Philippians 3:1
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Intro
Intro
Who loves working really hard at something only to realize it was completely meaningless?
E-trainings at Best Buy
Story - Working 20 years towards degree to exchange it for a family
This is what Paul is going to talk about in our passage, and he starts by giving them some advice.
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.
A relationship with Christ is without question the most valuable thing a person can possess, and yet it is attained exclusively as a free gift. This contradicts the way of the world. Have you become richer than anyone else? It will do you no good here. Have you more name recognition? It is not a benefit in this matter. Have you devoted yourself to morality? It does not gain you even the slightest advantage at having a relationship with Christ. There is one path to a relationship with Christ and it does not involve adding a single thing to your resume, but rather burning it altogether. The way to Christ is the abandonment of all else; every dollar earned, every title acquired, each work performed, all praise received - it is all rubbish. Share in Christ’s sufferings by emptying yourself, then come to him and be filled with eternal life by his Resurrection. This is foolishness to the wise and offensive to the religious elite, and yet it is the way God has put before us. Therefore let go of your glory and embrace the loss of all things, cling only to Christ and receive himself as your only possession; it is only then you will be rich beyond measure.
FCF - we are focused too much on ourselves and our own glory
CFC - Christ is the only way to true glory
Because Christ is the only way to true glory, we need to strive for him above all else.
Have No Confidence in The Flesh
Have No Confidence in The Flesh
Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.
Look out for those who mutilate the flesh - yikes, obviously!
Who hes actually talking about is the Jews who insist that salvation is through the law and obedience to it.
They are the frauds, we are the circumcision!
For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—
True circumcision is not physical but spiritual
And here we have to back up for a second...
Paul’s Life As A Pharisee
How he was raised
Life as a Pharisaical Jewish boy
the memorization, the recitation, the expectations...
And he was good at it.
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.
He was the poster child! He was going to get the best seat in heaven according to the Pharisees and the circumcision party. He was smashing expectations and rising through the ranks like nobody’s business
The Vanity of Everything
And Yet… It was all garbage.
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
What happened here? Paul came to the realization that what he had worked his whole life for was a sham, it was meaningless. The Pharisees were wrong, and he ate the lie.
Imagine the depression knocking at the door: a whole life’s work proven to be meaningless
For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
This wasn’t just his religion, it was his life. It was his identity. It was him. And it was worthless.
And so Paul let go of it, he let go of everything.
We have to let go of that same baggage.
What is your identity?
Maybe you were raised to be an amazing athlete, and you excelled at it, and know it has become who you are and all you care about.
Maybe you saw the glory others got from becoming the best in their field, and it seemed really nice to you, and you thought maybe you should follow in those footsteps, and you’re currently halfway down that path.
Is there some part of you that is trying to throw yourself into a particular field, chasing glory and immortality through fame?
Is there still any part of you that has translated your views of glory to your relationship with God, leading you to think you’re gaining favor with God based on your own ability?
Maybe you think God is like that coach, who loves you as soon as you perform well enough.
Maybe you think God is like that teacher, maybe even parent that forces you to excel before you can be rewarded or even loved.
Maybe your experienced have led you to believe that God intends you to earn your own salvation, and to trust only yourself.
When it comes to righteousness, are you depending on your ability and chosen identity, or on the faith God gifts us?
If you’re depending on your ability, you probably know what a life of secret sins and backsliding is like. You know what it likes to hold onto something that you know won’t take you anywhere.
If you depend on faith, then you know what it’s like to pray. If you truly depend on faith for your righteousness, you will be praying to God as often as you can. That is your lifeline and it cannot be ignored ever.
You also know what it is like to be loved unconditionally and to be taken care of. You know what it is like to cling onto something that is infinitely valuable and cannot be taken from you.
Just like Paul, we also have to come to the place where we see the immense value of knowing Christ, and how worthless everything else is. We have to let go of what is bringing us down and identifying us in sin, and we have to trade it in for Christ.
Strive For Full Confidence In Christ
Strive For Full Confidence In Christ
But what exactly did Paul see that made him give up his life’s work?
Paul saw Jesus,
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 seeing Jesus, he knew that all of the claims these Christians were making were actually true. What are the claims?
Jesus Christ is Lord.
As Lord, Jesus Christ Suffered For Sinners
And that Jesus calls sinners to suffer in the same way
that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
3. As Lord, Jesus Christ Resurrected and Defeated Death
And that he gives the same resurrection to everyone who follows him
that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
The life that Paul used to live, constantly trying to get to heaven through his own personal perfection, was left behind. He now had full confidence in the perfection of Christ and the belief that faith in Christ was going to give him everlasting life.
And Paul was not one of the disciples. He didn’t walk with Jesus, he didn’t see the signs and the miracles, he didn’t sit down with Jesus for dinner or experience the Holy Spirit descending in fire at Pentecost. In fact, in a lot of ways, Paul is just like a lot of Americans: raised in a religious setting that cared more about behavior transformation and personal achievement than about a relationship with God.
So when did things change for Paul? It was on the road to Demascus that Paul’s heart was transformed forever. It was when Jesus revealed himself that Paul saw how wrong he had been. It was then that Paul knew the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus and the worthlessness of anything else.
It was then that Paul learned something else about Jesus:
God Is Able To Change the Hearts of Even the Worst Sinners. We Need That.
Application: Maybe tonight you had a similar experience to Paul, because tonight you were also exposed to Jesus like Paul was. Maybe not in a blinding vision, but in God’s Word. We have the same divine encounter every time we open up our Bibles, and God uses that Word to give us faith in him.
God uses his word to transform sinners into sons and daughters. He did it for Paul, and he can do it for you, too.
God can take your rags and give you glory in exchange
pray for that.
