Keep Hold of Christ Alone!

When I go somewhere I keep hold of four things: wallet, keys, sunglasses and phone. When I have those, I am ready for almost any situation. When you are kid, you keep hold of things in your backpack like sports gear, toys, textbooks, yearbook, lip gloss, deodorant, etc. When ladies are older, they keep hold of things in a purse like makeup, snacks, client paperwork, car keys, daily planner, first aid kit, etc. When men are older, they keep hold of things in their pockets or a briefcase like keys, wallet, phone, laptop, etc. When you are laid to rest in a coffin or put in an urn what is inside will ultimately define you.

The things you keep hold of define who you are. In our Gospel reading from Luke 20, Jesus told a parable about a farmer who planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. When the owner wanted to get some of the fruit from the harvest, he sent a servant to the tenants, but they mistreated the servant and sent him back empty handed. This happened two more times, so the owner sent his son. Then, the tenants killed the son thinking they would then inherit the vineyard. Instead, the owner came and killed the wicked tenants. Jesus then quoted from Psalm 118, ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’. Jesus’ message was directed at those kept hold of something other than Christ. Christ was the cornerstone of the foundation, the first and most important piece of the building. Without him there was no building. He clearly taught that those who rejected him as the Savior would be punished.

There is no room for Christ when you keep hold of what is in your bag. In our New Testament reading this morning from Philippians 3, Paul addressed the sin of keeping hold of what is in your bag as your identity before God. Paul revealed the contents of his bag in the verses before our reading today saying, “If someone else thinks they have 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 righteousness based on the law, faultless.” In the eyes of the people of his day, Paul was the best of the best. According to the religious leaders of the day, Paul was so good that God was going to reward him with a place in heaven. Your bag is different from Paul’s, but chases after the same kind of approval. Your bag might have special recess privileges, polite manners, high test scores, well-paying job, membership in the right political party, influential social connections, church membership, comfortable retirement, etc. You and Paul have the same impressive contents when your bag is dumped out and the approval from those around you, but there is something missing. Your bag, however full it is, however much approval you have for it by those around you and however much personal satisfaction with it, is still not enough. None of you can fill a bag with every good achievement, experience, relationship and responsibility. You need a full bag, and you need someone who can fill it for you.

Paul encouraged the Philippians to keep hold of the one perfect bag filler. Paul wrote in Philippians 3, 8 “What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, 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 on the basis of faith.” The word you can substitute bag for in these verses is righteousness. You cannot be righteous on your own. You cannot be, have or do all the good God wants, nor can you be, have or do all the good for all the people in your life. You and I fail God and one another when we try to live by his law or our laws. Instead, God gave his righteousness to you. God gave you a full bag. God did not give you a partially full bag with room for you to work to make it full. He filled it full and gave it to you through Christ.

Christ alone has the power to give you a full life. In our Old Testament reading from Isaiah 43, the prophet records the power of the Lord to deliver his people to life, 16 “This is what the Lord says—he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, 17 who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick.” Here Isaiah referred to God’s amazing power to split the Red Sea to allow Israel to escape and how he drowned the mighty army of Pharoah. Then he goes on to say, 18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! 20 … I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, 21 the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.” Isaiah told the people to forget about the miraculous deliverance from Egypt because something even better is coming. Then, he wrote about the Lord, 25 “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” Full life comes from your sins being forgiven. Full life comes from Christ, from God, taking your punishment on himself through his death on the cross and forgetting all your sins. Full life comes from God forgiving you for all the times you kept hold of and defined who you are by the temporary bag you carry through this life.

Christ replaces your empty life with eternal life. Paul continued writing to the Philippians in chapter 3, 10 “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” We wander through this world with baggage because we are not at our goal. Our walk through this world means suffering as Jesus did. You and I suffer in this world because it is a place where many are striving to fill their bags, even if it hurts and takes advantage of others. You suffer for Christ like the owner of the vineyard’s servants who were mistreated by the wicked tenants. You and I also die to our temptations and sins when we turn from them to follow Christ and do what is good in God’s eyes. We suffer and die with confidence because we know we will be resurrected as was Christ. Through Christ you have eternal life, but you are not fully experiencing it yet.

You like the Philippians need the encouragement to keep hold of Christ until you reach your goal. Paul wrote, 12 “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, 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.” Leave your identity in the bag behind and strain for what is ahead. Keep hold of your goal to be with Christ in heaven. You have all had those overwhelming moments when it feels like you are not good enough, like you cannot give the people around you what they need and of course then the realization that you have failed God. The answer to all of this is the essence of what God inspired Paul to write to the Philippians; keep hold of Christ and you will have what you need to give others and God. Whatever demands you feel from others or demands you place on yourself that make you feel like you have no more to pull out of your bag, you have what every single person around you truly needs, Jesus. When you are filled up with him, then you are good in God’s eyes, and you are pressing on toward your goal of heaven.

We all keep hold of things in backpacks, purses, pockets and briefcases. You are not defined by the temporary things in your life. You are defined by Christ. When you are laid to rest in a coffin or put in an urn what is inside ultimately defines who you are. Ultimately, your coffin or urn will have nothing inside it because Christ kept hold of you. He brought you to the cross where your sins were paid for and you were given his righteousness. He brings you to the empty tomb to see the guarantee of your own resurrection. Your goal is heaven. Leave the former things behind and keep hold of Christ alone. Amen.