Your God is Your Appetite

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Bible Passage

Philippians 3

Phil 3:1 Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to SAFEGUARD your faith.

Phil 3:3 We who worship by the Spirit are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ has done for us. We put NO CONFIDENCE in human effort.

Phil 3:8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.

Phil 3:10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

Phil 3:17-20 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears, there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. THEIR GOD IS THEIR APPETITE, and they only think about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

Devotional Thoughts

In his book, “Instruments in the Redeemers Hands” Paul Tripp, in reference to Matthew 6:19-24 said, “It’s a matter of treasure. Three principles in this passage speak to what we have been considering.

  1. Everyone seeks some kind of treasure. (This is Christ’s operating assumption.)
  2. Your treasure will control your heart. (“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”)
  3. What controls your heart will control your behavior. (“No one can serve two masters.”)
     
    The things we set our hearts on never remain under our control. Instead, they capture, control, and enslave us. This is the danger of earth-bound treasure.
     
    Every human being is a worshiper, in active pursuit of the thing that rules his heart. This worship shapes everything we do and say, who we are, and how we live. This is why the heart is always our target in personal ministry.

In Philippians 3 Paul describes what is controlling his heart.
In Phil 3:3 Paul says that he is relying on what Christ has done for us, and puts NO CONFIDENCE in human effort. In Phil 3:4-7 he describes the human effort he used to rely on. But, as he came to know Christ, he saw that everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:8) Knowing Christ became the treasure of Paul’s heart! In fact, he goes on to say, “For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.” In this passage we see the truth of Paul Tripp’s statement:

  • Everyone seeks some kind of treasure. Paul’s treasure was knowing Christ.
  • Your treasure will control your heart. Knowing Christ consumed Paul. Phil 3:10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.
  • What controls your heart will control your behaviour. Paul put NO CONFIDENCE in the flesh. Paul discarded everything else, counting it all as worthless garbage. Paul pursued the resurrected life of Jesus, knowing that road would produce suffering. “I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!”

Paul says, “Pattern your life after me, and learn from those who live like I do!” There are many who don’t and it makes me sad. They are missing out!

  • Their treasure is their own desires. Their GOD IS THEIR APPETITE. (Everyone is seeking some kind of treasure)
  • They only think about this life on earth. (Their treasure will control their heart)
  • The desires of this world control them. Their behavior shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ and they are headed for destruction. (What controls the heart will control the behavior) But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. So, make that your treasure, and may it become the occupying control of your life

Prayer Outline:

  1. Don’t follow your “appetites”
  2. May knowing Christ become your treasure
  3. I praying knowing Him will consume your heart
  4. As you are occupied and consumed with knowing Him, it will control your behavior!
  5. Pattern your life after Paul and those who lived like he did.

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