Right with God

Philippians 3:1–14 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.

Scripture: Philippians 3:1-14

Sermon Title: Right with God

To set the scene as we come to our reading tonight, Paul praised the Philippian church because for how gracious they were. He was in prison, suffering for the gospel, and the Christians in Philippi had lent him a great amount of support. He also wanted to encourage them in their faith so that they would grow in unity and in their love of the Lord. He called for them to rejoice in God for all that he had done for them and through them. When we arrive at chapter 3, we find Paul pouring out his heart to them about where his righteousness is. This chapter does well to expand on the treasure that God is in the life of believers. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, one of the things that I had trouble with in seminary, and it can be seen at different conferences and lectures is what takes place when a usually visiting professor is introduced. It never seemed enough to simply say this is Dr. So-and-So from Some Theological Seminary or University. Instead, the person giving the welcome would end up giving a two to three minute presentation of all of the degrees of that person and some of their best papers and accomplishments, and their field of study and teaching is ten words long. It seemed to me to always lack some humility.   

The intent of introducing someone by their accomplishments is likely to prove that this individual is well-studied, respectable, and maybe even can be considered an expert about certain things. I get that, but I assume that when a school or a convention selects a certain person it is because they have certain credentials. This practice goes beyond simply biblical studies and theology, it is common to most academic fields. While hearing someone’s professional biography is nice, does it tell me who they are at the heart of things? Is the long list of what distinguishes a certain individual actually what matters most about them and to them?

During the time of Paul and his ministry among the early church, there were groups of people convinced that the number of credentials they had were what mattered to be received by God. Paul talked about his reasons to put confidence in the flesh, in himself—his physical circumcision, his ancestry and lineage, he was a Jew and great Jew in being a Pharisee. He was faultless and he had persecuted the church. If any Jew or a Judaizer—people who said you had to put the law into the Christian faith, came to Paul, they would have seen someone to emulate. Paul had all the right characteristics that they assumed were needed to be righteous. He filled the requirements as much as anyone possibly could.

Maybe Paul still had a little bit of pride that he could claim these things, but even greater he wanted to show the Philippian church the change in perspective. At one point he thought he was at the front of the line as far as what God expected and what God would treat best, but then we come to verses seven through nine, and he says it is all loss. In fact, “everything [is] a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Not only that, “I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him [not basing this on the law] but that which is through faith—by God.” Everything is loss and is rubbish.

           When we read this passage, I think we are prone to read it as Paul saying that everything else is now unimportant compared to Jesus. Yet what Paul was actually getting at is that everything he looked at as for profit in his life pre-conversion, he now saw as things that could actually hurt him. If he kept these things around as being greatly important, they would likely get in the way of him knowing Jesus. If they got in the way, then they were actually causing him to lose out on how righteousness is really attained.  

In Matthew 16:26, Jesus tells us, “”What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world yet forfeits his soul?” We could learn lots of good things about every subject in school. You could go to Dakotafest and figure out the best equipment to buy and hire an agronomist to become the most successful farmer.  You could have degrees, books, wealth—but Paul says if that detracts from knowing Christ and having faith, it will hurt you. This is the view he took of his Most Important Jew traits, but he goes even further to call it all “rubbish.” The Greek word there is often taught today as Paul using a less polite term that you farmers might call your cow’s or your pig’s dung. Everything in life that we try to claim to the benefit of our righteousness other than faith in Christ is to be viewed as “s-h-add two more letters.”

           Everything in life that we can earn or attain or credit to ourselves on the world’s standards is worth absolutely nothing if Christ is missing from our lives. Nothing else will make us right with God—nothing will restore the relationship broken by sin, will give us status by which we can know we are forgiven than to have faith in Christ and in what he has accomplished and can alone give us by his grace. We need Christ and that is always the most important thing!

           Do we have that passion? A couple of weeks ago Christie and I were having dinner with a couple from Corsica, and for devotions Psalm 84 was read. It is a familiar psalm, but as I sat there listening verse 10 struck me in a new way, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” How many times have we heard or sung similar words. Better is a single day in the presence of God, where worship is brought to him than 1,000 days anywhere else, than almost 3 straight years anywhere else. Better is one day with God, even simply opening the door for others to see him, to be a servant be for him than an endless stream of days doing anything else.

