FOES AND FRIENDS, HERO'S AND CITIZENS

FOES AND FRIENDS, HERO'S AND CITIZENS Philippians 3:17-21 January 31, 2010 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introduction Heinrik is a gardner and landscaper by trade. At least he was. Seven years ago he decided he should make a little more money doing some-thing else. He and a truck-driver friend of his hatched a plot to bilk an insurance company out of 40,000 euros. It was really quite simple. Heirik held onto a piece of lumber and his friend sawed off two fingers. The deed done, Heinrik threw away the severed digits and filed for a settlement. Just after filing the paperwork, the two men were bragging about their little ruse in a tavern. Seated at a table nearby was a government official who felt it was his duty to rat them out. Because the money wasn’t enough, and the boasting was too hard to pass up, Heinrik spent a year and a half behind bars as an eight fingered prisoner. His chainsaw buddy was found to have a previous record and an outstanding warrant, and he’s still in the Wuerzburg hoosegow. Boastfulness is wrong and pride still goes before a fall. Find and Follow Faith Friends and Heroes Reading through Philippians 3 you might easily think the apostle Paul was a braggart. After all, in verse 15 he made the statement, all of us who are mature should take such a view of things. Now he says Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. He says, you’d do well to emulate me and others like me. In one sense, we have enough record of Paul, and a thick file full of his writings that establishes pretty well his humility. And in another sense, in Paul we get a glimpse of an appropriate level of confidence in God’s work in and through him such that he’s unafraid to serve as an example. Maybe we all ought to strive for such godly confidence! After all, anyone who says so confidently, I forget what’s behind and strain toward what is ahead, then actually lives it out, deserves a hearing—and a following. Oswald Chambers wisely said, When you meet a man or woman who puts Jesus Christ first, knit that one to your soul. So we have Paul writing from a jail cell encouraging the Philippian believers to follow his example. But, though his approach seems a bit brash, he elsewhere clarifies what he means. There is an important proviso in Paul’s bold challenge. In 1 Corinthians 11:1 Paul said, Follow my example, in as much as I follow the example of Christ. You know, any one of us could rightfully say to his son or daughter, God has made me your parent and I want to serve in that role as a good example for you. And to the degree that you see me living out my life and faith for Jesus Christ, you do the same. His is not just a provisional invitation, but a quite specific one. You see, an unbroken read of this chapter makes it clear that Paul has not yet left his theme back in verses 13 and 14, where he humbly acknow-ledged that he had not yet “arrived” and was still in process. With that in mind we can understand that Paul is not saying, Do as I have done and you will be great, too! No, he’s urging these disciples in the Lord to strive, to strain toward the goal of Christlikeness, to press on toward the goal. You see, for Paul, maturity is in the progression. I like what Bono, the lead singer of the band U2, says: Your nature is a hard thing to change; it takes time…. I have heard of people who have life-changing, miraculous turnarounds, people set free from addiction after a single prayer, relationships saved where both parties "let go, and let God." But it was not like that for me. For all that "I was lost, I am found," it is probably more accurate to say, "I was really lost. I'm a little less so at the moment." And then a little less and a little less again. That to me is the spiritual life. The slow reworking and rebooting the computer at regular intervals, reading the small print of the service manual. It has slowly rebuilt me in a better image. It has taken years, though, and it is not over yet. But the invitation to follow him is also collegial. He is most definitely NOT saying, Follow my lead because I’m the only one around here worth following. He says, Take your pick boys! Look around—there are lots of others who can serve you well as examples of Christian maturity! Grab a role model, everybody! There is a principle here we dare not pass by without comment. It’s an idea that is oddly not heard much in the church. Let me exhort you in the way Paul exhorted our first century brothers. Each of us would do well to develop a friendship with another Christian who would help us. Some of you, probably only a precious few, have someone like this. Someone with whom you have lowered the walls, opened the gates, with whom you have become open and transparent about your walk with Christ. I want to urge the rest of you to find a Christian friend like that. Paul spoke in 1 Corinthians about linking up with others with whom we are “equally yoked,” and we normally attach that only to a marriage partner, correctly urging one another to marry a Christian. But 2 Corinthians 6 is not a passage about marriage; it’s all about the relationships we have with others. I encourage you to pray for God’s leading, find a brother or sister (it should be obvious that the sexual issue be honored)—one who is at least as serious about his personal spiritual maturity as you. But it is much better to find a confidant who is a few steps ahead of you; after all, you want to be challenged to grow, not to remain tepid in some state of tepid mediocrity, right? Then, of course, your friend may not be stretched – until you