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. 12 Not that I have already
obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take
hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do
not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do:
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on
toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ
Jesus.
- Philippians 3:8-14, The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Publishing House) 1984.
In the name of Christ Jesus, dear friends:
Everyone loves a good story. Judging from this week’s New York Times Best Seller list, it is also accurate to say that everyone loves a good true story. According to the New York Times non-fiction list for April 1st, 2001, seven of the top ten books are biographical.
That means people love to read about other people. And our interests are not limited to a certain kind of story. The books on this week’s list cover a wide range of subjects including: a biography of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, the memoirs of Chyna, a female professional wrestler, a collection of stories from the life of former President Jimmy Carter, and at #2 on the list, and I am not making this up, the biography of a horse named Seabiscuit.
Biographies are written for different reasons. Some are for entertainment purposes only. Other writers want to share their stories and their experiences to teach the rest of us lessons about life. And there are a few biographies out there that are truly able to inspire.
The text for this morning comes from the pen of the apostle Paul. Over half of the books in the New Testament were written either by him or about him. Technically, none of these books qualifies as an official biography. But if someone were to take passages from all of these books and carefully piece them together, the finished product would give us a reasonably clear picture of his life.
Every book needs a title. So what would be a fitting title for this biographical sketch? There are probably all sorts of possibilities, but I believe that Paul himself gives us the makings of an excellent one in Philippians 3. Using the experiences from his past, his struggles in the present, and his hope for the future, Paul writes both to teach and to inspire Christians. And the title that I have in mind is also a fitting theme for today’s sermon…
KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE
(The Life of the Apostle Paul)
I. Paul’s best efforts were worthless
II. Paul’s righteousness in Christ was priceless
III. Paul’s pursuit of the goal was tireless
Philippians is sometimes called Paul’s "letter of joy" because Paul uses different forms of the word "joy" sixteen times in only four chapters. The tone of the letter is overwhelmingly positive. The only negative part comes in the verses that immediately precede the text.
In chapter three Paul warns the Philippians to watch out for what he calls "dogs, evildoers, and mutilators of the flesh" (3:2). Also known as Judaizers, these people believed that Jesus died on the cross for their sins, but they also believed that it was still necessary to obey the Law of Moses in order to be saved. Paul called these people "mutilators of the flesh" because they were insisting that all males had to be circumcised to get to heaven.
Paul knew that what they were saying was not true. Even worse, Paul knew that what they were saying was dangerous. Any attempt to make salvation dependent on human cooperation destroys salvation entirely. And if anyone knew about legalism, if anyone had an intimate knowledge of a religion that promoted salvation through works, it was Paul.
To refute these false teachers, Paul went back to a time in his own life when he was on the other side of the argument, back to the days when his name was Saul. He said: If anyone else thinks that 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" (3:4-7).
Paul had been circumcised on the eighth day as the Law of Moses required. Paul was able to trace his roots back to the tribe of Benjamin. Therefore, he was a full-blooded son of Abraham. As a Pharisee, Paul not only obeyed the Law. He held himself to an even higher standard. In the past, he had been so zealous for his religion that he was willing to attack anyone who threatened it.
By outward appearances, Paul was almost perfect. If he stood in a group of ten Jewish men, and these men were asked which one of them had the best chance to get into heaven, chances are that nine fingers would have been pointing at him.
That was Paul’s pedigree. That was Paul’s history. So what did he think of it now? "Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (7-8).
Everything that Paul had done in the past to earn God’s favor did not really earn him anything. In fact, it was a loss for him because it only got in the way of his relationship with God. Apart from a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, even Paul’s best efforts were "rubbish," garbage, useless waste destined for the incinerator or the landfill.
We are thankful that Paul got his spiritual house in order before it was too late. We know that we can’t do anything to save ourselves. We know that salvation does not depend on us in any way. Now that Paul is straightened out, we are all on the same page. Or are we?
"Of course, I’m going to heaven. I was baptized and confirmed, and I have the certificates to prove it." "Of course, I’m saved. I am the product of Christian education. I went to a Christian grade school and even Christian high school." "Of course, I’m going to heaven. My family has been actively involved in this congregation for over 100 years."
Maybe those thoughts have never entered your head. Maybe they have. It is amazing how Satan can turn even great blessings, blessings like a Christian home, a Christian education, and a Christian congregation, into obstacles if he can convince us that it is through these outward things (i.e. diplomas, certificates, church membership) we earn our ticket to heaven.
It took a direct revelation from God to drive that point home to Paul. That miraculous encounter changed him forever. From that day forward, Paul lived with the knowledge that his righteousness in Christ was priceless.
