In the Book of Philippians
We must let go of our pride and guilt and hold on to the righteousness of Jesus, obtained through faith in Christ.
K.P. Yohannan emphasizes in his sermon 'In the Book of Philippians' that believers should not mourn over their failures or lost righteousness, as God has placed all blame on Jesus. He points out that feelings of regret often stem from pride and a misunderstanding of true righteousness, which is only found in Christ. Yohannan reminds us that our own righteousness is worthless compared to the righteousness we receive through faith in Jesus. He encourages believers to let go of their 'filthy rags' and embrace the riches of Christ's grace. Ultimately, he highlights Paul's message in Philippians about considering everything a loss for the sake of knowing Christ.
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If you are still mourning and blaming yourself it is not because God is blaming you; He has put the blame on Jesus. It can only be due to one of two things. Either that you have not really repented, or, more likely, you are mourning over your lost righteousness. Perhaps you feel that, having been saved for so long, you should not be failing as you are. . . . You are in effect saying, "Alas for my lost righteousness." That is nothing but pride.
Jesus has taken our blame, the charge against us, the sting of our failure. Then why are we so sick about our failure? Because we thought we were better. We regret that our "report card" does not show all the "good marks" we want others to see.
But all the best marks of our own righteousness can only amount to "filthy rags" as the prophet Isaiah says in Isaiah 64:6. They will never be anything we want to showcase. The only righteousness worthy of displaying is the righteousness of Jesus that we have through His powerful and precious blood.
If what we hang on to is filthy rags, why grasp for it anymore? Why mourn over the loss of it? Will we be like the criminal who until the very end esteemed and held on to "his own righteousness," although obviously it was nothing to boast in?
Paul sums it up in the book of Philippians:
I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, 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 is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith (3:8-9).
Let us leave our rags behind and hold on to His riches.
Sermon Outline
- The Blame Has Been Shifted
- The Problem with Our Righteousness
- The Righteousness of Jesus
- Letting Go of Our Pride
- We must leave our 'rags' behind
- We must hold on to the 'riches' of Christ
Key Quotes
“I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.” — K.P. Yohannan
“I consider them rubbish, 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 is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith (3:8-9).” — K.P. Yohannan
Application Points
- We must repent and let go of our pride and guilt.
- We must hold on to the righteousness of Jesus, obtained through faith in Christ.
- We should leave our 'rags' behind and hold on to the 'riches' of Christ.