5^th Sunday in Lent – March 21, 2010

Philippians 3:⁸ 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.

Dear Christian friends,

A lot of biographies have been written about thousands of different people. The Diary of Anne Frank is one. You can find one on Martin Luther, JFK, Helen Keller, and Martin Luther King Jr. to name a few others. Maybe there will be one written on one of us someday too. Who knows? In a way though, one could say that there has already been one written about us, a full biography of the Christian’s life, and that biography is found in God’s Word. In God’s Word, and specifically in our lesson this morning, our biography is broken into chapters. Chapter 1 of our biography is titled: learning that our own works are rubbish. Chapter Two’s heading is: believing that our righteousness comes through faith in Christ. And Chapter 3 is designated: remember that our life will be a struggle.

Let me pepper you with a few questions this morning. Who of you thinks that you did a pretty good job of following God’s commands this past week? How many of you are pretty confident that God was pleased with every second of every day? Who of you is convinced that your thoughts remained pure so that you did not arouse God’s anger even once? Stand up, would you, if you think you have reason to boast in what you have done; if you think you can have confidence before God on the basis of your works.

If ever there was someone who had reason for boasting in their life, it was the Apostle Paul. In the verses before the words of our text, Paul says, “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…as for legalistic righteousness, faultless” (Philippians 3:4-6). You see, exactly like the Old Testament law required, Paul had been circumcised on day eight. He was of pure Jewish stock from the tribe of Benjamin, and his family had remained strictly faithful to the ancestral religion and even retained the Hebrew language. As a Pharisee he had strictly kept the law. Yes, measured by the world’s standard of righteousness, Paul was practically faultless.

And if heaven’s door could be opened by any combination of these things, Paul certainly would have gained eternal life. But that’s not the way it works, and that’s not what Paul says, “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss…I consider them rubbish.” Everything he had formally put his confidence in – his heritage and zealous keeping of the law – Paul now considered nothing more than garbage that smells up the house and needs to be thrown out. They were of no profit to him. In fact, they stood to cost him everything. They did not gain any righteousness for him but actually stood in the way of him having a right relationship with the Lord.

And that’s the way it will always be if we place confidence in our works. You see, putting confidence in our works isn’t just silly, it’s deadly. It isn’t just a small misunderstanding; it’s an eternal wrongdoing that will cost us everything. It isn’t just a slight slip-up; it stands in the way of having a right relationship with the Lord. And why? Because God still demands perfection! He still expects holiness from anyone who desires to be in his presence! He absolutely, without question, hates sin and will not accept anyone who is stained with it. How then can we offer him ourselves if we are polluted with sin? How can we present him our works if they stink like garbage? We aren’t perfect – not even close! Remember how as a child you talked back, complained and questioned your parents? Even the outwardly good things you do now are caked with selfishness and thereby make them like filthy rags. Where then is your boasting? What possible confidence could you have in being found acceptable before God on your own? Our works are rubbish!

That is why Paul says, “What is more, I consider everything a loss…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.” When through the law God has driven us to give up all hope of entering his presence as a result of our own decency, we then are ready to receive a righteousness that is not our own.

The righteousness that Paul is talking about is that which Jesus earned for sinners by his work as mankind’s substitute. It’s the righteousness that Paul was referring to when he wrote to the Corinthians, ³⁰ You are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). You see, because of our sin our situation is utterly desperate. Not only do we need the guilt and punishment of sin removed, we need the perfection God requires to be supplied. The only way for this to be possible was for a substitute, who is completely and totally unique, to suffer our punishment and provide the perfection. That’s exactly what Jesus did! As true God, Jesus, at the same time, became true man by being born of the Virgin Mary. By doing so, he placed himself under the law of God that we break - in order that he could keep it perfectly. And keep it he did. In the desert he resisted Satan’s deceitfulness. His entire life was a living example of loving your neighbor as yourself. Even when dying on the cross he kept the 4^th Commandment in our place as he cared for his mother. Because of this truth, the writer to the Hebrews could say, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Now here is the conclusion: “Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners” (Hebrews 7:26).

In addition to all this, when Jesus hung upon the cross and died, he endured all the punishment that all the sins of the entire world deserved. Just like we’re told, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Jesus earned the righteousness sinners needed by becoming mankind’s substitute. God freely gives that righteousness to sinners through this message found in His Word. Individual sinners personally receive this righteousness by faith which the Holy Spirit kindles in their hearts through the very gospel message which announces and offers this righteousness. No wonder Paul said that the righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus’ life and cross were far superior and the only thing worth keeping. No wonder the second chapter of the Christian’s biography is believing that our righteousness comes through faith in Christ.

But still, our biography isn’t complete. There is a third chapter as well. A chapter that reminds us to expect our Christian life to be one filled with struggles. I know, at first that causes us a little surprise. It leaves a poor taste in our mouth. To our sinful nature it is even a bit offensive. It was that way at first to Peter too! Remember when Jesus predicted his death and Peter pulled Jesus aside to rebuke him? But instead, Jesus rebuked Peter and said he didn’t have in mind the things of God, but of men. Then Jesus continued speaking to his disciples saying, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ³⁵ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:34,35). That sounds like a struggle, like hard work, doesn’t it? And so do the words of our text, “I want to know…the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…I press on…forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.”

The picture Paul paints is that of a runner in a race, straining, stretching, working with every muscle and fiber of his being. So it is that the Christian is to continue to work with every fiber of their being to run the race of faith, which includes striving to do God’s will, struggling to obey his commands, denying ourselves and taking up our cross and following him. And no, Paul is not contradicting himself here. God has set before every Christian that prize of eternal life and the perfect glory of heaven, won through Christ’s perfect life of righteousness, paid for with his blood and guaranteed by his empty tomb. It is ours through faith, not works. Remember, they’re rubbish. Yet, day by day it is necessary to continue to crucify the sinful nature so that prize is not lost.

The Christian life is not a game; it is a race that demands the very best that is in us. Too often, Christians try to live divided lives. We want to know Christ and experience his mighty power, but not if it means suffering. Not if it means giving up some pleasure in this world. There is this desire to make Christianity hip and happy-go-lucky; to be our own Bible and have the freedom to pick and choose what doctrines to believe and what behavior to praise or blame – all choices that change with the circumstances of the moment. But we cannot know Christ and experience his power without also enduring the suffering.

The Christian’s life is a constant struggle. A battle between the new person we are in Christ and the old self and its sinful desires – and we need to be ready to fight that battle. It is a life where we must daily die to self-centered living and be willing to face difficulty and hardships that come as a direct result of our faith. It is a life that must be willing to give up pleasures of this world if they are at odds with God’s Word and place God’s will before our very own.

Yes, this is hard work. Yes, this is part of the biography of the Christian’s life. But don’t forget, part of this life is also the possession of the power of Christ’s resurrection. The power that comes from Christ’s cross and the righteousness of his we have by faith to say yes to right and no to wrong; the power to run, to flee from sin. With that power we can indeed forget what is behind and press on toward the goal of heaven for which God has called us. Amen.