Christ Alone
Christ Alone
Philippians 3:4b-11
Introduction
· The perfect resume’—See attached resume’ of CEO bringing down 2.5 mil/yr.
· What kind of resume’ would you expect to see from a person on the right track to God?
· What would it contain? What would it show?
· Paul gets personal. Lays out his own resume. He’s got the . . .
1. Right Roots
a) Eighth day person
· Circumcised on the eighth day—the precisely correct day. Not a proselyte. A true Jew—a Jew by birth.
b) Israelite
· Stresses his birth as an authentic Jew.
c) Benjamite
· Born in the tribe of Benjamin—an tribe of honor. For different reasons—for example: 1) of all tribes of Israel, only Benjamin actually born in Promised Land, 2) first lawful king (Saul) came from tribe, 3) when the monarchy split, Benjamin remained loyal to the house of David.
d) Hebrew of Hebrews
· Hawthorne—May have meant he was a Hebrew born of Hebrew parents—no pagan blood. Or could have meant that he was brought up to speak the Hebrew language and carefully observe the Jewish way of life—in the midst of Jews who had been Hellenized.
2. Religious achievements
a) Pharisee
· Strictest of the Jewish sects concerning observance of the Law. Not just the Torah, but the oral traditions of the Scribes. He was taught by the great Pharisee Gamaliel.
b) Zealous persecutor of the church
· Ac 26:9-11 (NASB95) “So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. “And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. “And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.” [Testimony before King Agrippa]
· Terrorists. Allah akbar. World Trade Center. Sudden death. Sudden glory.
c) Blameless concerning the Law
· He had kept the rules—external. Not saying he’s sinless, but rather that he’s got a clean record concerning his observance of the law.
· No doubt, Paul was at the top—a mover and shaker among the religious folks of his day. But . . .
3. Rubbish!
· Does all that stuff really matter? Right roots! Religious accomplishments? Good stuff. NO! Rubbish, Paul says. Actually uses business terms. Add it all up—gain. But really loss.
· US Economy. Leaders in DC—all is well. Alan Fishman (CEO of Washington Mutual)—all is well. Dow Jones Industrial Average.
· Σκύβαλον—rubbish—dung, scraps, garbage, etc.
· Paul starts heaping up words—that have Christ as their theme.
1. For the sake of Christ.
2. The surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord
3. That I may gain Christ—Paul already has Christ, but longs to grow—it’s a pilgrimage.
4. Not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ
5. I want to know Christ
· Mk 8:36 (NIV) What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
· Paul's confidence was in Christ alone! Nothing else mattered. Not only was he willing to devalue his credentials, but everything. He had it all, but willingly gave it up.
· In fact, as he writes this, he does so in prison. Instead, he could have continued on his success-filled career track. But Christ touched him—dramatically altered him—he would never be the same again!
· His call is from Christ alone and his confidence is in Christ alone!
· It’s not heritage! It’s not a string of successes in religion! It’s Christ!
· It’s not where you’ve been—what you’ve done! It’s who you know!
· Hawthorne—Paul’s conversion experience, including the sudden and dramatic conversion experience, is not offered here as a model to be emulated. One need not feel less Christian than Paul if, unlike Paul, the course and conduct of his life, his occupation and aspirations are not radically different from what they were before encountering the living Christ. If, however, one's observance of religious ritual, one's status due to birth, one's outstanding accomplishments due to innate intelligence or sustained effort, and so on, should ever make that person proud or self-reliant, unaware of his need of God and of the righteousness that only Christ can provide, then, upon being made aware of this danger, he should jettison a valuable cargo to save a ship that would otherwise sink in a storm. Paul had to abandon his past advantages precisely because they were the very things that had kept him from coming to God. They kept him from surrendering to Christ, who is the only way to God.
Conclusion
· What would your resume’ look like? Where is your confidence? Heritage? Hard work? Is it in Christ alone?
· As we come to the Lord’s Table this morning for Holy Communion, let’s remember that this observance—this sacrament is a vivid reminder that a believer’s confidence must be in Christ alone!
Hymn: #469 Jesus Is All the World to Me
Joshua Martins
CEO/President Major Wall Street Firm
1234 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 96521
sample@hotmail.com
(213)213-2134
OBJECTIVE:
To leverage significant executive level network and experience from the financial services industry, potentially branching into the tech and pc industry. Interested in board directorships and/or executive positions.
