With all of the attention that has been given to the issue of humility and living a Christian life, it’s no wonder that Paul decides that he needs to re-emphasize some things at this point. You see, the last several Sundays we’ve looked at calls for us to put into practice what we are taught in Scripture. The problem is that upon hearing this, many of us start to drift into the mindset that our actions are what our salvation depends upon. Or in other words, what we do determines whether or not we are saved. And it’s understandable for us to think this way. After all, we don’t want to think of some ungodly or evil person entering into heaven. We think that if our actions aren’t the measuring stick for our judgment then someone who shouldn’t enter into heaven could possibly get in. Well, truth of the matter is that none of us should be there. Or to put it another way, none of us are worthy of entering into heaven, at least not by ourselves. I have to continuously tell myself the phrase, “justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.” I encourage you to tell yourself this constantly as well. Remind yourself that you are saved completely by God’s grace, and this grace comes to us by having faith in Jesus Christ. It isn’t our works, but the work of Jesus Christ that has saved us. And that’s a good reminder for us during this time of year as we continue to prepare our hearts to gather back here in a few weeks to celebrate what Christ accomplished with his death. But here’s the great news, we don’t have to wait 2 weeks. There’s nothing stopping us from doing just that today, and tomorrow, and the next day, and every day for the rest of our lives. In fact, we should give thanks to God every day that he has saved us.
In our text today, we begin with Paul making what seems like a somewhat odd statement to begin chapter 3 of his letter. After telling the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord he references dogs, evildoers, and those who mutilate the flesh. At first glance, these comments seem a little strange and perhaps even a little out of place. What is he even talking about? Well, Paul’s time was very different from our own in many aspects, but with regards to Christian teaching, and particularly false teachings, it was very similar. You see, there were many out there claiming to be teaching Christ, but they did so incorrectly. Now I don’t want you to think that I’m talking about denominations or anything like that right here. Although I may not agree with everything that another denomination does, that doesn’t mean that I consider their message to be any less gospel and Christ centered. As long as we are truly laboring for Christ and remaining true to his word, then I think there is room for variation. What I’m speaking of here are those congregations and groups that have so skewed and blurred the message of Scripture that they have almost become an anti-church. They think that they are working for Christ when they are really working against him. Some that come to mind are David Koresh and the Branch Davidian in the late 80s and early 90s. Another modern-day example is the congregation known as Westboro Baptist Church. Dear Baptist friends of mine wish they would just be known as Westboro Church and drop the middle word from their title. For those of you who are unfamiliar with them, this group openly celebrates the death of soldiers as a result of some of their religious beliefs. These two groups are groups that maintain the Bible as their central book, but are in no way led by God. They think that God is commanding them to carry out heinous acts of violence and protesting, and they think that they will be rewarded for their obedience to Scripture. Well, unfortunately, that’s one of Satan’s greatest and oldest tricks. He perverts the minds of some so much that they carry out things that they think are in the name of Christ, but they are actually antithetical to His Word. I don’t know how any Christian who reads God’s Word could ever truly think that they are glorifying God by celebrating that one of their fellow men or women has passed away.
Paul tells the Philippians not to fall victim to these persons who claim they are of Christ, but actually work to corrupt his Church. He reassures them that they need not worry that they are missing the point themselves. He wants them to know for sure that they are part of the church. He knows that those evildoers will throw out their list of accomplishments in hopes to sway the Philippian Christians to their camp. Paul basically says, “Who do they think they are? They think they have something to brag about? They have nothing to brag about. None of us do. If this was a bragging contest about personal accomplishments, they aren’t even in the same class as me.” Paul tells them of how from an earthly perspective, his list of accolades is second to none. If man was worthy of bragging about anything, then there is no man that has more reason to brag than Paul.
