Dan Herold | Philippians 3:4b-11 | September 4, 2016
In our Gospel reading this morning Jesus talked to us about considering the cost of being his disciple. He told us that it wasn’t an easy job and that much was required of those who wished to be his disciple. Often, throughout Jesus time on earth, people would come up to him and ask him what was required to be his disciple or what they had to do to be saved. The people that asked those questions often thought that they already had everything they needed to be a disciple and they thought they would be able to just show Jesus their credentials and and be accepted.
The apostle Paul even was tempted to rely on his own accolades. Paul said that if anyone had a reason to trust in his own accomplishments he had more. This wasn’t just a mindset that affected people at Jesus time, though. We still are tempted to put our faith in our own actions and accomplishments. We are tempted to find our identity in the things we do. We are tempted to let our accomplishments and failures define who we are.
One of the most popular places where we see that happen is in professional sports. The world of professional sports puts a lot of stock in championships. You could be an outstanding player, but if you don’t have a championship on your list of accolades many people would consider you a failure. Athletes often come to be defined by the number of championships they have won. When you think of Michael Phelps, you know him as the United States’ Olympic swimmer with all those gold medals. Michael Jordan is famous for his 6 NBA championships and there’s even a famous photograph of him wearing all of his championship rings on one hand. When I was a senior in high school I visited a college near my hometown and met with the football coaching staff while I was there. One of the coaches happened to have played in the NFL and won several Super Bowl rings in his career and he was wearing all of them the day I visited.
It isn’t just in professional sports where this happens, though. It can happen in any field. I could be tempted to put my trust in the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary diploma hanging on my office wall or in my certificate of ordination to define me. We can be tempted to think that if we graduated from a certain school we deserve a higher status. Or if we have received certain accolades in our various lines of work that it puts us above others. There is no shortage of temptations that try to get us to put our faith in ourselves and our own accomplishments.
In Philippians 3, Paul lists all of his accomplishments—all the things that he was tempted to put his trust in rather than God. Paul said of himself,
“If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put 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; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.”
Paul had the equivalent of a hand full of championship rings. He had been raised in accordance with the ceremonial law. He was an Israelite—one of God’s chosen people. He was from the tribe of Benjamin—Jacob’s favorite son and one of the so-called good tribes in the Southern Kingdom. He was a Hebrew among Hebrews—a man among men. In regard to the law he was a Pharisee— a strict observer and follower of the Law. He showed his zeal for the Law in persecuting Christians and he became famous for it. And as for legalistic righteousness—which means trying to earn salvation through the law—Paul says he was faultless.
Paul had the best resume, the most complete list of qualifications, and the best track record anyone could have asked for. Paul was a self-made man that had worked and worked to make himself important and valuable—at least according to popular opinion. But then in verse 7 Paul’s tone changes. Paul had every reason to trust in his own achievements. He had every reason to brag about himself…but then in verse 7 he says that isn’t what he is going to do.
Paul says that whatever was to his profit he now considers a loss for the sake of Christ. All those things that he had put so much value in, now were worth nothing—they were worth nothing for the sake of Christ. Paul said that he considered those things a loss because not one of them brought him any closer to his Savior. In fact, all of those things that he had taken pride in were actually obstacles between Paul and God.
Paul found out what the cost of following Jesus was in a very unique way. Before he was Paul, when he was still Saul, he led an entirely different life than that of the apostle whom we know. When we think of Paul we think of the man who was consumed with a Godly desire to spread the gospel. Paul traveled far and wide to preach the good news of salvation through Christ. He suffered all kinds of hardship and even death for the sake of the gospel. He wrote about love, and patience, and kindness. He trained Timothy to be a pastor and taught him how to be a church leader. That is the Paul we know, but it is not the person that Paul saw when he looked at himself.
In Philippians 3 we get to hear Paul’s perspective looking back on how he used to live his life before that day on the road to Damascus when he learned who Jesus truly is. We get to see what Paul sees when he looks back on all those things that his sinful nature used to hold up as prizes…he says that they are all rubbish! You see, Paul had lost all those things he used to prize. Paul was now an outcast among the Israelites and the Pharisees. Though he used to be at the top of their ranks, now they wanted him dead—they wanted him dead because of Christ.
