1. PHILIPPIANS 3:9 February 5 , 2012 FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI

2. On Monday, April 23rd, as a project of this SS class, we will host a banquet to honor waiters and waitresses at The South , 627 East Silas Brown, Jackson, MS 39201

3. Today we will be studying the righteousness of Christ which comes to us on the basis of faith .

4. Philippians 3:9b “ not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes

5. from God on the basis of faith ” Philippians 3:9 b

6. FAITH : F orsaking A ll I T rust H im

7. The Triumphs of Faith Hebrews 11:1 1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

8. Just as our physical eyesight is the sense that gives us evidence of the material world, faith is the “sense” that gives us evidence of the invisible, spiritual world.

9. The great theme of our time is naturalism , the belief that only what can be found and measured in nature is “real.”

10. * Faith has its reasons. *We aren’t talking about a “blind leap” of faith, but the reasons can’t be measured in a laboratory, they have to be understood spiritually .

11. * Faith extends beyond what we learn from our senses, and the author is saying that faith has its reasons. *Its tests are not those of the physical senses.

12. “ Physical eyesight produces a conviction or evidence of visible things; faith is the organ which enables people to see the invisible order.” (Bruce)

13. Of things hoped for . . . of things not seen : *If you have the substance before you, if you can see it, what use is there for faith ?

14. * Faith is needed for what we can’t see and can’t touch. * Faith gives understanding to the invisible world.

15. * Faith does not contradict reason, though it may go beyond reason. *We may objectively prove the Bible is the most unique book ever published, and

16. has impacted society more than any other book. *But only faith can prove that the Bible is the Word of God .

17. *God wants the element of faith involved. *This is a belief beyond reason, but not in contradiction to reason.

18. Faith is the substance . . . the evidence : Faith is not a bare belief or intellectual understanding. *It is a willingness to trust in, to rely on, and to cling to.

19. The Triumphs of Faith Hebrews 11:1-12 1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

20. 2 For by it the men of old gained approval .” (These great examples of godliness all had different circumstances and personalities, but the

21. patriarchs all had one thing in common – faith !)

22. Heb 11:3 “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

23. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous , God testifying about his gifts,

24. and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.” (the difference was that Abel’s sacrifice was made by faith and faith is not always rewarded on earth).

25. Heb 11:5 “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the

26. witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God .”

27. 6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him , for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a Rewarder of those who seek Him”.

28. God will reveal Himself to those with seeking hearts. Jeremiah 29:13 13 “ You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

29. Heb 11:7 7 “ By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen , in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household,

30. by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith .” (Prepared an ark : Real faith will always do something).

31. ABRAHAM *From Adam to Abraham was about 2,000 years. *From Abraham to the first coming of Jesus was about 2,000 years.

32. From Jesus’ first coming until today has been about 2,000 years.

33. Heb 11:8 “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance ; and he went out, not knowing where he

34. was going. 9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land , dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the

35. same promise; 10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”

36. *A resident alien or a sojourner is evident. *The way they talk, the way they dress, their mannerisms, their entertainment; their

37. citizenship and their friends, all speak of their native home. *If someone is the same in all these areas as the “natives,” they are no longer

38. Sojourners, aliens - they are permanent residents. *Christians shouldn’t get “green cards” for planet earth!

39. Dwelt is the ancient Greek word paroikos , describing a “resident alien” - one who lives somewhere, but doesn’t have permanent status there. (hotel earth)

40. By faith, Abraham obeyed : Abraham did step out in faith, going to a new place God had promised him; but his faith was less than perfect.

41. This is seen by comparing Genesis 12:1-5 with Acts 7:2-4, where it is evident that Abraham first went half way to the place God called him to go, and only eventually

42. obeyed completely. *Yet now, thousands of years later, God does not “remember ” the delayed obedience, only the faith.

43. 11:11 “By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful Who had promised.”

44. *Sarah’s faith was not perfect . *She first laughed in unbelief (Genesis 18:9-15) and then she learned to laugh in faith (Genesis 21:6).

45. Genesis 21:6 6 “ Sarah said, ‘God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.’”

46. Because she judged Him (considered Him) faithful who had promised : * Faith boils down to judging that God is faithful to and able to keep His promises.

47. *It was this faith that enabled Sarah to receive strength to conceive seed . *God gave the strength, but Sarah had to receive it by faith.

48. Heb 11:12 12 “Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants AS THE STARS OF HEAVEN IN

49. NUMBER, AND INNUMERABLE AS THE SAND WHICH IS BY THE SEASHORE.” Hebrews 11:1-12

50. ABRAM AND THE STARS Genesis 15

51. Genesis 15:1-6 1 “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; your reward

52. shall be very great.” 2 Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

53. 3 And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.”

54. 4 Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.”

55. 5 And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars , if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your

56. descendants be.” 6 Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness .” Genesis 15:1-6

57. The Gospel in the Stars by Joseph Augustus Seiss (1884)

58. Philippians 3:9b “ not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes

59. from God on the basis of faith ” Philippians 3:9 b God credited/reckoned the righteousness of Christ to our account based on faith.

60. Faith is the confident, continuous confession of total dependence on and trust in Jesus Christ for the necessary requirements to enter God's kingdom.

61. Speaking of the “necessary requirements to enter God's kingdom”, who was able to complete our recent assignment: “ In your opinion …?”

62. “ We are praying men, is there something that we can pray about for you?”