Philippians 3:4

Introduction

Resumes are important. They give a brief summary as to why you should be hired. Usually people put successes on their resume. You are not going to include how you had an absentee problem or punched your supervisor in the face; instead, it will be language that highlights your dependability, cooperativeness, creativity, and assertiveness.

This morning, I want to focus on Paul’s resume.

There is a reason this is important? Everyone has a life-resume. It is not a resume we are writing but living. Even though there may be different templates on how to write a resume (Chronological, functional, or combination) or styles, God is focused on the substance.

“I interviewed a kid one time who had worked at Wal-Mart. His resume was just riddled with spelling errors and under Job Title at Wal-Mart he had put, “Night Stalker.” Needless to say he wasn’t hired, but we kept an eye out for him…”

“Years ago when I worked retail, I saw one resume come through from someone I knew in passing and DID NOT want working for us. I didn’t have to worry when she put down past experience “stalking shelves”. Our shelves were safe since we never hired her.”

The substance of a resume is the difference between being hired or not.

The resume that counts with God is the involvement Jesus has in a persons life. You cannot overstate the importance Jesus had in a person like Charlie Kirk. I recently heard an atheist or agnostic conservative eulogize Charlie Kirk’s life. His main emphasis was how he struggled with connecting to Charlie Kirk. It was not about his politics but how he integrated his faith into politics. This was off-putting for him because of how many people shamelessly use the name of Jesus Christ but are hypocrites with their lives. He concluded his eulogy by saying in “Charlie’s death his faith was unbelievable.” The points he made about Charlie Kirk’s virtue was not driven by his politics but his faith.

John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Resume without Christ

Philippians 3:4–6 “Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.”

“Confidence” - means reliance and trust - 2 Corinthians 3:4 “And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:”

Paul’s trust, reliance and fall-back were his ethnicity and accomplishments

In Philippians 3:7 “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” Paul’s philosophy in his resume without Christ was “gain.” The word gain, which is attached to “things” means an assets. His assets before God were ethnicity and a works saturated religion that put all the emphasis on his actions and functions.

Therefore, he says, if anyone had any reason to have confidence in their resume outside of Christ, it was him.

Religion is about affections.

It does not matter what kind of religion.

your affections will either be toward self or God.

Romans 11:6 “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

grace if love from God and works is love from self.

“In the Islamic hadith corpus and Quran, the way to atone for sins is called tawba (or tawbah), which requires one to complete a series of steps to receive forgiveness from Allah (God). Jihadist terrorist organizations use primarily Quranic scripture to recruit and employ suicide bombers who may have a guilty conscience for their past sins. It is said that martyrdom, or istishadi, will automatically save Muslims from hell and grant access to paradise no matter the sin committed. One of the understudied reasons for istishadi suicide bombings in jihadist groups is the concept of atonement.” Therefore, guilt has a large role for Islamism.

They do not want to go to Hell for slef-preservation reasons not because they love Allah

70 virgins.

Contrast this with Paul

Philippians 1:23–24 “For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.”

The centerpiece word in understanding his achievements is “I.”

“I” was circumcised on the eighth day - according to the law

“I” am of the stock of Israel - Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

“I” am of the tribe of Benjamin - David Guzik - “a distinguished tribe. Benjamin was distinguished by the fact that it gave Israel her first king, Saul (1Sa 9:1-2). It was the tribe that aligned itself with faithful Judah when Israel divided into two nations at the time of Rehoboam (1Ki 12:21). It was also the tribe that had the city of Jerusalem within its boundaries (Jdg 1:21). “

“I” am a Jew amongst Jews - I did not embrace Greek culture as many other Jews did.

“I” am zealous for Judaism so much that I persecuted the arch nemesis to “I” theology - the Lord’s churches

“I” am a Pharisee - I view all the OT as God’s word. There were no very many Pharisees - 6000 - they were the spiritual athletes of Judaism

“I” had an irreproachable righteousness based on my testimony regarding the law.

His resume was built upon who he was and what he did.

If you were a Jew looking for a rabbi or looking for someone to be part of the synagogue that will uphold Jewish religious values, Paul was your man.

"I" statements are problematic because they are often rooted in our limited, prideful, and fallen nature. They put the focus on self rather than God or others.

President Trump: “I want to try and get to heaven if possible," Trump told Fox News morning show "Fox & Friends."

"I hear I'm not doing well -- I hear I'm really at the bottom of the totem pole! But if I can get to heaven this will be one of the reasons."

Resume with Christ

Philippians 3:7–11 “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”

His resume with Christ means his resume without Christ is:

loss - Philippians 3:7–8 “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord…”

“loss” - damage or forfeit - The thing that you counted on as an advantage has been damaged to the point of forfeiting it.

I have come to realize that all the things that were an advantage to me were damaged and forfeited for Christ.

Illustration: “The airline had mangled Debbie's luggage. Then her purse disappeared. Instead of entering the airport through an enclosed corridor, she stumbled off the plane in the pouring rain. She was drenched, far from home with no money, no identification, and no dry clothes.

“Under normal conditions Debbie would have been furious, but that night it didn't matter. She had just survived the crash of Flight 1420 in Little Rock, Arkansas. "When I walked off that plane," Debbie said, "I walked off with nothing, then I stopped and thought, I have everything." She had suddenly realized that her life was more important than all she had lost.”

dung - Philippians 3:8 “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,”

Dung - refuse - the worthless or useless part of something

Illustration - collecting aluminum cans v. steel cans.

I mentioned last week how that to have the righteousness of Christ - two things are required. The first of the two things is to know you are ungodly.

It was easy to view his resume as loss and dung once he understood the extent of sin.

Why is Christ the central theme in His resume?

Who He is

Philippians 3:7–8 “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,”

He is the Christ

“Christ” means anointed one, Messiah, and by application conqueror.

Throughout Paul’s life, he believed the best way to conquer sin was through his ethnicity and passion for Judaism. In this sesne, he believed, he was his own messiah.

Until he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.

He is the Lord

Jesus was more than a conqueror of sin

Jesus was his Lord

Acts 9:6 “And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.”

Illustration: A similar historical illustration of "counting it all loss" is told of the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez. After landing at Vera Cruz, Mexico in 1519 he was so intent on conquest that to assure the devotion of his men, Cortez set fire to his fleet of eleven ships! With no means of retreat Cortez’s army had only one direction to move, into the Mexican interior. Cortez understood the price of commitment—and he was willing to pay it for a temporal, earthly treasure. Paul in contrast was willing to give up the earthly for the heavenly. The knowledge of Christ exceeds everything else

Christ is a positive asset (win)

His pursuit