No More Parables

Background to passage: Paul has given us one of the four great Christological passages in chapter two about the person and the work of Christ. Then he encourages the church to walk in faith and gives to examples - Timothy and Epaphroditus who lived this faith. Now he speaks to those who trust in their own goodness and works of righteousness for finding favor and salvation from God.

Jesus gave his call through symbols like the cross, and pushed back against people who hadn’t counted the cost of the tower. He told people they couldn’t be disciples if they didn’t love him more than the family and being willing to sell all that you have for the infinite value of the kingdom. The Apostle Paul was one of the most religious people in first century Judaism before his conversion, and then after his conversion he understood the true value of knowing Christ and expressed it personally as a demonstration and a mental framework, worldview, supreme goal in his life.

Philippians 3:2–11 ESV

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.

Opening illustration: Mark from AL who has spent his entire life serving in the church...programs, committees, teams, and ministries.  Mark said, "you name it, I did it." He worked on capital campaigns and long-term planning sessions.  He was at church every service every week that he and his family were in town.  After a small group discussion on disciple making, he realized that with all the "church" work that he had done through the years, he could only pick out one family that he had led to Christ and was in the church.  He said, "I have spent my life doing all that I thought I was supposed to do, but I am realizing that I have missed the most important thing."  The last thing that you and I want is to do is waste out lives on religious activity that is devoid of spiritual productivity--being active in the church but not advancing the kingdom of God.  We don't want to come to the end of our days on earth only to realize that we have had little impact on more people going to heaven,

Main thought: This morning we are going to look at Paul’s mindset for living the life of a disciple.

1) Loss and Trash (v. 7-8)

Philippians 3:7–8 ESV

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

1) Loss and Trash (v. 7-8)

Explanation: This is kinda like the outworking of Jesus’s call to give up all that you have, even your very life for Him. Paul gives his pedigree. He’s dealing with puffed up people who trust in their own goodness and Jesus for salvation. He says, “oh yeah, beat this.” After this all-star life history in external righteousness, he says, it’s all a detriment; it’s all a loss; it’s all trash.

How do you figure? All that status, all that respect, all that goodness, all that theology, all that devotion, all that passion, all that righteousness? You can’t find your confidence in the flesh. In light of knowing Jesus and putting all our trust in him alone for eternal life, everything else is a dung heap.

Argumentation:

Illustration: Justinian von Weltz renounced his title (Baron), estates, and income, and went to Dutch Guinana as a missionary.  His body lies there in a lonely grave, forgotten by the world, but not by God.  As he forsook all that he had he said, “What is it to me to bear the title of ‘well-born’ when I am born again to Christ?  What is it to me to have the title ‘Lord’ when I desire to be a servant to Christ.  What is it to me to be called ‘your grace’ when I have need of God’s grace.  All these vanities I will away with and all else I will lay at the feet of my dear Lord Jesus.”

Application: Paul gives us the perspective for our lives. Religious works and rituals will not earn you salvation, only knowing Jesus will. Therefore, we trust in Jesus for our hope of eternal life, but we walk in the good works created beforehand for us as believers. The gospel is that Jesus, the eternal God, came to dwell among us enrobed in flesh, died upon the cross to bear the wrath of God due sinners, rose again on the third day defeating death and securing justification, and by grace alone through faith alone, we repent and believe we are rescued by our Redeemer to walk in newness of life. We have nothing to offer, nothing to earn with, no righteousness to gain favor with or appease God. It’s all loss. How do you view you service here? How do you view your entrance to the kingdom. There are people here who believe that they will go to heaven because they go to church, parents/grandparents went to church, served in many jobs, pray, been baptized. Start counting it loss, trust in Christ alone.

2) If You Lose, You Win (v. 8)

Philippians 3:8 ESV

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

2) If You Lose, You Win (v. 8)

Explanation: Paul adds a detail to teach us a truth. He says that all this is trash compared to knowing Christ. He furthers that thought by saying he would gain Christ. It means to win Christ, gain and advantage, or to make a profit. He basically says that if you lose your life, count all things loss, YOU WIN. You have the advantage over everything else in life. You profit and come out ahead when you cast it all away as trash for knowing Christ. You win in life when you gain him as the treasure above all things.

Acts 21:13 ESV

13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Illustration:

Polycarp (155 AD), the elderly Bishop of Smyrna and direct disciple of the Apostle John, was brought before the Roman proconsul during a anti-Christian persecution. The proconsul urged him to respect his age, curse Christ, and swear by the genius of Caesar to save his life.

The Mandate: "Swear, and I will release you; revile Christ!"

Polycarp's Reply: "Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?"

