Count It Loss

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 74

Psalm 74 ESV

A Maskil of Asaph. O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture? Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage! Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt. Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins; the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary! Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place; they set up their own signs for signs. They were like those who swing axes in a forest of trees. And all its carved wood they broke down with hatchets and hammers. They set your sanctuary on fire; they profaned the dwelling place of your name, bringing it down to the ground. They said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”; they burned all the meeting places of God in the land. We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long. How long, O God, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy to revile your name forever? Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the fold of your garment and destroy them! Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. You divided the sea by your might; you broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters. You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness. You split open springs and brooks; you dried up ever-flowing streams. Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun. You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter. Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs, and a foolish people reviles your name. Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts; do not forget the life of your poor forever. Have regard for the covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence. Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame; let the poor and needy praise your name. Arise, O God, defend your cause; remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day! Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!

Scripture Reading: Psalm 40:6-8

Psalm 40:6–8 ESV

In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”

Sermon:

Good Morning Church!

I was glad when they said to me let us go and worship in the House of the Lord!

I can truly say, from the bottom of my heart, that I missed you all this week. I love this church, I love you all, and am grateful that you all would love me. For those of you that do NOT know, i spent the last week in a “seminary intensive” which is an entire semester long Seminary class, this one in particular on the first five books of the Bible, Genesis-Deuteronomy, that has been shoved down to one week. So just imagine sitting around and talking about what certain things mean in the original Hebrew from 8 to 5 five days straight… I will just say that my head hurt!

On top of that I had a bit of an epiphany. And this is probably one that shows my heart more than anything else. But to get you there I have to share just a bit my personal relationship with School in general, and why now, as a man just shy of forty, i am FINALLY deciding to finish my schooling. The reason that I have taken so long is that I have stubbornly thought: “I don’t need man to tell me that I am qualified to do the job that God has called me to do!” and while part of that is right, one should be called by God to be in this position, there is a prideful foolishness that says: I don’t need anyone’s approval. I am ordained by a denomination, and that is good, it is good that there is a denomination that can say: “hey, this guys not a heretic and we support him.” And seminary classes are wonderful, I feel more prepared to be your pastor today than I did last Sunday because I feel better trained… so that is good. But the epiphany comes from the OTHER side of all these things.

Many people (honestly, I had no direct interaction with someone who was this way, but I defiantly sense there were undercurrents of it) but many people do things like go to seminary because they are desperate for more and more people tell ing them that they are more and more qualified. They LOVE the piece of paper that I have spent so long trying NOT to get. And I know that people are like that because Paul in our text for today will tell us that HE was like that. He wanted to have more and more confidence in the flesh, more and more confidence in his skills and abilities and training to the point where his head was so puffed up that he could not walk through any normal sized door. And Paul was, we will see really good at that. A Man’s man, a student’s student, a pharisees’s pharisee, He had it all, but yet that was not what he wanted.

Our text for today In Philippians 3:4-9, but just to remind us of what just cam last week Lets start by reading verse three as well, So Philippians 3:3-9

Philippians 3:3–9 ESV

For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 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: 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; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 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 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—

These are the words of the Lord for us this morning, Lets begin with a word of prayer.

Our Holy Father in Heaven, Blessed be your name, for you are great and greatly to be praised, worthy of glory and honor and praise and adoration. We thank you for the joy and privilege. Of knowing you and being known by you. We thank you for the surpassing worth. Of being known and saved by Jesus Christ. Our Lord. We thank you and praise you. For while we were dead in sin and trespasses you sent your son to die for us, that we may be made alive together with Christ. We thank you for these gifts. Help us to see this morning those times when we have looked to our own strength and might rather than our dependence on you. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear, speak to us, according to your word this morning. I pray that you would speak through your servant. It's in Jesus name that we pray. Amen.

Paul's resume… for that is really what he gives us here… Is beyond reproach. What he says here, the case that Paul lays for himself is the greatest of all time.... No one in this room, very few people in the history of the world. Could have as pristine a resume to their name. All that Paul has done… all of the things that he's worked, for all of the things that his life was built upon... He reflects on it and he counts it as loss.

