Accessibility
The sermon discusses the believer's reliance on Christ for spiritual growth and acceptance in God's favor.
Miles J. Stanford preaches about the believer's total reliance on Jesus Christ for the Christian life, emphasizing the need to have no confidence in the flesh but to worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus. He highlights the moment of faith when believers realize they are accepted by the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ, shifting their focus from self-improvement to growing in the grace and beauty of Jesus. Stanford explains the transformation from guilt to righteousness in the presence of the Father, where believers find nearness and attraction instead of distance.
Text
"For we. . . worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh" (Philippians 3:3)
Failure to live the Christian life is due to one's utter inability, but it is all governed by the Father. He teaches us to become proficient in failure (within ourselves), in order to bring us to total reliance upon His Son, who is our Christian life. "For to me to live is Christ" (Philippians 1:21).
"It is a wonderful moment for the believer when we by faith occupy our standing in the favor of the Father-when we know that we are received by Him in all the acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We do not then think of ourselves, of our worthiness or unworthiness, at all. We think of the Lord Jesus-His perfections, His suitability to divine favor, His infinite acceptance with the Father-and by faith, we have access into the favor of which He is so worthy." -C.A.C.
"To find that we are objects of consideration to the Lord Jesus is an infinite solace, and it brings Him before our hearts in such a way that we are sustained above the consideration of ourselves."
"There is an infinite difference between self-improvement and growing in the Lord Jesus, nourished and cherished by Him. Instead of being elated by our own improvement, or depressed because we cannot effect it, we are to be occupied with the grace and beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ, in which we are thus made to share."
"We cannot be in the presence of the Father in innocence, for we are guilty; so that we must be there in His righteousness, and that place which used to repel us, now forms me into a likeness of itself. I am not tolerated there (as in myself), I am at home; and where the distance was, there is now nearness and attraction." -J.B.S.
"Now, therefore, ye are no more strangers and sojourners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God"(Ephesians 2:19)
Sermon Outline
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I
- Understanding our inability to live the Christian life
- The role of the Father in our spiritual growth
- Total reliance on Christ
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II
- The significance of our standing in the favor of the Father
- The importance of focusing on Christ's perfections
- Access to divine favor through faith
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III
- The difference between self-improvement and spiritual growth
- Being occupied with Christ's grace and beauty
- Transformation through Christ's righteousness
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IV
- The shift from guilt to acceptance in God's presence
- Understanding our identity as citizens of God's household
- Embracing nearness to the Father
Key Quotes
“For we. . . worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” — Miles J. Stanford
“To find that we are objects of consideration to the Lord Jesus is an infinite solace.” — Miles J. Stanford
“We cannot be in the presence of the Father in innocence, for we are guilty.” — Miles J. Stanford
Application Points
- Focus on Christ's perfections rather than your own shortcomings.
- Embrace your identity as a citizen of God's household.
- Seek transformation through understanding God's righteousness.