But you don’t have to take my word for it. I am willing to let Paul speak for himself: "I consider them all 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" (8-9).
The key word is "righteousness." As a sinner, Paul entered God’s courtroom and stood before God, the righteous Judge. The case was heard. The evidence was presented. The verdict was clear. And Paul was declared… "not guilty." He was acquitted. He was set free.
How was that possible? Paul’s righteousness did not come from within. For years, Paul had tried to save himself by doing and saying all the right things, but he couldn’t do it. Paul’s righteousness did not come from the law either. Paul knew that God’s law demands total perfection. Paul knew that he fell short. Paul knew that he was guilty. And Paul knew what he deserved. So did God make a mistake? NO!
The righteousness God demands is also the righteousness God provides. The righteousness that set Paul free, the righteousness that sets us free, comes only through faith in Christ. Jesus took the punishment we deserved. Jesus paid the price we owed. When we come to realize how desperate our situation is without God, when we fully appreciate the blessings that come to us through God, the only word that even comes close to describing the value of Christ’s death is priceless.
Paul’s personal testimony does not stop there: "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings…" (10). Any biography of Paul’s life would have to make the events of Acts 9 the climax of the book. Paul was traveling to Damascus to capture Christians and then bring them back to Jerusalem. But on the way, Paul experienced the power of Jesus’ resurrection in a very special way. In a blazing light from heaven, the resurrected Jesus appeared to Paul on that road. In an instant, God called one of the church’s most feared enemies to be one of the church’s greatest missionaries.
As a servant of Christ, Paul was allowed to share in Christ’s sufferings. Paul’s biography would have to dedicate at least several chapters to the many trials he endured. Whether it was on his first missionary journey when he was stoned and left for dead in Lystra (Acts 14), or on his second journey when he was flogged and thrown in prison in Philippi (Acts 16), or on his third journey when he changed his travel plans at the last minute to avoid assassination (Acts 20), Paul always considered it a privilege to suffer for his Lord.
Our lives are probably not as exciting as Paul’s. Our lives are not nearly as dangerous either. But our relationship with God is the same. We experience the power of the resurrection when we take to heart the words of Jesus: "Because I live, you also will live" (John 14:19). And we too share in Christ’s sufferings whenever our beliefs are challenged or when we are put down for what we believe.
After thirty years of mission work, after thirty years of any kind of work, it is reasonable to expect a person to be tired. In case of Paul, however, that could not be further from the truth. If his words are any indication of what was inside his heart, Paul’s pursuit of the goal was tireless.
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me" (12). Paul knew exactly where he was going, but he had also come to the realization that he wasn’t there yet. He was like a person who held the deed to a piece of property in a distant land. It belonged to him, but it was not yet in his full possession.
In this, Paul stands out as a role model for us, a model of Christian determination: "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (13-14).
As Paul went about his work, he could have easily become distracted. He could have looked back at his former way of life, how he nodded in approval as Stephen was stoned to death, how he had gone from town to town in search of Christians. He could have remembered all the sins of his past and despaired.
Or Paul could have looked back at all of his successes, all the churches he planted, all the souls that he saved, and swelled up with sinful pride. But he didn’t. Instead, Paul looked forward. He pressed on toward the goal. He kept his eyes on the prize.
Whenever I read these verses, I am reminded of a sporting event that I saw on television several years ago. I believe it was the men’s marathon at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. As the athletes entered the stadium for the final lap, one of the runners was completely exhausted. He was staggering. He was weaving back and forth. And then he fell. No one went out to help him because if they did, he would be disqualified from the race. Yet he was determined to finish. He was so determined that he literally dragged himself across the finish line.
Every Christian runs the race, but there is one major difference. We would be disqualified…if we tried to go it alone. Without Christ’s atoning work for us, there would be no goal and no prize. Without the Spirit’s work in our hearts, we could not reach the goal. We couldn’t even run the race. But with Christ, we press on. When we fall, he picks us up. When we stray from the path, he brings us back. We look forward to that glorious day when we will follow where Paul has gone and claim the prize that Christ has won for us.
The Lord recorded the story of Paul’s life in order to teach us. Paul’s experiences remind us that our best efforts to come to God on our own terms are worthless. Paul’s miraculous conversion reminds us of our own miraculous conversion, demonstrating that the righteousness God gives through faith in Jesus is priceless.
But this is one biography that was also written to inspire. Take the words of Paul home with you this morning. Make his words your words. As you live on this earth, look forward to the glory that awaits you in heaven. Press on toward that goal. Keep your eyes on the prize. Amen.