That's the phrase, we read. Verse 7, whatever gain. I had I counted as loss verse 8, indeed, I count everything is lost

As Paul is writing to the Philippian church, Let's remember the context here: Thanking them for their gift; encouraging them to live lives in the gospel; encouraging them to be humble; Remember that was a big theme, I mean it was like all of chapter two: it was Christ's humility, Be humble like epaphroditus and Timothy, look to their example of humility and sacrificial love for the church and for what God is doing; And then “have joy” that was last week. Have joy in your humility, in these things because We this is what we read. Verse three

Philippians 3:3 ESV

For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—

This was last week. We put no confidence in the flesh. And as Paul begins to say this, he says, you know what, I want you to see how important it is that we do not put any confidence in the flesh. And he, he Springs here into his resume... And so what I'd like to do is follow his argumentation. See why he lays out, what he lays out in the way he does that. To understand that what Paul is saying to us is.

Spoiler Alert: He's sort of. This is the way I'll put it. He's putting into practice something. I try to preach a lot, right? If you've been here for a while, especially if you've ever met with me for in sort of counseling and just to meet and hang out, there's something I say quite often. That there are two things that we could never overstate... that we could never exaggerate.

I don't think we could ever exaggerate how fallen and sinful and awful. We were And I don't think we could ever exaggerate how wonderful and beautiful and great. The grace of Jesus is! Right, I don't think we could ever overstate either of those. And the lower we view our own self righteousness and the higher we view Christ the greater Our Savior is. That's the point I usually try to make... I think Paul is doing the exact same thing.

And so as we walk through this, I I want to see what Paul does and how he does it to speak to our hearts. That's my goal this morning. And so we we start with Self-Righteousness.

SELF Righteousness

Philippians 3:3–4 (ESV)

For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 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:

This is what Paul is saying: in no uncertain terms, if you think you are self-righteous, if you think you're a good person if you think God owes you anything if you think that you have some sort of goodness, worth, righteousness, any sort of Goodness in your own self, wait a second because Paul is better. That's his point. You can think yourself righteous, you can think you have it all made. Maybe you're okay. Paul is better.

Awful bold of you to say that, Paul. Why would you say so? Well, let me tell you. Paul says, why I am better. It is his resume that he then gives is unparalleled in scope. It covers things that some of us could never have access to. It covers things that some of us are not smart enough. Good enough wise enough “righteous” quote-unquote enough to achieve Because Paul, it turns out was born into this goodness. But he also worked for this goodness. He had it all. Born in the right place at the right time to the right, people with the right skills, he had it all.

He starts with what he's born into. I Was circumcise on the eighth day of the people of Israel. So he's of the right people but in being of the right people, he also is of the right tribe. A tribe, the people of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew. Of Hebrews. Notice he brings up circumcision. Again, this is because that's what we looked at this last week. The evildoers dogs, and mutilators of the flesh they were like, well, you have to be circumcised to be righteous. And Paul like: “I was” We did it right on the eighth day in the right timing, to the right people with the right people. I had that. So, if that's what it takes. Mutilators of the flesh, dogs.

If, if what it takes is that I underwent this procedure, I did it in the right way, at the right time with the right people, I was born into this. You're calling these Gentiles to somehow take this on. It was me. It was my identity. I was a Hebrew. Of Hebrews.

When Paul says, Hebrew of Hebrews that phrase.. It's a Hebrew way to say the best of the best. This is why we say, Jesus is the king of kings and Lord of lords, right? He's the highest King. The highest Lord. Paul says I was a Hebrew of Hebrews. There was no one more Hebrew. There was no better Jew in the world than Paul. He says, Because he was born into it. That's this first part, but he also worked at it.

As to the law. A Pharisee.

