(Philippians 3: 4b-14)
When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory! Two weeks ago, in our series on Philippians, (Yeah, I know, I didn’t know we were doing a series on Philippians, it just worked out that way.) Anyway, the Apostle Paul talked about his conflict with going to heaven or being with Jesus and staying behind to continue his work, producing fruit in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. And last week we studied the part of his letter where, for those of us still here, how we should strive for unity in the spirit and unity among believers so we can better meet the goal of reaching the lost. This week Paul tackles the issue of who thinks they get in just because of who they are, their godly pedigree.
In our many moves around the country, Teresa and I have attended many churches, and I’ll be the first to admit that maybe I wasn’t as involved as I could have been. At three of the most recent churches spanning a couple of decades, I did teach a Sunday School class, high school aged kids and then adults. And I’m hoping there is a special place in Heaven for Sunday School teachers. I’ve been on a few committees, sang in various choirs and even filled the pulpit so the pastor could go on vacation. Also, we tithed an amount we thought was appropriate considering our income and expenses. And I grew up in a church where my grandfather was a Methodist minister way before we united. A Methodist born of Methodists. So, all things being equal, I guess that does give me a guaranteed entrance into heaven and I can even skip the pre-boarding routine and go to the front of the line, leaving my shoes on.
Not so fast, the Apostle says. Don’t make the assumption that your godly pedigree is a guarantee that you are assured a seat in first class and a special audience with the Father. In our scripture reading for this morning we learn that, according to Paul, he had it all. He was at the top of his game and once had a promising future as a Pharisee. He said that he had every reason to be confident in the flesh, i.e., his godly pedigree. He was not only an Israelite circumcised on the eighth day, but he was of the tribe of Benjamin which produced Israel’s first king. He was a Hebrew born of Hebrews. And, not only that, he was a Pharisee which was a very devout Jewish sect that scrupulously kept its own numerous rules in addition to the laws of Moses. Kind of a holier than thou thing. He knew the law. As to his zeal, he was a persecutor of the early church. He even held the coats of those who stoned Stephen, the first Christian martyr, to death. As to his righteousness under the law, he was blameless. Before his conversion he was at the top of the Jewish pecking order and he was rapidly climbing the hierarchal ladder with his feet firmly planted on one of the top rungs.
At first glance, it looks like Paul is boasting about his achievements, but he is actually doing the opposite. He’s showing that human achievements, no matter how impressive, cannot earn a person salvation and eternal life with God. Because of his conversion he made some very powerful enemies amongst the Pharisees and religious leaders of Israel. As a former Pharisee, he thought Christianity was heretical and blasphemous. And, because Jesus at the time did not meet his expectations of what the Messiah should be like the Followers of the Way were in his crosshairs. They had a target on their backs. Additionally, this new movement was a political menace because it threatened to disrupt the fragile harmony between the Jews and the Roman government, the status quo. I don’t think Paul was condemning the Pharisees per se. Many had been his friends at one time, and I think he was trying to point out to them that they were missing the point. They were so wrapped up in building their religious resume that they couldn’t see what it was that God really wanted them to do.
Paul’s conversion to faith in Christ wasn’t based on what he had done, but on God’s grace. He realized that he could not depend on his deeds to please God because even the most impressive credentials fall short of God’s holy standards. The Apostle realized that all he had done, all his credentials, accomplishments, and righteous reputation could not earn him the salvation he so much wanted. He realized it all meant nothing and that knowing Christ is what mattered most of all. He says that whatever gains he had, whatever he had done, he now regards them as loss, a waste of time, because of Christ. More than that, he says, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord. I think he came to the realization that all he had done in his rise among the ranks of religious elites was unfulfilling. It didn’t fill the void. It didn’t connect him to God. He continues by saying; For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard 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 one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. He says that he wants to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings to become like him in death, if somehow he might attain the resurrection from the dead, to live on in eternity, to get to heaven where he’ll see Jesus and sing and shout the victory.
What Paul is telling us is that we should value our relationship with Christ as more important than anything else. So, how do we come to know Christ better? Well, first we start out by studying the life of Christ in the Gospels and see how he lived and responded to people. Examine the model he left for us as to how to treat others as we would want to be treated. Second, we study all the New Testament references to Christ as they help us understand the impact he had on people when he walked among his people, how he changed their lives, giving them value, recognition, and meaning. Third, as you worship and pray, let the Holy Spirit remind you of Christ’s words. What are those things that Jesus said that really resonate with you and why? And, fourth, take up Christ’s mission to preach the gospel and learn from his sufferings. Well now, getting up and preaching may be going a little too far. I’m afraid of public speaking. How do you know until you’ve tried? You can give preaching a try if you want to, but your best witness is the way you live your life and how you interact with people. You have these wonderful opportunities to meet people on their own terms and to talk intimately with them about how a relationship with Jesus based on faith has made a world of difference in your life. They secretly want to know what they can do to make things better.
To do these things, however, may mean that you must make major changes in your thinking and lifestyle. Whatever you must change or give up, having Christ and becoming one with him will be more than worth the sacrifice. Afterall, Paul gave up everything; family, friendships, and freedom in order to know Christ and his resurrection power. So, you have to ask yourself what it is that you are willing to give up in order to know Christ? Are you willing to give up a crowded schedule in order to set aside a few minutes each day for prayer and Bible study? You know, things like reading the Upper Room when you get up or just before you go to bed. Are you willing to risk your friends’ and family’s approval? What if they think you’ve turned into some sort of Jesus freak? Who cares what they think? What about giving up or putting off some of your plans or pleasures? I just thought I was going to retire and travel. Maybe later. Whatever it is, knowing Christ is more than worth the sacrifice.
Paul knows his race is not finished. He knows he has farther to go before he can rest. He says; Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. He’s saying that his goal is to know Christ, to be like Christ, and to be all Christ has in mind for him. This goal absorbs all of Paul’s energy. And like Paul, we should not let anything take our eyes off the goal of knowing Christ. With the single-mindedness of an athlete in training, we must lay aside everything harmful and forsake anything that may distract us from being effective Christians.
What Paul says next really resonates with me., a sinner struggling to do better, an old chunk of coal trying to become blue, pure perfect in the form of a diamond someday. He says; Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this 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 heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. He has put the past behind him as he knows there is no sinner greater than he and presses forward doing the best he can to live the life he was meant to live. This is such a great message for those of us who think, because of our past, that we are not worthy to be called brothers or sisters of Christ, children of God, co-heirs with Jesus to the kingdom. Like Paul, we’ve all done things for which we are ashamed, and we live in the tension of what we have been and what we want to be. We have baggage. But because our hope is in Christ, we can let go of past guilt and look forward to what God will help us become.
So, don’t dwell on your past. Instead, grow in the knowledge of God by concentrating on your relationship with him now. Realize that you are forgiven, and then move on to a life of faith and obedience. If you do that, ask for forgiveness and know that you are forgiven, you can look forward to a fuller and more meaningful life because of your hope in Christ. That way, when we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be. When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory!
Please pray with me.
Sing the wonderous love of Jesus, sing of his mercy and his grace. Sing of the mansions bright and blessed because there he has prepared for us a place. Keep us mindful that as we walk the pilgrim’s pathway there will be cloudy days, but when our traveling days are over the clouds will part and we’ll utter not a sigh. As we walk this pilgrim’s way let us be true and faithful, trusting and serving every day. Steel our resolve as we move forward to the prize before us knowing that soon we will behold his beauty when the pearly gates will open, and we’ll walk the streets of gold. What a day of rejoicing that’ll be, when we all see Jesus. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.