Word of Salvation – Vol. 48 No.14 – April 2003

 

Gaining Christ

 

Sermon by Rev J Haverland

on Philippians 3:4-9

Scripture Reading:  Psalm 85; Philippians 3:1-11

                             and Belgic Confession Art 23

 

Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The text for this sermon makes us see that Paul could not gain a right relationship with God through his background or the law but only from God through faith in Christ. As we look at that, then we want to direct you away from trusting in anything but faith in Christ to make you right with God.

One of the most obvious characteristics of human nature is an attitude of independence. You see this early on in children. They want to feed themselves. They want to do this task their way. They want to do it in their time. They are determined to follow their own will. And they want to make up their own mind.

All these are symptoms of human pride – “I can do it myself!” All these reflect an independence and pride that is deep-seated in our human nature and that leads us to believe that we don’t need God or His help.

This attitude was evident in the Old Testament among the people of Israel. They often slipped into a worship that was merely formal and ritualistic. They went through the motions of worship and sacrifice thinking that these practices would make them acceptable to God. In New Testament times many of the Jews followed the same pattern. They thought God would receive them if they did a good job of keeping the laws of Moses.

This same attitude was evident in the Roman Catholic church during the middle ages. Many in the church depended on doing things to be saved. Things like attending mass, saying prayers, buying indulgences, and looking at relics in the churches. The Reformers insisted that none of these ‘works’ would save anyone. A person could only be in a right relationship with God through faith in Christ. This is why Guido de Bres wrote two articles about justification by faith in the Belgic Confession – because this was such a crucial doctrine at the time of the Reformation.

A ‘self-help’ approach is still firmly rooted in people’s minds today. All the religions of the world are built on a ‘salvation by works’. If you do good works, you will be saved. If you follow these rituals, God will accept you. If you obey these rules, you will make it to heaven.

This was exactly the thought of Paul before he became a believer, and this is what he writes against here in his letter to the Philippians. He draws a contrast between two ways of getting into a right relationship with God. Either you try to do that yourself by keeping the law, or you believe in what Jesus has done for you. Let’s compare these two methods.

Firstly, many of the Jews believed their HUMAN TRADITION AND THEIR OWN EFFORT could save them. They put their “confidence in the flesh”; that is, in what they could do. Paul pointed out the utter futility of trusting in our own efforts when it comes to salvation. He did this by a personal example.

He says, in verse 4, that if anyone had reasons to put confidence in the flesh, he had more. By Jewish standards he had an impeccable background, an impressive CV.

He was “circumcised on the eighth day”. The descendants of Ishmael were circumcised at the age of 13, and the Gentile converts to Judaism were circumcised in their adult life, but he had this done to him on the eighth day, in accordance with the commands given to Abraham and to Moses.

“Of the people of Israel”. Some New Zealanders/Australians you meet will proudly tell you that their ancestors arrived on the early ships from England. They are true blue Kiwis/Aussies. Well, Paul claimed he was a true Jew with a pure line of descent. He had the blood of Abraham and Jacob in his veins.

“Of the tribe of Benjamin”. This tribe had a mixed history, but it had some outstanding features in its favour. Benjamin was the second son of Jacob’s favourite wife, Rachel. The first king of Israel, Saul, came from this tribe, and he was the apostle Paul’s name-sake. When the ten northern tribes separated from the southern kingdom after the death of Solomon, Benjamin was the only tribe that stayed with Judah.

“A Hebrew of Hebrews”. What he means is, “the purest of the pure”. By that he was referring to his parents’ true Jewishness, but also to the practice of his religion. By the first century many Jews had dispersed through the whole known world. There were tens of thousands of Jews in Rome and half a million in Alexandria. Many of these Jews adopted the Gentile Greek culture and language that surrounded them; they accepted many Greek ideas and practices. But Paul and his family had resisted those influences and he had kept up his Hebrew language and Jewish culture.

“In regard to the law, a Pharisee”. The Pharisees made up the strictest and most orthodox of the Jewish sects. There were only about 6000 of them and they arose during the time between the Old and New Testaments. They saw how many Jews were absorbing the Greek culture and they decided to keep themselves pure. The word Pharisee means, “the separated ones”. They had a high regard for the law of God and aimed to keep both God’s law and the extra traditions of the Jews. Paul claimed that as far as legalistic righteousness was concerned, he was blameless.

“As for zeal, persecuting the church” (vs 6). The Jews admired zeal and Paul had a reputation for his enthusiasm in stamping out this new heretical sect, the Christians. “Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house he dragged off men and women and put them in prison” (Acts 8:3). Ananias had heard about all the harm he had done to the saints in Jerusalem (Acts 9:13, 26:9 f).

These were the things Saul trusted in before his conversion.

Let’s consider now possible reasons for our confidence in the flesh. What are you relying on for getting to heaven? What do you depend on to be accepted by God?