And we hear that and “Pharisee” is a bad word. It's a, it's a name. We call people because those were the enemies of Jesus. What Paul is not using this as a Adjective. But rather a noun, right? A Pharisee is not a describing word for him. It's a position he had — he was A Pharisee. An expert of the law. If you go through and look at who the Pharisees were and what they thought…

I just spent a week trying to become a little bit more of an expert on The first five books of the Old Testament. Paul spent his entire life doing just that Into a culture — Remember this — A culture That he was born into. So he already had a leg up on me on that and then he spent his whole life. I just spent a week, he spent his whole life. To the point that the Pharisees, one of their sort of claims to fame, was they knew the middle letter Of the law. We we have a phrase: Oh, you have to follow the “letter of the law”. The Pharisees knew it. In and out front and back every little in and out of everything that God Said through Moses to his people. He was a Pharisee.

As to Zeal verse 6, his passion as to what he put his heart and soul into He cared so much about the things of God, he was willing to he says, persecute the church. To the point of death.

When Stephen, the first martyr was killed, Paul was there. Joyously holding the cloaks of them throwing the stones. When he is saved. Paul famously, on the road to Damascus. Why is Paul on the road to Damascus? Because he has a handful of letters. Ordering the execution arrest, and persecution of those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. But he did that not just because of hatred, and evil in his heart, Paul says that the motivation for this was because of a passion and heart for the law. For what God had said. He has a great ZEAL for the words of God…

So here is the argument that he is making so far...So if you think that it's your knowledge of what God has said that gets you there, Paul had more. If you think that it's your passion to stand on what God has said Paul had more… and he continues, As to righteousness under the law, he says, Blameless.

If you think it's your ability. To do and follow what God has said. Paul was better. Because Paul could stand there and say I was blameless under the law. In truth, those of us who know the teachings of Jesus. He wasn't blameless according to God. But according to the Pharisaical, Earthly, humanly reading of God's word, he'd never sined he was sin-less. That is Paul's righteousness. He was born in the right time in the right place to the right people with the right teaching, with the right heart with the right passion. Paul had it all. This was the righteousness that Paul had in himself. And the point that he's trying to make to you and the point we need to hear is:

Paul was the most self-righteous person And NEWS FLASH: if he was THE MOST that means that you're not as good as Paul. You don't know the law as good as Paul did. You do not follow the law as good as Paul did. You do not care about the law as much as Paul did.

To drive this home though, let me say this: But it doesn't just have to be the law, and this is the point.

In your own strength and mind. You're not good enough, strong enough and smart enough. How do I know this, because Paul was smarter better. And stronger. And Paul says, I wasn't good enough. And I wasn't strong enough. And I wasn't smart enough. And If Paul's self-righteousness cannot save him, what hope do you have?

And this is, This is the point Paul's trying to make. I'm not just trying to be mean and pick on us all. This is what Paul is doing. And he's doing it in a very Braggadocious way. That I think actually illustrates his Humanity. So I'm going to try to do a similar thing.

Forgive me. For my boasting. And what may sound arrogant for just a few minutes... I'm trying to get the point across here. Because Part of Paul saying this to the church he loves is for the shock value, so let me maybe shock you for just a bit...

I don't put any confidence. In my own flesh. I encourage you all not to either. I'm not good enough. And you're not either.

Do you think you're good enough because, you know what the Bible says? I am certain: I know more.

You think you're good enough because you read the Bible?!? — I I get paid to read the Bible. I read the Bible more than you do.

Do you think you're good enough Because people look at you and think, oh, they're living a good life. I tell people on the plane in uber rides that I am a pastor of a church, and more than that, I Endeavor and I try and I think I'm pretty good at being a better Christian. In the eyes of the world than most people.

I pray more. You think you're a prayer warrior? I pray. Pray all the time. Pray for each and every one of you every day. Got a book. Go through your names. Good at praying. Good at reading scripture. Good at an external sense of righteousness. I'm good at it.

It's pointless, meaningless worthless. That doesn't get me anything. Do you think that I think that God will care about me more and love me more because of those things? He won't. My self-righteousness gets me Nothing. it's worthless. So, don't put confidence in. I don't.

In fact… I count all of that as loss. For the sake of Christ. This is the reversal.

