Paul’s Example

Baptism

Acts 2:38–41 ESV

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

We are so excited about Jace’s decision to follow Jesus and in obedience get baptized today. As with anyone who comes to Christ we are so thankful for the people who poured into Jace.

Opening:

We have a lot to cover today so let’s jump straight into our text:

Scripture:

Philippians 3:1–21 ESV

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 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— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

1. Jesus + Nothing = Everything (v. 1-11)

Right off the bat I have to pause and point out one of my favorite things about Philippians. Paul with 43 verses ahead of him says finally….now as a pastor I can truly appreciate that. I’m definitely guilty of saying finally, or our last thing for today, and then go on and preach another 10-15 minutes.

Today we are going to cover a lot of ground. Because of that I want to focus on two key elements of this passage. In this first set of verses Paul goes on to almost apologize for being repetitive, or beleaguering, the point. It’s like he’s back at the chorus again and that chorus is simply Rejoice in the Lord! Why does Paul emphasize this theme of rejoicing in the Lord even during struggles? Because he knows it’s an antidote for us being consumed by our trials.

I wonder how we are doing with this. Are we like the Philippian church and need some reminding that we are to rejoice in the Lord? I love this time of year where we pause and give thanks to God for all of his provision in our lives. The more we remind ourselves of this the more prepared we will be to stand firm and rejoice even when we face difficult circumstances.

Paul then transitions to warn the church off opponents. Interestingly Paul takes a term “dogs” that was used in a derogatory way towards gentiles and assigns it to these false teachers. The general idea was that Jewish people would describe Gentiles as dogs because they didn’t adhere to a kosher diet and thus were like dogs that ate indiscriminately just as dogs do. Paul is pointing out that the Pharisees and Judaizers, devout Jews who accepted the Messiah but wanted to hold circumcision and others rituals as added things to be a Christian, who relied on their clean diet and other works while their hearts were unclean all along.

We see Paul also use the term mutilators of the flesh which is this reference to circumcision. In essence these Judaizers believed more in the physical transformation, circumcision, than in God’s work of grace through Jesus Christ. Paul is adamant that this is evil and not what God desires.

One commentator humorously pointed out that 15 years or so ago the song “Who Let the Dogs Out” became popular. It’s a song that you’ve probably sung along to at some point at a ballgame. Well the chorus is light hearted, but if you listen to the chorus you see that the lyrics aren’t so great…in fact they are quite awful. Just as these false teachers at first glance the message often seems innocent enough, but just as the song if you look a little closer you see that the message is evil. Paul is warning the Philippians of these false teachers. He is adamant that when you add to the gospel you ultimately lose the gospel. This is what the reformers fought so hard against. It’s Christ and Christ alone that we preach.

In what ways are we adding to the gospel? Is this a blind spot in our own lives? This can manifest itself in different ways…you can’t really be a Christian if you don’t dress a certain way….or to come to Christ you first need to stop or perhaps they need to do things the way we do to be followers of Christ. Regardless of how we might add to the gospel it is wrong and we need to guard against this in our church…notice I said we. This is the strength of the local church we together guard the gospel making sure that it is preached and taught correctly and that we aren’t creating obstacles for people to come to Christ.

Interestingly enough, Paul was able to check all the boxes of the Judaizers or Pharisees. We see this when he reminds us in the next few verses (v. 4-10) that before coming to Christ he had the perfect credentials. Paul had the ethnic privileges and all the achievements you could have wanted, but he viewed them all as rubbish.

Paul’s use of the word rubbish about his so called accomplishments is significant. See the Judaizer and Pharisees, which he was a part of, would have thought he had it all. He literally checked off all the boxes, but Paul is saying trying to live a live that is consumed with following the law is a life that misses out on the grace found in Jesus and because of that he wants nothing to do with it.

He went from persecuting the church to being the catalyst for a missionary movement within the church. Why? Because he was transformed by this free gift of grace from God that can’t be earned. All those things he thought he earned and gained now he would firmly put them in the loss column. Losing all of that for the sake of Christ was the greatest exchange Paul had ever made and he wants to remind the Philippian Church and us today that Christ and Christ alone is worthy of losing it all. Our righteousness doesn’t come from us, we could never do enough good in light of a perfect God, instead our righteousness comes from our faith in Christ. That is we are justified before God not by our own works but by the work of Christ on the cross.

