Trying to Impress God
Philippians 3: 1
– 11.
Introduction
The
best way to distinguish the Christian faith from all other religions is the
difference between “Do” and “Done.”
Other religions focus on what a person can “Do” for God. If you live a good life, attend worship
services and pray every day, then hopefully you can “Do” enough to be accepted
by God and welcomed into heaven.
Christianity is different. Being
accepted by God and being welcomed into Heaven do not depend on what we “Do”
for God. Instead, we are accepted by God
and welcomed into Heaven because of what God has “Done” for us
It
occurred to me this week that religion and all the religious things people do
are nothing more than our attempt to impress God. Think about that for just a minute—human
beings are trying to impress God. I
believe it is impossible to impress God.
First,
how can a human being impress the Creator of the universe? We didn’t create the world we live in. We didn’t create ourselves. We can’t even provide for our most basic
needs—like the oxygen we need to breathe.
We depend on God as the One who both created our lives and sustains our
lives. God has done infinitely more than
we could ever imagine. It is almost
laughable to think we could impress the Creator of heaven and earth.
Secondly,
imagine that you can go all day today doing everything right. You are off to a good start by showing up for
worship this morning. Now imagine that
you can make it through all 24 hours today without harming another person or
committing a single sin. Can you wake up
tomorrow and do it again? Probably
not. No human can live a perfect and
sinless life. Therefore, no one can
impress God with their lifestyle.
At
the spiritual level we all know that we cannot impress God. However, that doesn’t stop people from
trying. It also doesn’t stop people from
suggesting that Jesus is not enough. In
fact, I believe this is the theme of our Scripture this morning.
The
Apostle Paul wrote the Book of Philippians to the Christian church in the city
of Philippi. These Christians did not
come from a Jewish background. They were
Roman through and through. However, Paul
anticipates that they will eventually face a theological crisis from the Jews
or the Jewish Christians.
Philippians 3: 1 – 6… 1 Finally,
my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same
things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the
circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory
in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh-- 4 though I myself have reasons
for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to
put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 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; 6 as for zeal, persecuting
the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
There
are two reasons why I believe Paul is warning the church about the Jews or the
Jewish Christians.
First,
he tells the church to “beware of the dogs.”
The ancient Jews typically referred to the Gentiles as “dogs.” This was not a compliment. Dogs in the ancient world were not sweet,
domesticated pets like we think of today.
There were basically two kinds of dogs.
There were wild dogs that ran through the streets in packs. And there were guard dogs. Either way, calling someone a “dog” was not a
compliment, because a dog was an animal to be feared.
Wild
dogs in the streets were scavengers which threatened civilized people and ate
leftover food scraps. Guard dogs were
used as a vicious security system.
When
Paul referred to his opponents as “dogs” he was accusing them of two different
behaviors. They were like scavengers who
swept in behind Paul and tried to steal his converts. And, they were vicious protectors of their
Jewish beliefs—Old Testament Law, kosher diet, Jewish worship, Jewish calendar
of feasts, etc…
Secondly,
Paul specifically refers to circumcision.
For the Jews and even the Jewish Christians, circumcision was
important. It set the Jews apart from
the rest of the world, and it was a sign that a man had entered into the Jewish
religion—a sign of entering into a covenant with God.
Paul
has a completely different view of circumcision. In his view, circumcision is
unnecessary. Yes, it symbolizes that a
man has entered into the Jewish covenant.
However, that covenant is not what truly matters. What matters is faith in Jesus, which unites
Jew and Gentile as the true People of God.
Jesus is the way to enter into a covenant with God, not circumcision. The sign that a person has entered into a
covenant with God is the presence of the Holy Spirit in that person’s life. So, Paul tells us that circumcision is
nothing more than a “cutting” or even a “mutilation.”
Paul’s Jewish Credentials
More
than likely, Paul’s Jewish opponents have not made it to Philippi at this
point. But, when they do come to
Philippi, they are going to trot out their credentials. So, Paul shares his credentials with us.
Circumcised
on the eighth day… Even though Paul says
that circumcision no longer matters, he was circumcised on the eighth day. According to the Old Testament Law, parents
were to wait until their baby boy was eight days old to have him
circumcised. This actually says more
about Paul’s parents than it says about Paul.
His parents were such good Jews that they followed the letter of the
Law. Paul was a Jew from birth and not a
later convert.
Of
the people of Israel… Again, this
doesn’t say much about Paul, but it does say something about his ancestors. He could trace his family heritage all the way
back to the nation of Israel. Paul was
not only a member of the Jewish religion.
He was also a member of the Jewish race.
If some people claimed to be a part of the People of God, Paul was much
more. He could trace his family heritage
back to the Nation of Israel.
Of
the tribe of Benjamin… The Old Testament
tells us there were twelve tribes of Israel.
Benjamin was one of the smallest tribes, but it was very
prestigious. Benjamin was the tribe
which stayed loyal to God. And, Benjamin
was the only son of Jacob who was born in the Promised Land. It is possible that Paul had been named after
King Saul—the first King of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin.
A
Hebrew of Hebrews… The best way to
understand this expression is to say that Paul claimed to be Jewish through and
through. It’s possible this refers to
Paul as a Hebrew who can read the Hebrew language.
