Holiness - Holy like JesusThis message is from Pastor of Care John Spina in week four of the sermon series “Holiness - Holy like Jesus”. This week, John takes a detour from the Holiness series in this once off message about the one thing God asks us about our focus. Grace Pointe is a church dedicated to seeing a world full of healthy churches by making as many people as much like Jesus in the shortest time possible. We are a multi-site church in Illinois with a campus in Naperville, IL and Plainfield, IL. If you would like to learn more about Grace Pointe Church, please visit www.gracepointe.us. Grace Pointe Naperville: Sunday services at 8 am, 9:30 am, and 11 amGrace Pointe Plainfield: Sunday services at 9 am and 11 amDiscover the transformative message of Philippians 3 where Paul reveals the secret to true righteousness. In this powerful exploration of Paul's letter to the Philippians, we uncover how Paul's perspective on righteousness dramatically changed after encountering Christ. Learn about the historical context of the Philippian church, founded during Paul's second missionary journey, and understand why Paul wrote this urgent letter while imprisoned. The message addresses the timeless question: How do we gain righteousness before God? Paul confronts false teachers promoting a 'faith plus works' mentality and uses his own impressive religious background as a case study. Before Christ, Paul had the perfect religious resume - circumcised on the eighth day, from the tribe of Benjamin, a strict Pharisee, and blameless regarding the law. Yet he came to view these credentials as worthless compared to knowing Christ. Explore what it means to have a singular focus on Christ - to know Him intimately, experience His resurrection power, share in His sufferings, and become like Him. This teaching challenges us to examine what we're truly relying on for righteousness and encourages us to press forward in our relationship with Christ, remembering that our standing with God is based on Christ making us His own, not on our efforts to earn His favor. Perfect for anyone struggling with legalism, religious performance, or wondering if they're 'good enough' for God. Keywords: Philippians, Paul, righteousness, faith alone, legalism, religious performance, knowing Christ, singular focus, spiritual growth, Christian identity, faith journey, religious heritage, Pharisee, spiritual priorities.Important VersesPhilippians 3:7-8Philippians 3:10Philippians 3:13-14Psalm 27:4Think about it!What were some of the religious credentials Paul listed about himself, and why did he eventually consider them as 'rubbish'?How do people today try to earn God's favor through their own efforts instead of faith alone?What does Paul mean when he talks about 'forgetting what lies behind'? How can we apply this to our lives?What are the four aspects of Paul's singular focus mentioned in verse 10?How does Paul's transformation from persecutor to pursuer of Christ demonstrate God's power?What does it mean that Christ 'made us His own'? How should this impact our daily lives?What obstacles might prevent us from maintaining a singular focus on Christ?How can we as a church community help each other maintain this singular focus on Christ?Apply it!This week, identify one area of your life where you might be relying on your own efforts or religious performance rather than faith in Christ. Make a conscious decision to surrender that area to God and focus instead on knowing Christ more deeply through prayer and Scripture.TakeawaysRighteousness comes through faith in Christ alone, not through religious heritage or good worksWe should have a singular focus on knowing and following ChristTrue spiritual growth involves knowing Christ, His power, sharing in His sufferings, and becoming like HimWe press on toward Christ because He first made us His ownThis singular focus should be evident in our individual lives, families, and church community