Knowing Christ is worth Everything.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
As we continue with our worship of the Lord this morning, I want to invite you to turn with me to Philippians chapter 3:1-11 this morning.
Before we dive read this text, let’s pray together because we know that we are dependent upon God to help us understand this passage rightly and to apply it to our lives correctly. We need to understand that we are a dependent people. We can do nothing on our own accord. We need the Spirit of the living God to awaken our hearts to the truths that we are going to look at this morning. These things are spiritual matters....and we need the Spirit of God to help us learn them, love them, and live them.
Let’s pray together.
Hear the word of the Lord this morning,
Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (Php 3:1–11).
In this section, Paul begins to move the letter along, although I do think that this section is still tied to the overall theme of how to live as a Citizen of heaven...... Paul is changing his focus a little bit here. We can see that he is starting to address some issues that might be prevalent in the church.... Maybe not like inside the church.... but there was this false teaching that was being spread in the 1st century when the church was being developed that said basically if you wanted to be a Real Follower of God.... then you had to follow the Old Testament way of becoming a member of God’s family and that was through circumcision.
Circumcision was the sign that you had now belonged to the People of God. I am not going to go into what that all entails, but this practice was something that was completely and totally valid. God is the one who had given the sign of circumcision to His chosen people back in Gen 17 when God had made His covenant with Abraham. So, it is not like these people did not have a reason to think the way that they did.... The problem was they had just totally and completely missed the point. They had assumed that Following God was about Following All the rules. They had assumed that as long as I go through the religious rituals....as long as I am able to check off all of the boxes.... then I am going to be fine. God will accept me because of the things that I am doing. I am a good person because I am keeping all of the rules. They were treating a relationship with God as something that had to be earned and kept by your religious performance rather than something that was given to you by God.
Don’t think that we don’t struggle with the same types of problems today in our culture. We certainly do. We struggle with Legalism.
Legalism is the dependence on moral law rather than personal religious faith.
That is the Oxford dictionary definition of what Legalism is… but we know that is it more than just personal religious faith.
People have a personal faith in a lot of things… but those things are not going to save a person. And this is exactly what Paul is challenging in this section of the Bible this morning: what are people trusting in to save them?
Body:
Let’s walk through this passage together. And I want to challenge you as we think deeply about this passage, think about how this might be you in some regards when it comes to your relationship with God.
Look at verse 1 with me.
Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you (Php 3:1).
Since Paul says Finally here, some of thought that Paul was going to be concluding his letter here.... but then continues to on for a whole other chapter. Kind of like a Pastor who is preaching and says.... in conclusion.... but then preaches for another 20 mins, do you know what I am talking about? But I don't think that is what is going on here. I do not think that Paul is being long-winded here. I think that Paul is giving them continued instructions on how to continue to live as a citizen of heaven.... or what does it look like to live a life that is worthy of the Gospel.
What does Paul say here? What are the believers at Philippi to do?
Rejoice in the Lord.
He says to them… to write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. Some have debated what those words apply to. Do they apply to his command to rejoice in the Lord, or do they apply to what is about to come?
I am under the impression that they more than likely relate to the command to rejoice…although it makes no major difference in what Paul is saying here. But the reason I think this is because of the emphasis that Paul has placed on the idea that we are to rejoice in the Lord.
Remember where Paul is at the time of writing. He is in prison. He is chained to a Roman Guard....He is suffering for the Gospel....but yet Paul tells the church they are to rejoice in the Lord.
I want you to think about this for a moment.
What in your life do you have to rejoice about?
All of us are going through things in life. Life is not easy. Life is hard. There is sickness. There is brokenness. There is the battle against the flesh. There are so many things that we can think about that weigh heavily on our hearts and minds.... but yet this text remains....... Rejoice in What?
Rejoice in the Lord.
Christ is to be the source of our Joy.
And Paul says here… to write the to you is not a problem....it is not hard to keep saying this....and it is safe for them… why? Because we tend to forget. We tend to lose sight of Christ in the midst of the storms of life.
I am reminded of Peter and Jesus when Jesus is walking on the water as the disciples were out in the boat in the middle of a storm. The disciple cannot believe what their eyes are telling them. They think they are seeing Jesus’ ghost. And Peter tells Jesus.... Jesus if it is you.... tell me to come out on the water. And what, you know what? Jesus calls Peter to come. And Peter starts walking on the water....and as Peter is walking on the water…what happens? Peter takes his eyes off of Jesus…starts looking at the waves....and he begins to sink. Peter cries out to Christ, and Christ comes and lifts him up out of the waters that are closing in around his head.
This is what happens to us at times too. In the middle of difficult circumstances, we tend to focus on our problems. We lose sight of the Risen Savior.... and we stop rejoicing in Him.
Christ Has Given You Much to Rejoice About... Don’t Forget it.
It is good for us to be reminded of these things.
Another thing though, that I think is weighing heavy on Paul’s mind that he wants to keep in front of the people are the problems that are prevalent among the early church.