           As I thought about how that verse could be applied, I thought: better to be with Jesus one day than to have season tickets and the ability to attend every single game of your favorite sports teams. Better to be with him than camping and being out in a boat or an ice shack on the lake catching limits of fish daily for as long as you like. Being with Jesus for a single day is better than the days of retirement spent spoiling your grandchildren. Better than those things and any other dreams you may have, yes, being in or near the presence of the Lord. Whoever wrote that psalm, they had their own pleasures but to be in the courts of God was far greater.

           That is the passion that Paul is translating into the New Testament. Verses ten and eleven, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” This is what Paul was chasing after now. If you are going to win something in this life, it is the only thing worth going after to win. Living with both the joys and sufferings that come from being a follower so that one day we can live with him. This is how righteousness is attained, not by what we have done, but by accepting with humility what Jesus Christ alone has accomplished.

In the big picture of what the Catechism teaches, what is before us tonight is an exclamation point on how belonging to Christ sets us free from sin. Not because of our perfection, not because of our church attendance, not because of how few curse words we have said, but because the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ has been granted and credited to us by God. Misery and shame in our consciences will continue to tell us that we cannot take this, that there is no way what someone else has done can be enough for us. Yet as Eugene Heideman, an ordained pastor in the RCA, writes, “Before those mighty judgments of God our consciences must close their mouths. No longer may any charge be brought against us. Now the contradiction has ended. We have peace with God, with others, and with ourselves.” 

           If we have received Jesus in our hearts and have given our lives to him, we can be at peace that all of this is taken care of. It is not simply something to look forward to that one day, but indeed today, we can know that we are right with God—as if we had never sinned or been sinners. If we can profess faith in Jesus Christ, we are acknowledging that his grace is for us and that it has affected us. Christ has lived, died, and is the substitution for us. There is no comparison of credentials with him, God has simply accepted the action of his Son as a substitute for weary sinners who turn to him in faith. Believers can be at peace that we have been forgiven and we are saved for eternity. When God calls us home in death or in his second coming and asks us if we are right with him—we can claim that we are not of our doing but we have received and treasured the gift that is Jesus Christ. There is no other name by which we may be saved. If you have received Jesus Christ you can live at peace.

           That peace is not a peace that we should become relaxed in. Paul and the Christians of Philippi had peace in their righteousness by faith, but it did not mean they were done in living for the maturing and the spreading of the gospel. I was reading an article from the organization Voice of the Martyrs earlier. It told of a Christian who was called to distribute Bibles in a remote part of Vietnam, even though he knew that it was risky. He was certain that if he was found with a box of Bibles, he would be taken to prison and perhaps even tortured. In spite of the risk involved, he answered the call, he prayed hard, and then summoned all of the courage he had.

The only option for transportation was a public bus. So, he boldly purchased a bus ticket for a 12-hour ride from Ho Chi Minh City to the inner regions of Vietnam and climbed on board with a box filled with Bibles. He knew there would be checkpoints along the way, but he hoped that somehow the guards would miss this box. As he prayed and waited for the bus depart, he was surprised, and more than a bit worried, to see a uniformed police captain board the bus. The captain walked toward him, the Bible smuggler, and selected the seat next to him.

This captain quickly settled in to a very deep sleep. But, just before the captain fell asleep, he gently rested his hat on top of this man’s box. It wasn’t long before they reached the first checkpoint. As expected, guards boarded the bus and began checking the IDs of each of the passengers, and them to open their bags while they inspected the contents.

When the guards reached the Christian’s row on the bus, they glanced at the box, at the captain’s hat resting on top, and at the slumbering captain. Then, without a word, they quietly moved on to the next row. Repeatedly during the next 10 hours, checkpoint after checkpoint, the police captain slumbered and the guards quietly moved by without ever checking the box.

It is not simply human courage that allowed this man to take up the calling of illegally distributing Bible—that is something that can only truly be done with the peace given by God. In knowing that he is the greatest treasure, that he is the most important thing that sinners need to hear, and knowing that you have been rescued, only then would you be willing to go and share at the potential risk of your life. 

Brothers and sisters, knowing that we are free because of what Jesus has done, let us live out our faith boldly. Whatever ability he has given us to join in furthering his kingdom, in helping others to know how they might become right with God, may we use those abilities. Amen.