What a beautiful truth that Paul is trying to get the reader to grasp. Let’s not trade the false teachings that will never match the truth of the grace found in God’s love through Christ going to the cross for our sins and defeating death as he rose again. We know that we have resurrection hope because Christ was resurrected. Paul reminds us that it’s through knowing Christ, through a personal relationship with him, we have this resurrection hope for ourselves….in the midst of the difficulties of life we have this hope.

So let’s remind ourselves of this often. Let’s be followers of Christ who have discerning ears and can sniff out when someone is adding to the gospel. Let’s guard against it in our church and preach the pure gospel that reminds us it’s a free gift of God and that Christ’s death & resurrection is enough.

2. Press On! (v. 12-21)

In this section of chapter 3 Paul brings us back to the running analogy he loves so much in his writings. Here Paul will point to his own example as a passionate follower of Christ who is chasing after Jesus with all of his strength. Paul urges all of those who are mature, in our faith, to do the same.

As we study this passage together Paul is like that coach or team captain urging us on. He’s not condemning here, but rather hoping that his words and the work of the Holy Spirit will combine to convict the hearer to pursue godliness with all their might.

There’s something about having a coach or leader on the team to push you. There are certain leaders that you would run through a wall for and usually it’s because they have or are currently willing to lead by example.

As you guys know I’m a big Florida Football fan. My parents both went to school there and my family has had season tickets since the 60’s. Well they haven’t been very good recently but actually had a good win yesterday. A few years back they had some really good teams led by QB Tim Tebow. They recently made a documentary about those teams and one thing that stood out was there were some big personalities on that team. There was a majority of guys who loved to go out and party and really push the limits. Tebow of course was the opposite. Very devout in his faith to the point of some teammates trying to get him to compromise. But here is what was interesting about the documentary. Even though most of the guys were living very opposite of Tebow when it came to the football field and locker room they all respected him. In fact they all said that his work ethic and never stop attitude fueled them to be better players. See he lead by example and wanted his teammates to elevate to his level of passion for the game of football.

Paul in many ways is trying to accomplish the same thing here. He’s urging the Philippian Church to follow his example of pursuing Christ passionately no matter the cost. It’s the idea of sanctification we touched on last week…the long obedience in a same direction as pastor Dallas Willard says.

Hebrews 12:1 ESV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Tony Merida Outline 5 Challenges for Growing in Maturity based on a sermon by CJ Mahaney which I think is super helpful for us. Let’s walk through them quickly:

Five Challenges for Growing in Maturity

I. Humbly Acknowledge That You Haven’t Arrived (3:12a, 13a).

“Leadership is not lordship, and it’s not about being superior. It’s about following Jesus, becoming more like Him, and bringing others along on the journey.”

-Tony Merida

I love the idea of us as a church running this race together and people looking to their left and right and not trying to win but pulling people along side them as they run. There’s a viral video of a racer rounding the final corner of a long race and stumbling. The second place runner could pass him but knows his competitor would have won so he helps brace him up and leads him to the finish line where he finishes just ahead of him. What a beautiful picture of running the race together and helping others. I’m so thankful for the many people in my life who encouraged me to run the race well!

II. Passionately Pursue a Greater Knowledge of Christ (3:12–14).

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 ESV

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Paul talks about pursuing what is ahead and forgetting what is behind. It’s a powerful reminder that through forgiveness we can move forward from our past sins and chase after holiness with all our might. Paul is a great example of this.

Not only should we not live in the discouragement of our past mistakes but we shouldn’t coast on past victories. Jesus reminds us that we must die daily to ourselves and pursue Him. Paul wants us to do the same. So let’s live a life of daily surrender pursuing godliness.

CJ Mahaney flips these verses which is helpful.

“What one change could you make in order to pursue the one thing that matters the most?” (“Straining for the Prize”). Negatively stated, what sin or habit or activity could you throw off in order to run the race better (Heb 12:1–2)? Positively, what could you begin doing that you aren’t doing right now?”