Pharisee… Everything before this tells us more about
Paul’s heritage and the training his parents gave him. Now he tells us that he excelled in the
Jewish religion to the point that he became a religious leader—a Pharisee who
committed his life to study and to defend the Hebrew Bible.
Persecuting
the church… We read about this side of
Paul’s life in the Book of Acts. Paul
was so zealous for his Jewish faith that he protected the faith from the
Christians. He stood by as a witness when
Stephen was killed for his faith. He
went on a nationwide manhunt to prevent Jewish men and women from worshipping
in Christian churches. (Paul was
probably not proud of this, but it was still a part of his Jewish credentials.)
Faultless… I think we need to read this in context of
what Paul has said about sin in other places.
For example, Paul tells us in Romans 3: 23, “23 for all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God…”
This leads me to believe Paul is not claiming to be sinless. Instead, he is telling us that he did not
willfully disobey the Law.
Whatever
Paul’s Jewish opponents might claim about their own credentials, Paul could
claim more for himself. If they want to
compare their religious lives to Paul’s religious life, they will lose. Paul has received a wonderful Jewish heritage
and training from his parents / ancestors.
Paul has excelled in Judaism to the point that he was willing to compare
himself to anyone who wanted to compare.
However,
notice what Paul thinks about his Jewish credentials.
“In Christ” Is what Matters
Philippians
3: 7 – 11… “7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, 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 9 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. 10 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, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to
the resurrection from the dead.”
There
was a time when Paul considered all these Jewish credentials a “profit” (or
gain). This was his number one goal in
life—to be more religious than anyone else and hopefully to impress God. But, this is no longer Paul’s goal in life. Now, Paul wants to know Christ and to be
found in him.
Something
happened in Paul’s life to change his mind about his religious
advancement. He had an encounter with
the Risen Jesus. And, now everything
else pales in comparison to Jesus.
To
give you an idea of how Paul’s religious goals changed…Notice how he now
describes his religious accomplishments.
Paul
tells us that what he once considered a profit (or a gain), he now considers a
loss. He did not consider his religious
accomplishments a gain or even a neutral achievement. Religion was a setback. It actually moved him farther away from
God. This is because it created in Paul
a sense of self-sufficiency. A
self-sufficient person does not need Jesus.
They don’t need God. They don’t
even need salvation. They believe they
are sufficient to meet their own spiritual needs.
Paul
also tells us that what he once considered a valuable prize to be attained, he
now considers nothing more than “rubbish.”
There are two ways we can interpret the Greek word for “rubbish.” On one hand, this might be a PG-13 word which
could be translated “dung.” What Paul
once thought was of great value now looks like “dung” when compared to Jesus. Another translation might refer to the table
scraps left over after a family finishes a meal. The table scraps are worthless to the family,
so they throw them out to the scavenger dogs in the streets. Paul is saying that his religious
achievements are worthless to him now that he is “in Christ.” Let the dogs have it!
Of
course, religion is not the only thing that is worthless when compared to being
“in Christ.” Paul pursued religion and
accomplished everything there was to accomplish. In the end, he discovered that all his
efforts were worthless—they could not satisfy.
Other people have pursued money, fame, popularity, political power and
sex. At the end of life, they discover
that it does not satisfy. None of our
efforts to achieve what the world deems valuable can compare to being “in
Christ” and to experience the power of his Resurrection.
In
C. S. Lewis’ sermon “The Weight of Glory,” he tells us that God wants to give
us the very best life. God wants to give
us a relationship with himself, salvation, abundant life, joy in all
circumstances and eternal life in Heaven.
God wants to give us what is beyond human description. Yet, we exchange God’s best for what the
world tells us is valuable—money, fame, popularity, political power and
sex. We exchange what is valuable for
what is ultimately worthless. Why? Because we are “far too easily pleased.”[1]
Conclusion
Jim
Marshall was a professional football player who played defensive end for the
Minnesota Vikings from 1961 – 1979. At
the time of his retirement, he had played in four Super Bowls; two Pro Bowls; and
held three NFL records (consecutive games played, consecutive games started,
and recovered fumbles). But, Jim
Marshall is remembered for something completely different.
In
a game against the San Francisco 49ers, Jim Marshall recovered a fumble and ran
it 66 yards into the end zone THE WRONG WAY to score for the other team. His teammates were trying to catch him and
tell him to turn around. He never knew
he was going the wrong way until he got to the end zone and was congratulated
by a member of the other team.
My
favorite part of the story is what the radio broadcasters said at the end of
the play. One broadcaster commented that
Marshall “threw the ball in the air in sheer joy.” The other broadcaster said, “What a happy
fellow he was.”[2]
I
think this is a very good illustration of what Paul discovered about
religion. As long as he was advancing as
a Jew, “What a happy fellow Paul was.”
Then, Paul met Jesus and discovered that he had been running the wrong
direction.
What
are you pursuing today?
Paul
had already achieved every religious goal possible and found it to be worthless
garbage.
Others
have gained everything the world deems valuable… Perhaps they have already discovered or will
discover at the end of life… Compared to
being “in Christ” and experiencing the power of his Resurrection, this too is
worthless garbage.
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