Paul has accomplished all that one could hope to in life in one aspect. He was a Jew, and the Jews had always had a special place in God’s dealings with man. He had gone through all of the ceremonial events at the exact proper time. He was as he says, “a Hebrew of Hebrews”. He was the most righteous, zealous, law-abiding Pharisee before his conversion. Paul truly was the epitome of what a Pharisee, a religious leader of the day, was supposed to be. He spends 3 verses speaking of nothing but what he could brag about if he so chose to, but in verse 8, his tone changes drastically. “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.” I don’t know that we fully grasp this concept at first glance. Paul is saying that all he is, all he has done, all the titles and “hats” that he has worn are of no account and mean absolutely nothing. The language that he uses here is one that would have been of a nautical nature. The original Greek text here uses a word that would have been associated with ships throwing everything unnecessary overboard in hopes of lightening their load. Paul is casting all personal accolades and assets aside because they don’t amount to anything. All of his accomplishments mean absolutely nothing when it comes to Christ and Paul’s own salvation.
The hardest part about being humble is downplaying ourselves when thinking about the good things that we have done in life. Sure, it’s pretty easy for us to admit that we’re flawed and that we make our fair share of mistakes. But it isn’t easy for us to admit that we can’t even take credit for the good things that we have done. Speaking personally, I have trouble remembering that it isn’t me that does anything in ministry, but God who does it all. The youth group that Amy and I left behind in Mississippi started out with a handful of students. Over the course of 5 years, we had around 15 students attending youth events on a regular basis. Currently, there are nearly 20 students taking part in the youth events at that church. We served in crucial roles of helping a church go from an average weekly attendance of around 40 to a membership of nearly 230 people in a 5 year period. It’s a struggle some times for me to not want to claim at least some credit for that. I say things like “I started” or “I did” even though I know they aren’t true. What I should say is “God did”. Because that’s who actually did all of the work. God did everything. He did everything when it came to building and developing this youth group and that church. He has done everything good in my life. He has worked through you to accomplish all of the good in your life. And He has worked to achieve your salvation. The Father is the architect of that plan, the Son accomplishes that plan with his death and resurrection, and the Holy Spirit applies the benefits to our lives. And that’s exactly what Paul goes on to say here in verse 9. “That I may 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.”
There is no righteousness, no good, within us that doesn’t come from God. The question now becomes, what is our response? I mentioned earlier that we are not saved based on our good works or the things that we have done. We are saved by our faith in Christ Jesus. Our faith that we hold Jesus Christ to be the Godman; to be the Son of God; to be God himself, the second person of the Trinity. It doesn’t matter if we have everything worked out for us in our minds where it all makes perfect sense. Sure there are those that may have a greater knowledge of how these things work, but it’s not as if you or I are any less a part of God’s people because of our level of understanding. In the youth group that I just mentioned, there was no kid in the group who loved Christ more than our pastor’s oldest son. You met Steve Bryant, the minister who preached at my installation/ordination service. Well, his oldest son, Stevo, has Down’s Syndrome. And although he doesn’t have the mental capacity to understand really any point of theology, he knows that God loves him and gave his Son for him. That’s what matters. What matters is that God has opened up our hearts and called us to himself, just as he has done Stevo’s. He has called us his children. He has adopted us as sons and daughters.
So, as for our works, what role do they play? Well, this is an area of debate amongst many Christians. Since we say that we are not saved by our works, there are those who want to say that works don’t matter. Well, yes and no. No, they don’t matter for your salvation, but they do matter. When the heart of a Christian has been truly transformed by the power of the gospel, there is a reaction that takes place within that person. They want to show the love of Christ to anyone and everyone. They almost have an addiction for proclaiming the gospel. That’s where our works and our actions come in. I have heard the phrase “Let the gospel be proclaimed through your actions” mentioned in various forms during my time here in Houma. And that sentiment is exactly right. Our actions, our good works, are the external, outpouring of our faith in Jesus Christ.
One of the beautiful and glorious blessings of being part of a church family is that it provides us with a vehicle for making this a reality. Being a part of a Christ-centered congregation presents us with ample opportunities for showing the love of Christ that shines within each and every one of us. Our proper response to God’s working in our hearts is to share the love of Christ and taking part fully in the life of a congregation is a great way to do just that. “For you have been purchased at a great price.” Let’s all remember the fact that we are all here by God’s grace. In response to our faith in Christ, let our lives be a living testimony and witness to God’s love and mercy. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
No comments:
Post a Comment