The Proconsul: "I have wild beasts at hand; I will throw you to them unless you repent."

Polycarp: "Call them then, for we are not accustomed to repent of what is good in order to adopt that which is evil!"

The Proconsul: "If you despise the wild beasts, I will cause you to be consumed by fire!"

Polycarp: "You threaten me with fire which burns for an hour, and after a little is extinguished, but are ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and of eternal punishment reserved for the ungodly. But why do you delay? Bring forth what you will."

Polycarp was burned at the stake, praying publicly as the flames were ignited.

In 371 AD, Emperor Valens dispatched his praetorian prefect, Modestus, to Caesarea to intimidate Basil into submission. Modestus summoned the bishop to court and demanded he submit to the religion of the sovereign.

When Basil refused, Modestus threatened him with four specific punishments: confiscation of goods, banishment, torture, and death.

Basil responded with total unconcern:

Confiscation: "A man who has nothing is beyond the reach of confiscation, unless you demand my tattered rags and a few books."

Banishment: "Banishment is impossible, for I am confined by no limit of place. Wherever I am cast, the whole earth is God's."

Torture: "Torture cannot harm a body that is already frail and near death."

Death: "Death would be a mercy, for it will only bring me closer to God, for whom I live."

In ~400 AD the Archbishop of Constantinople, John Chrysostom ("the Golden-Mouthed") earned the wrath of Empress Eudoxia for publicly preaching against the extravagance, corruption, and political abuse of the imperial court.

When informed that the Empress was threatening to banish or kill him, Chrysostom told his congregation:

"If the Empress wishes to banish me, let her banish me; 'The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof.' If she wishes to saw me asunder, let her saw me asunder; Isaiah suffered the same fate. If she wishes to throw me into the ocean, I remember Jonah. If she wishes to throw me into the fiery furnace, the Three Children suffered that before me... If she wishes to strip me of my goods, let her do so; naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return."

Eudoxia ultimately had Chrysostom exiled to the remote borders of the Black Sea, where he died in captivity—still refusing to retract his moral critiques of the court.

Application: There is nothing in your life that isn’t surpassed by knowing Christ. Whatever the greatest day in your life now, the day your hit a homerun, got you driver’s license, got married, had a child, all are trash compared to knowing Christ. So put that into the equation of life: loved all those days, so the joy and satisfaction of knowing Jesus is infinitely more joyous and satisfying.

Philippians 1:21 ESV

21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Romans 14:8 ESV

8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

3) The Fullness of Faith in Christ (v. 9-11)

Philippians 3:9–11 ESV

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.

3) The Fullness of Faith in Christ (v. 9-11)

Explanation: Paul speaks about being found “in Christ,” which is the concept of our union with or standing with Christ in salvation. Then he repeats how is in there in union with Christ — not by my own righteousness which comes from the law, but by faith. Then we are given life abundantly. The fullness, freedom, abundance, satisfaction, and joy in the Christian life comes when we know Christ. We see it all here. Knowing Christ/found in him - justification by faith. Knowing the power of his resurrection, sharing in his suffering and death - sanctification in holiness. Attaining the resurrection - glorification.

Argumentation:

Illustration: The New Testament does not primarily describe a Christian as someone who merely believes certain facts, follows certain rules, or receives certain blessings. The Christian is fundamentally a person who is in Christ. Everything else—justification, adoption, sanctification, perseverance, and glorification—flows from that union.

Application: You gain it all. You have your best life now, even if you are sawn in two or burned alive for him. Eternal life doesn’t just begin now, we are all born eternal. It’s just whether you spend your eternal life in eternal death and torment or eternal bliss and satisfaction in the presence of Jesus. Also, eternal life, abundant life doesn’t just start when we die. The benefits of the atoning sacrifice and the gospel of Jesus are active right now for those that believe. Those of you who do not believe are condemned already.

Real life comes with repentance and belief, trust and hope in Christ alone, the surpassing worth and abundant life that is infinitely more valuable than pain and suffering, even the sting of death. 95 years of pain and suffering will be as nothing compared to the glory that will be revealed in you because you know Jesus Christ. This light, momentary affliction is working for us an eternal weight of glory! You were made for this! Don’t you want this! Count it all as trash, lose it all, gain even more!

Closing illustration: Judson was united in marriage to Ann Hasseltine February 5, 1812, and was ordained the following day. He had counted the cost of being a missionary. When asking Mr. Hasseltine for the hand of his daughter, he had written:

"I have now to ask whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure to a heathen land and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean, to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India, to every kind of want and distress, to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this, for the sake of Him who left His heavenly home and died for her and for you?"

His answer would depend on his evaluation of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.

Recap