Philippians - This is Living | Philippians 3:15-21, Enemies of the Cross | June 23, 2024

WestGate Church Teaching

In Philippians 3, Paul uses a phrase that at first blush seems quite inflammatory. He says that many people “live as enemies of the Cross of Christ” - a phrase which seems to create an “us” vs. “them” mentality. But this is reductionistic. The truth is, all of us have the choice to live like that. We do this when we lean on worldly wisdom over Godly wisdom, religious tradition over the way of Jesus, display hostility instead of kindness/generosity, work against peace, fail to live humbly, obediently, in surrender. So this can be something “religious” people or “non-religious” people do. But, as Paul points out, God’s primary motivation is to save us from destruction— yes, the eternal destruction apart from God, but also the daily destruction we ourselves bear in our lives. This journey begins for all of us by reckoning with the fact that all is not well—in our world and in our lives, and admitting that WE. NEED. HELP. SPEAKERS: Jay Kim (Saratoga), Jay Kim (video) (South Hills) Bible Passage(s): Philippians 3:15-21