The REVERSAL

Church, all that matters. ALL That matters… the only thing that matters. The entirety of all of everything that has worth and value in this universe is knowing Christ. Period.

Its NOT how good you are How smart you are. How righteous you are in yourself. It doesn't matter. Count it as loss. Know Christ. That's it.

Paul says, I was more righteous more holy followed the law better.. born to the right people, it's worthless. I count it as loss. Whatever gain I had from that. Whatever. Goodness I earned from that was worthless rubbish. It's trash garbage. Compared to the surpassing Joy of knowing Christ. I will count all of it is lost. I will throw all of it away for knowing him. To gain him.

There is now therefore, Paul will write elsewhere, Neither male nor female. Slave, nor free Jew, nor Gentile for We are all one in Christ. Jesus,

here's the point of that. Its a loaded phrase, PAUL says that people use that all the time. It's a very important and beautiful and wonderful verse. What is Paul saying? Is he saying some sort of weird like there's no genders, there's no male or female… no, that may be what some people in the world want you to think, that would be 100000% wrong that's not even close to what he's saying. He's saying male female these things fall away. When we follow Christ, That's ultimately all that matters. Slave, free. Rich or poor. Jew or Gentile. Do you know Christ? You have everything.

These titles, these labels, these other things, they fall away. And we bask in the glory. Of Christ verse 9, we can be found in him. As we've gone through Philippians this thought this idea “in him” “in him”. That's what Paul's been harping on. We have the mind of Christ because we are in him — in him we have achieved all sorts of things in him. We will be glorified in him. We have these things and we are found in him. That's where it all comes from.

The reversal here is the resume. The goodness. The greatness of Paul. Doesn't matter.

So I know I sounded rather braggadocious earlier It doesn't matter. Whether or not, I pray more than you. We will both glory for all time in heaven. If we are in Christ, Whether I know more than you does not matter. In fact, There's a real danger there. Proverbs teaches this that knowledge puffs up There's a real danger to knowing more because you begin to think you're a lot more important than you are AND God uses the foolish to confound the wisa AND the highest thoughts of man are less than the foolishness of Man so all that knowledge ads up to a big fat ZERO.

I'm nothing.

And I Rejoice in being nothing BECAUSE I'm nothing -- In Christ.

I would rather be. The most worthless, nothing in Christ than the most self-righteous self-important glory in my flesh Person apart from him. That's the point. And that's the reversal. If you think that it's all about your resume, if you think it's all about the things you do, if you think it's all about those things, it's worthless. And you are spending your life. You are spending your time, energy and efforts climbing after, and seeking after things, that will not amount to anything in the end. So for me, the goal, the joy, the blessing, and the privilege is to forsake. All of those other things to be found in Christ, I count it, as loss for the joy of being known by him. I throw it away for the sake of being found in him. That's the point.

And this is why I say, Paul can have this arrogant braggadocious resume and still be so incredibly humble. Because what he's saying and what he's teaching and what we have to learn and understand is this: Christianity. Is not a who reads the Bible more competition. It's not a who prays more competition. It's not a who knows more competition. Christianity. Is being found in Christ. Identified in him. Resting in him, living in him. And then, This is what's beautiful. You can say and do all the right things and be completely wrong. OR we're found in Christ,

And what he would encourage you to understand is then We live righteous Lives. This time, not a self-righteousness. What I've called. FAITH Righteousness.

FAITH Righteousness

Which is a weird phrase but I think it gets the point across of what Paul is saying here. And and this in fact is the word he uses verse 9 to be found in him. Not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, right? Not having a self-righteousness, a righteousness of my own But, That that righteousness which comes through faith in Christ. Our righteousness comes through faith in Christ. The righteousness of God. So it comes through faith, and then verse 9 continues. It's the righteousness of God that depends on faith.

So, It is both through faith and on faith that this righteousness exists. And so now because of Faith, this is the difference because of FAITH , I Read my Bible. I pray more. I do more. I live a more righteous life. I preach the gospel more. I do what he's called to me to … more.