EXPERIENCE:
CEO/President
11/2003 - Present
Confidential Investment Bank, New York, NY
Industry:
Banking/Finance
(Privately Held; 1001-2000 employees)
Chief Executive Officer of this privately-held investment bank.
Director and Chairman of the Board
4/2002 - Present
Confidential Corporation New York, NY
Industry: Sports/Recreation
(Privately Held; 11-50 employees)
Chairman of the Board of Directors of this privately-held, independent Confidential company. Based in California, USA, Confidential manufactures Confidential for the fast growing Confidential segment.
President
6/1996 - Oct/2004
Confidential Investment Firm and Institutional Market Services New York, NY
Industry: Financial Services Industry
Head of Confidential Investment Firm portfolio of global institutional markets businesses, and responsible for directing all aspects of the strategy, growth, and world-wide expansion of Confidential Investment Firm businesses in the institutional investor market and mutual fund segments. Specific business unit concentrations in institutional equities, sales and trading, and retail investment advisors. Responsible for approximately $250 million in annual revenue, including Confidential Investment Firms broker/dealer, Confidential Investment Firm Securities, Inc. Managed more than 1250 employees globally.
President of Confidential Investment Firms B division;
Former head of Confidential Investment Firm’s global product development group for; created, developed, and launched a number of high-profile, internet-based, business-to-business financial services, as well as traditionally-delivered content-based businesses, such as Confidential Investment Firm credit rating services.
Managing Partner
8/1994 - 8/1996
Confidential Management Consulting New York, NY
Industry: Management Consulting Industry
(Partnership; 1-10 employees)
Sold and delivered management consulting services to a wide variety of clients, focusing primarily although not exclusively on the strategic use of operations and technology. Offered services included turnaround strategy, business process improvement/redesign, operations cost management, financial operations and advisory services, technology assessment and system selection, business continuity/disaster recovery planning, risk management, and investor relations. Managed all aspects of consulting organization.
Clients included leaders in financial services, manufacturing, technology, research and development, and public sector/not-for-profit organizations.
Significant contact and client list at the senior most levels of America’s and Europe’s leading technology and media companies
Vice President
7/1992 - 8/1994
Confidential Banking Company New York, NY
Industry: Banking/Finance
(Public Company; 5001-10,000 employees)
Sold and managed consulting projects for Confidential Banking Company’s internal clients. Client areas included most all of Confidential Banking Company’s major divisions and senior executives both in the U.S. and abroad. Involvement from inception of projects through implementation of recommendations was not uncommon, and primary responsibilities included consulting team staff selection, client interface, project leadership, and solution generation.
Management of financial services consulting engagements has included functional areas such as new product development, financial analysis, reengineering (from both operational and technological angles), strategy, technology architecture and redesign, disaster recovery and business continuity, management information systems, derivative financial products, and risk management.
Vice President
7/1989 - 6/1992
Confidential Leading Financial Institution, New York, NY
Industry: Banking/Finance
(Public Company; 5001-10,000 employees)
Operating cost management: Eliminated millions of dollars of expenses from investment banking group, sales and trading departments, and support divisions. Created and implemented improved expense reporting methodologies to facilitate ongoing cost reduction. Identified and eliminated poor or redundant technologies.
Management process improvement: Assisted leaders of technology, operations, and production areas with project management and planning techniques, resource prioritization tools, and performance and measurement criteria. Encouraged widespread use of client-vendor model as basis for the relationship between internal service providers and business units.
Firm strategy development: Participated in the construction of multiple components of firm strategic direction for technology and operations. Leveraged operational knowledge and expertise to increase complementary business opportunities.
Senior Manager
1/1986 - 7/1989
Confidential & Co., Inc. New York, NY
Industry: Consulting Services
Initiated and participated in sales of management consulting services to a broad range of industries. Led and participated in numerous engagements in the following functional areas:
Operations review and improvement: Performed overall reviews, created emergency contingency plans, and coordinated production of operating policies and procedures for third-world federal reserve banks, international commercial banks, and domestic investment banks.
Advanced technology systems planning: Designed systems, network strategies, and expert systems for airlines, hotel chains, and governments. Planned optical storage data retrieval systems.