grow before his very eyes and serve as a model in the manner of Paul. If you are younger in years or in Christian experience, you especially should look for not just a friend. Look for a hero. Ask God the Spirit to lead you to someone who can disciple you into new levels of sanctification. Remember, this is your goal, your calling in Christ. Learn the value of belonging and becoming! Get hold of someone whose faith and obedience are worth emulating, someone you can look up to in Christ. Find a Paul. More than anything, as we live in a culture saturated with all manner of things carnal and bereft of real meaning, we each need a significant other person—and, strange as it may seem, spouses can rarely fill that bill—someone who can edify you, love you, confront you, challenge you—someone who knows when you lie. But if all the good guys are connecting with other good guys, how can a younger guy find a hero? If all the truly mature women are hanging around with each other, who’s left for the younger ones? Spiritual heroes and heroines must find time to nurture not only themselves, but those they lead. In fact, at every level of spiritual growth we each need a Paul who stretches us, a Timothy whom we stretch and a Barnabas who stands alongside us. Proverbs 27:17 is a proverb for good reason – As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. God built into our souls a need for good, wholesome, edifying friends. Don’t rob yourself of this precious commodity. Find a friend, find a hero, find someone to keep you sharp. Find and Follow Faith Friends and Faith Heroes. Beware and Bemoan Enemies of the Cross Look at verse 18 with me, please: For as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Catch that! Though it may be very obvious to you, know that that is the reason you need good Christian associates. There is much to draw you away from your faith in the company of others who are non-believers. Paul underscores an important contrast here. And 1 Corinthians 15:33 counsels us: Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” Of those who are in that second category, Paul writes in verse 19, Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. This is quite a description, isn’t it? In a single verse of scripture Paul gives us a full range of analysis of what drives the ungodly. We’ll look at each of these phrases, but keep in mind, there are actually two main categories of ungodliness: License and legalism. People who ignore God’s Law, and people who manipulate it. First, Paul says, Their god is their belly. The word belly here is symbolic of the range of human appetites. He’s talking about hedonism—the philosophy of life held by so many, some intentionally and others accidentally, that the pursuit of pleasure is the greatest good in life. And that pleasure is sought by satisfying every urge and emotion however it is possible. Dan Ahrens wrote a book entitled Investing in Vice. Back in 2002 a new investment vehicle surfaced: The vice fund. It focuses on “products or services often considered socially irresponsible.” It , along with the Faming and Casino fund rest on the sadly reliable truth that during economic downturns the dark side of human nature will bring big profits as people increasingly indulge in fambling, smoking, drinking, prostitution and other vices. A 20% year over year return on investments in the vice fund proves it. Malcom Muggeridge wrote: God has made [our] fantasies … so preposterously unrewarding that we are forced to turn to him for help and for mercy. We seek wealth and find we've accumulated worthless pieces of paper. We seek security and find we've acquired the means to blow ourselves and our little earth to smithereens. We seek carnal indulgence only to find ourselves involved in the prevailing erotomania. The belly gods are very much alive in modern western culture. The next description is the compounded result of hedonism: their glory is in their shame. The one whose behavior rakes his conscience soon finds a need to either justify those behaviors or go mad with guilt or the sadness of his depravity. He must rename, requalify what he does (gambling becomes gaming; adultery becomes an affair, drugs become recreation and wanton sexuality becomes hooking up or casual encounters). The only alternative to renaming is flat out boasting – Yes, I’m bad—and it’s so good! Jude 16 – They follow their evil desires…they boast about themselves. Their glory is their shame. Paul’s final descriptive phrase is their minds are on earthly things. The goals of the enemies of the cross are earthbound. There is no consideration of eternity or judgment—all that matters is the here and now. Aldous Huxley's book Brave New World was written in 1932, but Huxley correctly forecast some of the issues of the 21st century. Huxley's premise was that people would come to love the things that enslaved them, and that they would worship the technology that would undo their capacities to think. He believed that by inflicting pleasure upon people, they could be controlled, and ultimately ruined, by the trivia they pursued. A man in a 24-hour Chinese internet caf?played himself to death on online games. Officials said he played one game for three solid days. He collapsed and paramedics were unable to revive him. How sadly representative of culture pursuig momentary, but meaningless things, only to die early and enter an eternity of regret. This is perhaps why Paul said, I say with tears…many live as enemies of the cross… While the ungodliness of the culture around us continues to worsen—and as prophesied, it will—we ought to not only shake our