The God Shot With Tara-Leigh Cobble

The God Shot: Philippians 3:10-11

"I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:10-11)The apostle Paul wrote these words from prison, a situation Jesus Himself endured. But instead of complaining about how he had been falsely accused and deserved to be set free, Paul sees the opportunity to imitate Jesus. Jesus emptied himself when he faced oppression and Paul did too. He leaned into humility. He followed the words of Jesus in Matthew 16:24-25: "If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Following Jesus will humble you. It won't go the way you want it to and it will cost you something. But in the end, you will gain everything. He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: Philippians 3:9b

"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 on the basis of faith." (Philippians 3:9b)Have you ever felt like you're failing following Jesus? Have you despaired because you just knew God was disappointed in you? If so, then let these words from the Apostle Paul set your heart at rest. This is the man who wrote two-thirds of the New Testament. Much of it while being imprisoned for preaching the gospel. Even he knows his righteousness isn't enough to please God. But this realization doesn't lead him to despair. It leads him to praise God. His own attempts at righteousness are worthless but praise God, the righteousness of Jesus has been credited to his account and to yours and to mine. God has given us not only the faith to believe in Him but also the righteousness of Christ that is faith adjacent. He is where the joy is!

The God Shot: Philippians 3:8b-9a

"for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him," (Philippians 3:8b-9a)In order to follow Christ, Paul walked away from his old life of power and prestige. He lost it all and said that as he looks back on all he lost, he considers it rubbish. In the original Greek, this word rubbish would have been a curse word. That's how emphatic Paul was about the place earthly blessings held in comparison to knowing the eternal joys of a relationship with Jesus. Earthly blessings aren't wrong, they aren't sinful, they're just not worth comparing to Jesus. Paul doesn't even say they're second compared to Christ. He says they're rubbish compared to Christ. Surely you know that earthly joys are fleeting because you've lived it. You want the thing, you get the thing, then you get bored with the thing. Nothing lasts except Him. He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: Philippians 3:8a

"What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord," (Philippians 3:8a)If you've ever lost something to follow Jesus, this passage will speak to you tremendously. Maybe it meant walking away from a job to pursue God's calling on your life or maybe it was ending a relationship that wasn't God honoring. Maybe it was a sin pattern. When you hate it or even when you love it, following Jesus will cost you something. But God always provides for all its costs and He'll always return more than what is required. That's the heart of Paul's words here in his letter to the church at Philippi. He wrote these words from prison where nearly everything had been taken from him. His reputation, relationships, power, and wealth. After losing it all, Paul tells us, 'it's worth it.' Paul says the joy of knowing Jesus deeply far outweighs fleeting earthly pleasures. Because when all of that has come and gone, Jesus is still with us! And He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: Philippians 3:7

"But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ." (Philippians 3:7)In the darkest moments of your life, what did you cling to? Paul wrote these words to the Philippians while he was in prison and ancient prisons were far from what we experienced in Western culture. Often prisoners had to depend on outsiders to bring them food, medicine and clothes. Paul was in during all this because he talked about Jesus publicly. Prior to this, Paul was a respected leader in the community who had power and honor. But now after returning to follow Christ, he faced very real life-threatening persecution. In light of all that, he says, "Whatever gain I had, I counted as a loss for the sake of Christ." Paul says it's worth it! Having Jesus is worth losing everything if that's what it comes down to because ultimately, He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: Ephesians 6:19-20

"Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." (Ephesians 6:19-20)Isn't this beautiful? The apostle Paul is asking for prayer. If he needs prayer, you and I certainly do too. And here's what's extra beautiful about this, Paul wrote this letter while he was in prison for preaching the gospel. But did you see what he asked him to pray for? Not his release, he asked him to pray for more opportunities and boldness and sharing the gospel, the very thing that landed him in prison. Paul just doesn't want his trials to rob him of the opportunity or the zeal to talk about who Jesus is. No matter what trials you face today, may you boldly speak the gospel to your own heart and to those around you. Spread the word! He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: Ephesians 6:18

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." (Ephesians 6:18)Paul wrote these words in a letter to strengthen a church that was dealing with persecution and false teachers. He tells them how God is protecting them in the midst of these trials. He refers to God's protection as the armor of God. The armor consists of truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and God's word. Every piece of armor is something God has provided for us. The last thing Paul mentions is prayer. We fight back with prayer for ourselves and for other believers. Prayer is talking to God who responds by strengthening us. So talk to Him about your trials today because He is where the joy is!

The God Shot: Ephesians 6:17

"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:17)In this letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul is talking to people who not only face persecution but who were infiltrated by Paul's teachers spreading lies and bad theology. Paul tells the church all the ways God is protecting them in the midst of these trials. He starts with truth, then righteousness, then the gospel of peace, all of which are fully provided for us in Jesus. He says, faith in God is like a shield protecting us from the enemy's lies and even that faith is a gift from God. Then here in this section, he mentions the helmet of salvation which is the protective assurance that God has saved us. Then he mentions the sword of the Spirit because God's word is our sword. In all the armor listed, Scripture is the only offensive weapon, everything else is defense. We fight back against the enemy's lies by knowing who God is. Do you know Scripture? Set your heart to read it and look for who God is on every page. He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: Ephesians 6:16

"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." (Ephesians 6:16)In this letter to the church of Ephesus, Paul is talking about all the ways God has provided for His people in the midst of their trials and temptations. This church not only faced persecution, but they were also infiltrated by false teachers who are spreading lies and bad theology. As Paul listed out items of God's armor for His saints, he starts with truth, then righteousness, then the gospel of peace, all of which are fully provided for us in Jesus. You don't have to gather this armor on your own. The next bit of armor God gives us is the shield of faith. When the enemy shoots his allies at us, we hold up our faith in Jesus as the response. Guess what? That faith is a gift to earlier in this very letter Paul tells us that God is the one who gives us the gift of faith. God has provided for us abundantly. He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: Ephesians 6:15

"and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." (Ephesians 6:15)In this letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul is talking about all the ways God has provided for His people in the midst of their trials and temptations. This church not only faced persecution, but they were also infiltrated by false teachers who are spreading lies and bad theology. So, as Paul lists out items of God's armor for his saints, it's no surprise that he starts with truth, then righteousness, both of which are fully provided in Jesus. Here, Paul says to put on the shoes of the gospel of peace. What does that mean? The gospel is the good news that Jesus granted us peace with God through His life and death. Our future is secure! That means we can be ready to walk into every situation with our hearts at peace, proclaiming the gospel and trusting him. He's where the peace is and He's where the joy is!