Look at verse 2 with me.
2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh (Php 3:2).
Paul tells the church to be on their guard....to beware… to keep an eye out for the dogs. And you read that, and you can be like…what in the world. Why do they need to be worried about dogs in the church? Was that a problem? Like, were there these wild animals just running loose? What is going on here?
Paul is not talking about actual dogs here. He is using a play on words. The Jews used to call those who were not Jews…the term is Gentiles.... dogs. It was a term to degrade them. They were unclean. They were filthy. They were not to be associated with. Dogs in the 1st century were not regarded as we regard them today.... not in most cases anyway. They were scavengers. They ate whatever they could find. They were dirty.... I think in terms of how we think about Coyotes. None of us are keeping a pet Coyote in our house. That would be crazy.... that is how the Jews felt about the Gentiles. Apprehensive.
And here Paul says.... No. You look out for those dogs.... those who are not in a right relationship with God… but he isn’t talking about everyone who does not know Christ as Lord and Savior....he has a very specific group in mind.... he says to look out for “the evildoers........those mutilate the flesh.” What Paul is talking about here is being on the lookout for those who are false teachers of the Gospel.
Remember, we said earlier that there was a problem in the 1st century when the church was being formed with these people who were going around and saying.... “NO! IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW GOD THEN YOU MUST DO__________! If you don’t then no matter what else, you do…you are not in a relationship with God.
Paul says, “look out for those who want to add to the Gospel.” Why? Look at verse 3 with me....
3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh (Php 3:2–3).
Paul defines what it means to have a real relationship with God. It was never about outward performance and religious rule-keeping. Those who have a right a relationship with God are characterized by three things...
Those who Follow Christ...
Worship by the Spirit of God.
This is exactly what Jesus had promised in John 4 when he was talking to the Woman at the well. They get into this discussion about where the proper place to worship is.... religious ritual. The Jews said that you had to worship in the temple. The Samaritans said the proper place to worship was on the mountain where she and Jesus were standing because God had met with Jacob there....and in this discussion, we read these words...
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him (Jn 4:23).
This is not a new idea either. This has been the plan. Ezekiel 36:22-27 reads...
22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules (Eze 36:22–27).
God’s plan of redemption has been to save people by taking their heart of stone…the heart that rages against the things of God....giving them a heart of flesh…a heart that longs for the things of God....and putting His Spirit within them. This is what happens when a person gives their heart to Christ. Christ changes them. This is what we call being born again. This is why when someone gives their life to Christ, we should expect something to change. Their loves and affections should change. They should now long to please God and want Him…if you do not have that desire.... It is a reason to really think about whether you have really given your heart to the Lord. This passage is a promise from God. He does this work. He causes us to worship by the Spirit when we give our hearts to him in faith.
This leads to the second thing we see in a person who is living in a right relationship with Christ.
Glory in Christ Jesus.
Notice where the point of emphasis is here. This is not about me being able to say.... Look at what I have done. A person who is walking in a right relationship with the Lord knows that I have no boast. I have nothing to be proud of. As it has often been said…the only thing that I was able to contribute to my salvation was the sin that made it necessary. A Christian’s boast is only in Christ!!
And this idea is closely related to the 3rd thing that marks a true Christian… and that is
Put No Confidence in the Flesh.
Points 2 and 3 are really two sides of the same coin. A person who has truly given their heart to the Lord knows that they are only Saved because of the finished work of Christ on the Cross. They have done nothing to earn God’s forgiveness and love. We need to understand that we have no reason to put confidence in our flesh. God is not pleased with you because of your religious performance. God does not look down on us and think… well.... Look at all of those people here this morning. They have done their duty by coming to church.... I will grant them forgiveness for one more day. That is not how it works. We have to get out of this mindset that says.... As long as I am doing x, y, and z then God loves me.... God accepts me.... God forgives me…and God owes me because of my religious performance. The truth to the matter is… God is not impressed by our performance. We have no reason to put confidence in the flesh.
And I love where Paul turns here…because he starts to call out those who are trusting in themselves and their performance.
Look at verses 4-6 with me.
4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:
Paul calls those who are trusting in their flesh…and says…Hey. Come Here. Let’s compare resumes.... because I guarantee that if anyone has a reason to boast in their flesh.... I am HIM. There is not a person who can compete with me....and he is doing this to prove a point. But let's look at his resume.
5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless (Php 3:4–6).
Here is what Paul lists as his reasons as to why he, if there ever was anyone, was a person who could put confidence in the flesh if that is what truly mattered to God.
Paul was circumcised on the 8th day (as the OT law said), He was from the people of Israel (true Israel. Not the half-breeds that were common in the 1st century), He was from the tribe of Benjamin (this is important because this is where Israel gets their first King, whom Paul is probably named after (Saul) But more importantly, he knew his tribe. This was uncommon in the 1st after the exile in the OT.) He was a Hebrew of Hebrews (both is parents were Hebrews) When it came to keeping the LAW he was a Pharisee. As far as his zeal, he was a persecutor of the church (He thought that the church was bearing false witness about the one true living God.) As to how he saw his righteousness under the law, he was blameless (No one could make an accusation about Paul and how he was keeping the OT law).