heads, but we ought to weep. Honestly, some of what I see going on in people’s lives makes me extremely sad, even depressed. Paul’s words illustrate to us that we don’t just shake our heads at paganism, we bemoan, we lament the lost condition. Why are Christians susceptible to such deep sadness over the condition of lost people? It’s not just the horrible prospects of impending judgment, it is also the contrast. We know what life can be for someone who knows the Lord. And it contrasts so sharply with the shallowness and emptiness of hopeless people. Romans 8 explains that we who have the first fruits of the Spirit of God understand more than anyone the desperation of the unredeemed world, and in that we do suffer. Let me use Romans 8 to segue into the contrast that Paul has set up. Read with me Romans 8:22-23, 25-26 then Romans 8:18-21. But we are citizens of heaven This is exactly where Paul goes next in Philippians 3. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. One day in October 2005, Moses Bittock celebrated an experience he had waited a lifetime to achieve. That day at the DesMoines, Iowa, federal building, the native Kenyan finally became a United States citizen. That would have been enough. On his way home from the federal building he stopped at a service station for gas and checked the numbers in the “Hot Lotto Game.” The hapless Kenyan American had won $1.89 million! He said, “It doesn’t happen anywhere—I guess only in America.” In an infinitely greater dimension, the Christian has become heir to incomprehensible, eternal blessings. Take hope, dear Christians! This is your destiny, because, as 1 Peter 2:25 puts it, though you were like sheep going astray… you have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. Your destiny is radically different from those who have no hope. When you came to Christ, you became a new, naturalized citizen of heaven, even though you still sojourn here. The majesty of the coming Lord As citizens of that future home, which in many senses has already become our native land, we anticipate the great event that will herald the beginning of glory for us. It is such a grand event that, even if we die before it gets here, God is going to wake us up, just in time, to experience it all! One day, our Savior will come, blasting out of the heavens, bringing reward for His people and judgment for His enemies. Every eye will see Him and every knee will fold before Him. No one will ever again have the dubious privilege of denying Him His rightful honor as the Son of God and Lord of all, from then on. A pent up power will be released on that occasion—an enormous explosion of all that was ever true and right and just and holy. We will recognize this explosive power instantly, because Paul tells us that it will be the same power that enables Jesus to claim Lordship over all of creation. That explosion will be set off by the confession of billions of human beings that Jesus Christ is Lord. Most of those confessing will do so with overwhelming regret that they hadn’t done so before. The rest of us will exult, I mean exult, in the proud, now vindicated pronouncement, He is Lord. The transformation of our bodies Paul says our lowly bodies will be transformed. By “lowly” he means that the bodies (and lives) we now exist in will be shown to be so far inferior as to be almost shameful. These bodies now are opaque. They cannot allow the glory of God which we have come to possess in Christ to shine through. But when we are given glorified bodies—and we will be given glorified bodies—all the glory of God will show. We will be absolutely changed, morphed into someone who is just like Jesus! We who now imperfectly share in the divine life of Christ will be freed unto a perfect experience and expression of the likeness of Jesus. God will do this. His very special promise, like icing on the cake of our eternal home in heaven, like winning the lottery in addition to gaining citizenship, is that we get new bodies, just like the post-resurrection body of the Lord. The anticipation of our hope Vincent Van Gogh and the color yellow 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 Yellow is not my favorite color. But now that I know the story of Vincent van Gogh, I have come to value yellow differently. This famous Dutch painter, sadly, tossed away the truth imparted him in his Christian home and sank into depression and destruction. By the grace of God, as he later began to embrace the truth again, his life took on hope, and he gave that hope color. The best-kept secret of van Gogh's life is that the truth he was discovering is seen in the gradual increase of the presence of the color yellow in his paintings. Yellow evoked (for him) the hope and warmth of the truth of God's love. In one of his depressive periods, seen in his famous The Starry Night, one finds a yellow sun and yellow swirling stars, because van Gogh thought truth was present only in nature. Tragically, the church, which stands tall in this painting and should be the house of truth, is about the only item in the painting showing no traces of yellow. But by the time he painted The Raising of Lazarus, his life was on the mend as he began to face the truth about himself. The entire picture is (blindingly) bathed in yellow. In fact, van Gogh put his own face on Lazarus to express his own hope in the Resurrection. Yellow tells the whole story: life can begin all over again because of the truth of God's love. Each of us, whether with actual yellows or metaphorical yellows, can begin to paint our lives with the fresh hope of a new beginning.       [ Back to Top]