You might claim similar credentials to Paul. I was born to believing parents and baptised as an infant. I am of the people of God, thoroughly Reformed, a true protestant. In regard to the confessions, Calvinistic. As for zeal, putting down all heresy. As for theological orthodoxy, faultless.

You might look back over your family heritage and point out that you were Methodists, or Presbyterians, or Reformed from way back – over many generations.

The Apostle Paul points out the futility of such confidence in the flesh. Before he met Christ on that Damascus road, he considered all those things as profit. He put them all over onto the credit side of the balance sheet and thought he was doing well. But his perspective changed: “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ” (vs 7).

He used to think of all these things as stepping stones towards righteousness. But then he came to see they could be stumbling blocks to a true relationship with God. He puts it even more strongly than that: “I consider them rubbish” (vs 8b). The word can be translated as dung, garbage or muck.

We need to be clear that Paul did not regard all these things as evil or wrong in themselves. He did not despise the privileges he had enjoyed as a Jew. He makes this clear in Romans 3:1-2: “What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.” He regarded these things as advantages.

Nor should we despise the blessing of a sound tradition, of godly parents, of growing up in the church community, of being part of the covenant, of hearing sound doctrine. All these are great privileges.

But, in themselves, they will not give you a good record with God. This is Paul’s point. None of these things by themselves, will save anyone. You cannot trust in them for salvation; you cannot rely on them as a ticket to heaven.

Secondly, the only way to be saved is to receive A RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. This is what Paul found – this is what you need to find. This comes from God in that God is the author of it. He is the source. He provides it.

If you are building a house it is impossible to do some things on your own. You can’t make your own electrical wiring or your own pipes. Even if you could make some things yourself they may not reach the building standard. So you are dependent on a supplier for these materials. It is the same for us with being right with God. You can’t make this on your own. You can’t get into this right position with God by yourself. God must supply it. God must give it to you. And He has – it comes “through faith in Christ” (vs 9).

The Righteousness of Christ is the only sure foundation for a good relationship with God. This is what Paul gained. Before he became a Christian he regarded his tradition and law keeping as being gain, or profit (vs 7). But then he gained Christ – same Greek word. He gained the righteousness, the right standing, the good record of the Lord Jesus. God the Father imputed to him the righteous life and death of Jesus.

So Paul could say that he was “found in Christ” (vs 9). That is the same as saying that he is justified by God on the basis of what Jesus has done. God pardoned his sin and gave him the righteousness of Jesus. He took away his guilt and gave him a right standing because of what Jesus had done for him.

Sometimes you hear the phrase, “Clothes make the man”. That is very true for the Christian. If you trust in Jesus, then you don’t stand before God dressed in the filthy, scruffy rags of your own good works, but you stand before Him with the beautiful clothing supplied by the Lord Jesus Himself.

The basis of this was the death of Jesus on the cross. God could forgive sin because Jesus paid for it – He took the punishment. And God can give us this righteous position because Jesus was a perfect man. This is what prompts Paul to say in verse 8, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

Can you say that? Is that what Jesus is to you? Would you use that sort of language to describe your relationship with Jesus? Do you know Jesus? Know him personally, truly, intimately, closely? Do you know him as Lord? Do you live for him? Is he your Shepherd, Guardian, Friend? Your Prophet, Priest and King? Your Lord, your Life, your Way, Your End? (As it says in Psalter Hymnal No 384). Have you experienced the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus?

This is the greatest treasure of all of life. This is the pearl of great price. This is the purest joy you can experience. This is why Paul urged the Philippians to “Rejoice in the Lord!” (vs 1) – to rejoice in the love and mercy and goodness of the Lord Jesus.

This longing to know Christ is beautifully expressed in these words:

“We taste Thee, O Thou living bread,

And long to feast upon Thee still;

We drink of Thee the Fountainhead,

And thirst our souls from Thee to fill.” (Psalter Hymnal No 422)

To know Jesus like this surpasses anything else in the world.

In order to know Christ and gain Him, and be found in Him, you must believe in Him. This righteousness comes through faith in Christ. To have faith in Jesus is to believe that He is the Son of God who came as a man into this world to die on the cross as the payment for your sins. And it is to live in the knowledge of that forgiveness, responding to God in love, obedience and service.

Do you believe in Jesus? Do you show you believe by your life? Your obedience? Your zeal? Your love for God and your neighbour? Your desire to follow Jesus in all you do?

This faith is not the ground or the basis of your being saved; rather, it is the means by which you are saved. If faith was the basis of your salvation, you would never be sure of salvation. You would always be wondering if you had enough faith, if you had sufficient belief, if your faith was strong enough to be saved.

But faith is only the empty hand that reaches out and grasps hold of Jesus. The person and work of Jesus is the basis of your salvation, received through faith. The doing and dying of Christ is the sure foundation for a solid assurance of salvation.

So we return to the choice we began with – you either trust in your own efforts in order to be saved; or you trust in the Lord Jesus. Hold on to the righteousness that comes from God and is through faith in Christ. Everything else is loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord.

Amen.