Business management and strategy: Designed long-term client corporate strategies, provided strategic advice on day-to-day management issues, and improved project management techniques.
Programmer
9/1984 - 12/1985
Confidential Major Computer Firm New York, NY
Industry: IT- Software Systems & Design
(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees)
A joint venture of Major Computer Firm and Ivy League Business School. Wrote high level curriculum software. Worked with business school professors of all specialties to convert abstract financial and economic models to program packages suitable for professors’ in-class use.
Consultant
4/1981 - 9/1984
Confidential Consulting Firm, New York, NY
Industry: Consulting Services
(Partnership; 1-10 employees)
Founder of this computer programming and consulting firm, serving commercial banks and light industry throughout New York State. Principal services included directing startup of regional bank controllers’ computer operations, improving automated accounting operations, and performing statistical analyses.
EDUCATION:
6/1983 Ivy League Business School US-NY-New York
Master’s Degree
Masters of Business Administration - Emphasis Intl Finance
6/1982 Ivy League College US-NY-New York
Bachelor’s Degree
Major in Computer Science and Minor in Philosophy.
AFFILIATIONS:
8/1998 - Present
Club Member
Ok Confidential
8/1995 - Present
Trustee
Great Conf Club
SKILLS:
Oil Painting Novice Current 15 years
Ski Instructor Intermediate 10 years ago 5 years
Fluent French Expert Current 20 years
LANGUAGES:
French, German, Spanish
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION:
Holds patents and marks on software and firmware and is an avid sports gamer. Lives in both New York and the California. Holds securities licenses: Series 5, 43, 21.
Source Yahoo Message Boards
The FDIC seizing Washington Mutual just before the bailout plan was to be passed.
The CEO, Alan Fishman, stated as of Monday, Sept 22nd, in a letter to shareholders that the company's liquidity was above the minimum for well capitalized banks. This company had $380 B in assets, $143 B in deposits and earned $2 B per quarter on interest income. Fishman said the company had access to $50 B in cash if necessary. Fishman said the company was in better shape than being reported numerous times, and also said Wamu could sustain operations thru 2010.
Here is an email received from the Investor Relations Dept. just 30 mins before the FDIC/JPM announcement came out on Thursday!
Concerned Shareholder:
Thank you for your interest and genuine concern. We know that WaMu has been in the press lately and we appreciate your questions, but we have a long-standing policy of not commenting on media stories.
WaMu has strong fundamentals with an ample supply of funds on hand to meet the needs of our customers and our day-to-day operations. WaMu's business is funded largely through its deposits, and we also have access to billions of dollars from the Federal Home Loan Bank system. Our capital ratios continue to be well in excess of the levels that government regulators require of "well capitalized" institutions.
As the stock price continues to see pressure, management is working hard to restore investor and customer confidence. For your reassurance, attached is our CEO Alan Fishman's personal letter in which he reiterates his belief in the strength of our company.
We're enouraged by the direction of the plan proposed by the President, Treasury and the Federal Reserve to support the troubled financial markets. We look forward to seeing the details as the plan is further developed by Congress. This plan should assist in providing stability to our financial markets and should provide a mechanism for an orderly transition of troubled illiquid assets.
Sincerely,
The Washington Mutual Investor Relations Team
If Alan Fishman was telling the truth, why would the FDIC management decide they are going to wipe out shareholders without any prior notice? Nothing was said publicly - like you have 5 days to comply, at least that would have given all of us time to exit and recoup some of our investment back. Plus, the company was sold for $1.9 B not including the $31 B in debt JP Morgan will assume. The bailout bill will cover that debt making this purchase a sweetheart deal for $1.9 B.
Something here doesn't sit right with me or other shareholders. This was an orchestrated plan between the FDIC and JPMorgan to steal from the shareholders! A conspiricy to commit bank fraud, if you will!
I respect the fact that the FDIC must take action to protect the reserves, but not giving public notice or making the public aware of an ongoing investigation of insufficient funds was wrong! This failure has cost shareholders their entire investment overnight!
The FDIC should not go by unchecked either, for not giving shareholders notice was in my view illegal. The FDIC did not communicate to us the severity and timing of their ongoing case. This in turn has caused extensive damage to millions of American families and more importantly it will further erode trust in our government at at time when that is already a deeply sensitive issue.