Paul learned what was truly valuable. He knew that what Christ offered was much more valuable than anything that any man could offer. The forgiveness and salvation which Christ offers is worth far more than any award, diploma, or championship ring could ever be worth. Paul recognized that in his life and ordered his priorities accordingly. Paul was willing to give up every achievement he ever worked for in his life in order to follow Jesus. Paul said,
“I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, 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 is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”
Websites that Look Suspicious If you think you’ve found the right person at a not-so-right time, take a generic viagra discount look at some of the signs that’ll give you clarity. 7 Indications of Bad Relationship Timing 1. Kamagra is a private medicine referred as generic brand of cialis 20mg price . ED is one of such issues, which is cheapest viagra because of male reproductive organ muscles and encouraging maximum blood flow towards male reproductive system arteries. Increasing awareness and cases of erectile dysfunction has washed this mentality and has changed free cialis men to take ED as a result of cycling. Have we come to that realization yet or are we still in denial? That’s a question each of us needs to consider on our own. No one else can answer it for you and we each would probably answer that question in a different way. Nonetheless, it is an important question for every Christian to ask themselves—how do I balance and prioritize earthly accomplishments and responsibilities with my relationship with Christ?
There is the constant temptation to stack up all of our material things and achievements and show them off because they are tangible things that we can see and touch. We are tempted to trust in those material things because they are capable of giving immediate results. If you see a Super Bowl ring it’s hard not to be at least a little impressed even if you don’t care about professional football at all because the rings are so large and intricate—and typically absolutely covered with diamonds. There are people in this world whose resumes include incredible experiences and achievements that we could all be amazed at. And in that frame of reference having Christ as our Savior doesn’t seem nearly as impressive.
In order to learn how valuable Christ is we have to be willing to lose all that other stuff. Paul found out how valuable Christ was when he learned what happens when all your earthly pride is taken away. Paul saw that everything he had put his trust in was limited. It could get him fame and privilege in this life, but it had come between him and his Lord.
What it all comes down to is this…do you want to pursue short-lived fame and privilege or do you want to pursue a life of eternal peace and glory? Paul answered that question by saying,
“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.”
It would seem the choice would be easy, but the moment you try to put Jesus words into action and give up everything to follow him you realize just how difficult it is.
You’ll never find a Bible passage that tells you that being Jesus disciple will be easy. What you will find, though, is an abundance of passages that tell you that the cost of being a follower of Christ is worth everything that it costs. That was the realization Paul came to having tried to live according to the law and earn God’s favor. Paul learned that all the good deeds and accomplishments for which he worked so hard could all be taken away in one swipe and they really offered nothing of lasting value. Paul learned that all those things he relied on were really just getting in the way of what really mattered—his relationship with his Savior.
There is an incredible amount of comfort to be found in the lesson that Paul learned through hard experience. Even when it seems like everything is falling apart and there’s nothing left that is trustworthy, Christ remains. When Paul’s life changed and he became an apostle of Jesus everything he had ever trusted in was taken away. His life had been reduced to rubble. He went from being in the upper class of society and having every privilege imaginable to being beaten and run out of towns on a regular basis. The only thing that remained constant in his life was Jesus. Jesus was always there to comfort and forgive. When Paul’s conscience bothered him he took his troubles to Jesus and Jesus forgave Paul’s sins and comforted him. When Paul found himself locked up in prison he still was joyful that the gospel was being preached and that Jesus was still working through his preaching—even if all he could do was write letters.
Paul’s experience can give us confidence. If we should ever find our life in shambles, there is something that will always remain sturdy and trustworthy—our Savior, Jesus Christ. He will never leave us or forsake us and no one can take him away from us. That is what makes our relationship with him more valuable than anything else. That is the reason why Paul could consider everything else a loss compared to knowing his Lord and Savior, and why we can trust in God above all else.
God has shown himself to be trustworthy time and time again. He has demonstrated that what he has to offer is more valuable than anything in this world and can’t be bought with any amount of work or money. It is only through his word and by his grace that we can know him…but we most certainly can know him. We can know him 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. That is our hope and God’s promise. That through faith we can know our Lord—we can know his death and resurrection through which we are guaranteed eternal life in heaven. And, that is what makes the cost worth it. Our unchanging God has promised us an eternal reward that can’t be bought, sold, or traded.
That is something we can take pride in—we can take pride in our Lord who has seen fit to make us heirs of his kingdom in heaven. Rest securely in that truth—no matter what it costs, a life worth Jesus is worth every bit of it.
In His name,
AMEN.