Paul looks at them and says.... LOOK! If religious performance made a person right with God…then I had it all together.
We can look at this list and think.... yea.... that is impressive.... but it really has nothing to do with me. But do not be so quick. It's true that we may not have the same things to say about ourselves as Paul did.... but that does not mean that we do not try to trust in our performance to make us right with God.
In a culture that says there is no absolute truth. In a culture that says there are many ways to heaven or to God. In a culture that says.... you have to work hard if you want things to go well with you…Or that God helps those who help themselves...which is often cited as one of the most quoted Bible verses...but it's not actually in the Bible. I promise you we are just as prone to think about our performance when it comes to our relationship with God.
Our resume could look something like....
I wake up and read my Bible every day. I go to church every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. I volunteer every chance I get. I try to help those who need it. I put my money in the offering plate. I give of my time, energy, and my resources. I try to follow the commands of God to the best of my ability. I pray and ask God to help me when I do not know what to do. I grew up in church and have been serving here since my youth. When people look at me.... They think that I am a good person. I volunteer at the homeless shelter. I help people who are in need. I am engaged in social justice work.
Do you see where the focus is in this resume? Who is this about? This is about ME. This is about what I have done. This is about all that I have accomplished. We can fall in this trap and think... because of all of the things that I have done.... GOD MUST LOVE ME. GOD HAS TO LOVE ME. GOD HAS TO ACCEPT ME.... Look at what I have done.
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ ( Mt 7:21–23).
Following Christ is not about your Religious Performance.
Look down at the rest of this passage with me
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead (Php 3:7–11).
Paul says there that whatever gain he had.... if there was anything that was to be benefited from his resume…that is considered a loss when compared to knowing Christ. For Paul.... knowing Christ....and I mean really knowing him… knowing him and the power of his resurrection…knowing what it means to suffer for Christ…because Paul certainly did know what that meant.... knowing that at the end…he was going to be raised from the dead.... giving up everything that he had achieved on his own was worthy giving up just to know Christ. Just to have a righteousness that was not based on works but a righteousness that was based on having faith in the Son of God.
This is what sets Christianity apart from every other religious system in the world. I know that we have said that a lot… but I want us to get this. What makes Christianity different is that our right standing with God is not based on what we have done.
Every other system in the World says that if I am going to be right with God.... whatever that god might be…then I must perform in order to gain his acceptance. This is how Islam works. This is how Mormonism works. Jehovah Witnesses works. This is how humanism works.... This is the idea if I just want to live a good life then I will just do good things....and in the end I will be reward for those good deeds.
Christianity looks at us and says.... NO. Listen. You are broken. You are dead in your sins. You have sinned against an Almighty God, and you deserve His wrath for what you have done. Your performance cannot make up for the laws that you broke! Community service does nothing to deal with the law that you have broken. Just as it is crazy for a murderer to look at the Judge and say I am sorry for what I did.... but ever since then I have been serving at the homeless shelter.... it is just as crazy for us to look at the Judge of the universe and say… yea I am sorry about that…but look at all of the things good things I have done. It makes no difference. What we need is a substitute. We need someone to step in and take our place. We need someone to be able to pay for our fine… and that is what Jesus had done for us.
2000 years ago, Jesus stepped out of heaven and went to the Cross for the sins that we committed against God. We broke God’s law and Jesus paid our fine. And then, three days later He rose again defeating sin and death for us. Now, Jesus commands everyone to repent of their sins....to turn away from them…and to turn to Him for forgiveness. That is what Paul means here when he says “not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— (Phil. 3:9)
We are made right with God not by our works…but by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ Alone.
Conclusion:
Someone had once put it this way…and I am not a math teacher. I teach English…but I get this equation...
Jesus + Anything= Nothing
Jesus + Nothing= Everything
If we try to add anything to our faith in Christ.... We have nothing. We cannot add to it. It is Jesus alone. If we have rested ALL of our hope on the Rise Christ and HIS finished work.... then we have everything that we need. There is nothing that this world can give us or take away from Us. Christ Is All We Need.
Listen to me. I know how hard this is for us. All of us fall into this trap of religious performance. We lose sight of God’s grace for us. We think that if we are doing more, then certainly God has to be more pleased with us…and if we sin…and trust me you will.... we all will.... probably before we leave here today....... but when we fall…we think… “Welp...there it goes. God’s love for me is wavering. How can He love me now.”
Look at me. God Loves You Just as Much Now as He Did When Jesus Died for You. His Love for You Is Based on Jesus’ Finished Work. Not Your Performance.
What Are You Trusting in to Make You Right with God?
What Things Do You Need to Give to God This Morning That You Are Trusting In?
What Is Keeping You from Trusting Fully in Christ Today?
Main Point: Knowing Christ Is Worth Everything.
Let’s Pray together.