Paul was doing all the good he could to please God

a.       He was missing God’s love for man

3.      When Paul rejected his self righteousness

4.      And began turning to the righteousness of Jesus Christ =

F.      Three things Paul did that transformed his life:

1.      Paul had achieved the height in self righteousness = Vs 4-6

2.      Paul sought Christ – His righteousness and perfection = Vs 7-11

3.      Paul did not count himself as having yet arrived – he was not yet perfect = Vs 12-16

 

Conclusion: When our self-righteousness is set aside – our own inadequate put in God’s hands, the Holy Spirit then will lead us and revival can come. We must begin to pray and worship and praise God for revival.