Not for the sake of self or from the strength of self rather because Faith drives me too. That's the difference. And if we don't get that difference, we will live our lives building up. A self-righteous resume. Which in the end will be of no value, it will be rubbish. But those who come in faith. We'll hear those precious words We all long to hear “well done. My good and faithful servant.”

But the measure of these Works. The measure of these works is not our ability to do them. The measure of these works is the faith that drives us to them. It's not the strength that does them. It's the faith that drives us to them and that's an all-important difference.

There are two aspects of this Faith. I want to highlight this morning for us of what Paul is talking about. This Faith comes through faith and it depends on faith. There are two aspects of Faith here that we can't miss. That will get us to where we want to go. I believe so quickly this morning.

This righteousness comes through faith. What Paul is talking about here? The fancy word we would use is justification. We have a righteousness that is already ours. It comes to us, and it depends on faith. Faith, in Jesus Christ to all who call upon the name of Jesus, you will be saved. For God. So loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him, will not perish, but have everlasting life, Paul. In Romans if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation behold. The old is gone The new has come.

The righteousness that we already have. Note, here's another difference right? Self-righteousness works and tries and strives to gain that righteousness, Faith, righteousness. We already have because we have been given it in Christ Jesus. It comes to us, through faith. We trust in him. We are made righteous. We are made alive together with Christ. We could there's countless scriptural examples, we could look to know: This is why We can live righteous lives. I have faith righteousness. I stand on that. I am righteous. Because this RIGHTEOUSNESS comes through faith. It's the first part of this.

So again: Lawrence, he's not here this morning. But when he comes up to do pastoral prayer, How does he greet you all? Well, I would say maybe not 100% of the time, but 98% of the time when he comes up here, “Greetings Saints of the most high God”. It's what you are. Holy set a part one. You already have that righteousness for you are in Christ, this is faith that comes through faith.

And then, it's also the righteousness of God, that depends on faith. Hear the fancy word we would use is sanctification. Daily OUR righteousness, depends on our faith as God, grows us, and shapes us, and changes us, and makes us more, and more into the image of his son.

The righteousness, we have, we already have it — comes through faith, but then we grow in righteousness somehow still, Because of the beauty of what God has done, living in what we would call the already and not yet, we are already righteous but we're not yet there.

This is our sanctification and faith is what grows Us and shapes us. Such that… Hear my heart in this. One day. As you grow and Endeavor to follow Christ. Your resume Will be better. Then PAUL’S. And my hope and prayer. Earnestly. Is your resume will Be better than mine. I Hope you grow in Christ. Living out the righteousness that depends on faith.

If you've ever unfortunately asked me David how much should I read my Bible? You know, the answer that I give more. How much should you pray more? That is true. If you read your Bible for four seconds a month or four hours a day… read it more.

How much should you pray? more! When do you know you've made it when you have achieved what Paul writes about prayer without ceasing when your entire life is consumed. Every moment of every day by prayer you've made it, I know you're not there yet. But that is the goal, that is what we aim for. And so now we live To try to bring this full circle. With a sense of FAITH Righteousness.

Here's my final, Apology, final time, asking for forgiveness. For sounding very arrogant earlier. Saying, I know more. Pray more. I do more.

I don't.

I really don't.

Because if you are in Christ, If you have gained christ, Verse nine, If you're found in Christ, He has given you HIS Righteousness.

You have the mind of Christ within you. If we want to just like Stack Up chips and figure out, lay out our resumes and things like that. Here's your claim. And and I exhort you claim it all day, every day. You have the righteousness of Christ. It's perfect.

Here's my claim. The righteousness of Christ.

We're tied.

Every single one of us who call on the name of Jesus, Have that. As our resume. And so now we walk in confidence. Now we can say neither height nor death, nor angels nor demons nor the present, nor the future nor any powers, nor anything else in all creation will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Our lord why except Faith righteousness Though, I am being led like a sheep to the slaughter. All the day long still, I rest in him. That's the point. So trust in him look to your savior. And then live with a sort of Faith righteousness, endeavoring to serve and love him.

He who calls you is Faithful He will surely do it.

Let's pray.