We should be known as people who love the Word of God and love spending time in prayer. Simply put these are the two most effective ways to grow in our faith and we should prioritize them in our lives.

III. Never Lose the Wonder of the Gospel (3:12b, 14b).

“You are constantly preaching to yourself some kind of gospel. You preach to yourself an anti-gospel of your own righteousness power, and wisdom, or you preach to yourself the true gospel of deep spiritual need and sufficient grace. You preach to yourself an anti-gospel of aloneness and inability, or you preach to yourself the true gospel of the presence, provisions, and power of an ever-present Christ.”

Paul Trip

Philippians 3:12 “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” This verse back at the begging of this passage is beautiful in that Paul both uses the imagery of trying to make something his own, but then reminds u that it’s because Christ has made us his own. What a beautiful thought that is. Jesus wants you and me. We should remind ourselves of this often.

“The problem with many people when they talk about spiritual maturity is that they talk about it apart from the gospel. They think the gospel is the ABCs of Christianity, not the A to Z of Christianity as Tim Keller says (“The Centrality of the Gospel,” 1–2).

We must remind ourselves of the beauty of the gospel constantly. It’s the very essence of our faith. If you haven’t yet trusted in the gospel, the good news of Jesus dying for our sins and being resurrected 3 days later defeating death and giving us the hope of eternity, then I urge you today to place your faith in him and start this wonderful faith journey we are talking about. If you are a believer then remind yourself daily of this good news and how God rescued you through sending Jesus to die for your sins.

IV. Follow Cross-Centered, Heavenly Minded Examples (3:15–19).

Paul has given the example of himself, Titus, and Epaphroditus and of course the ultimate example of Jesus. Paul knows the value of having godly examples to follow. In our Christian walk we need encouragement from others. There’s nothing like having someone to show you what it looks like to live out your faith. I was blessed this week to spend some time around the men in our church as they are building a fence at our house. First of all what a blessing and second of all, it’s been absolutely fantastic spending some time around this guys. We are so blessed to have godly men in our church who are great examples for us younger men to follow…I know the same is true of our ladies. Let’s continue to run this race well and be a good example to follow.

Sadly Paul reminds us there are many who walk away from their faith and are no longer good examples. The thing these bad examples are guilty of is “loving their stomachs” which is another way to think of chasing your own desires. Paul also says “their glory is their shame” which means the revel in things that they should be ashamed of. Simply put Paul warns that many will walk away from their faith and we should be careful to not let them influence us.

It’s sad to think how many people I went to bible college with or seminary with who are no longer in ministry or even walking with the Lord. John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

We must stay on guard and make sure we are following examples that cling to the hope found in the gospel! One thing that we should remember here is that Paul is in tears over these people. It’s easy to look at people as our enemies or hate people who don’t hold the same values as us, but Paul shows empathy to them and wishes for all to stay strong in their faith.

V. Live in Light of Your True Citizenship (3:20–21).

Just as Philippi was a colony of Rome and considered a little Rome…Paul is telling his readers that they, the Phillipian church is like a colony of heaven…everything about the church should be a representation of Heaven. What a beautiful thought this is. We talked about citizenship all the way back in chapter one. I shared with you how my passport says birthplace Austria but my citizenship is in the United States of America. Well we too must view our citizenship in heaven. Are we looking at life in light of eternity.

As Christians we are at our best when the way we live points people towards heaven. The way we care for the orphan, or help the homeless, or whatever we do to show love towards others in the name of Jesus is us telling the world we are just passing through and do all of this with eternity in mind. What a wonderful thing to be known for.

We end chapter 3 with a promise of eternity as Jesus will transform us from our earthly bodies to be like his glorious body in heaven. We have ultimate victory through Christ Jesus. All of our efforts to live out our faith is worth it, because we have this promise of spending eternity with God. This is the prize we are pursuing and Paul wants to remind us that we must alway keep this in mind.

Closing:

So today as we close out let’s run the race well. Let’s encourage one another to continue to pursue Christ and if you haven’t yet placed your faith in Christ I encourage you to do so. Let’s pray!