April 3, 2022
Pastor John Hering
Philippians 3:4b-14
Philippians 3:4b-14
If anyone else thinks that he has grounds for 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 in regard to zeal, persecuting the church; in regard to the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.
7 But, whatever things were a profit for me, these things I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. 8 But even more than that, I consider everything to be a loss because of what is worth far more: knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake, I have lost all things and consider them rubbish, so that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, which comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God by faith. 10 I do this so that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, 11 in the hope that in some way I may arrive at the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus also took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it yet, but there is one thing I do: Forgetting the things that are behind and straining toward the things that are ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
It can’t come soon enough. We are still two weeks away from Easter and today is the 5th Sunday in Lent. I always think this is the hardest Sunday of Lent because since Ash Wednesday we have been meditating on Jesus’ battle against Satan and sin. Yes, next Sunday is the 6th Sunday in Lent but it is Palm Sunday and we can see the end in site as Jesus rides into Jerusalem. Today is a test. Lent is a marathon that takes endurance and focus. You get to that point in the race when you can’t see the finish line yet and your body is worn out and tired and you’re not sure if you’ve got the strength to cross the finish line. Likewise, it is easy to grow weary and tired, to be consumed with all the talk about sin and overwhelmed by all the suffering Jesus has done for you. Lent is dark and cloudy. But don’t lose sight of the goal. We walk with Jesus through the valley of suffering and death during Lent, but on the other side is the prize. Today, St Paul points out the prize that was won for us in Jesus Christ. Yes,
The Prize of Eternal Life Is Waiting For You
Be Confident of This In Christ
St. Paul wrote letters to congregations that were having difficulties in their Christian life. His letter to the Philippians was different in this regard. In this letter he rejoices over their faithfulness to Christ. However, the time and place of Paul writing this letter was not a place of rejoicing. He was under house arrest in Rome waiting for his trial before the emperor. If we were in such a situation I would imagine that we would be struggling with depression. But, Paul writes about thankfulness and joy! “4 Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Phil 4:4-6). The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write like this and give him Confidence in Christ that the Prize of Eternal Life was Waiting for Him.
Remember, this letter is being written by a man who once thought he had it all and is only way to heaven was by his best efforts. Paul had been confident that his efforts were good enough! “If anyone else thinks that he has grounds for 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 in regard to zeal, persecuting the church; in regard to the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.” Paul had it all. A true Israelite. One of God’s special people. Kept God’s law perfectly as a Pharisee. He had even persecuted Christians, which in the eyes of the Pharisees, was a God-pleasing activity. Paul had it all going for him, done the right things, and if his salvation depended on what he did, he was heading to heaven!
Living a holy life. Doing all the things that were righteous in the eyes of people. Everything the world considered awesome Paul learn were “rubbish” (‘skybolon’ garbage, dung, manure). “7 But, whatever things were a profit for me, these things I have come to consider a loss ……. I have lost all things and consider them rubbish.” Did you notice Paul’s list of his accomplishments scream, “Privilege!” He was confident in who he was, the advantages he earned, and all the work he had done to secure eternal life for himself. He mistakenly placed his confidence in his good works to Win the Prize of Eternal Life. But, then he was brought to recognize (Middle/Passive) they were worthless. It was all stained with sin and worthless to God. For the Bible says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb 11:6). Then by God’s grace he was taught the better way, the ONLY way to have confidence to win the prize of heaven. It wasn’t his life, but something worth far more. It was Christ—true man who had perfect blood to offer as the payment for his sins; —true God who had precious, powerful blood to pay for the sins of the world. Paul wrote, “I consider everything to be a loss because of what is worth far more: knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake, I have lost all things and consider them rubbish, so that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, which comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God by faith.”
Look around! How many people are working so hard to invest in the future. But, like “pre-Christian Paul,” they are storing up for themselves things they think will bring them rich gains. Too many people are listening to the spiritual financial advice of the world which appeals to the sinful nature. However, in the end, these investments are worthless. As you have often heard before, “When you die, you can’t take it with you!” How many people need for God to step in through his Word and change their hearts to see that Confidence in Receiving the Prize of Heaven only comes through faith in Christ! If you were their spiritual financial advisor wouldn’t you want to tell them, “Hey, investments in the righteous things of this world only produces losses! Eternal Gains are only through the righteousness that come through Faith in Christ!”
Now, let’s point the finger at ourselves, if you haven’t already. It is easy for us to be tempted to take pride in our Christian life as a trophy with Satan whispering in your ears, “Well done! Rely on who you are and what you’ve done to get you into heaven. You were born into a Christian home, attended Christian Schools, confirmed Lutheran, you are a Christian of Christians! You’ve lived a moral life, go to church, and even plan to show up for church clean up day! Look at all the good stuff you do!” Can you smell it? None of these things are bad in and of themselves, unless you’re relying on those things to get you into heaven. That’s investing our Confidence to Win the Prize of Heaven in the wrong place. It’s all garbage when it stands in the way of knowing Jesus Christ and what he has done for you.
Therefore, dear Christians friends, be Confident in the Prize of Eternal Life in Christ. Paul wrote, “10 I do this so that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, 11 in the hope that in some way I may arrive at the resurrection from the dead.” And here comes Lent again! It is good for us to have “fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death.” It is good for us to walk with humble and repentant hearts realizing that we fail every day, drown the old Adam in our Baptisms, and then arise from the dead as God’s dearly loved children and heirs of eternal life. Listen, you can know who Jesus is, that he lived and helped people, was unjustly crucified, died and was buried. But to “know him and power of his resurrection” is depending on Jesus, leaning on Jesus who did all of this for you. It is Confidence in Christ that he did what you could never do to Earn the Prize of Eternal Life For You.
Think of it like this. You take your 3 year old for a walk in the park. At first they hold your hand, but then they get tired. After a while who is holding who’s hand? Finally, don’t you pick up the child and carry them? That is what Jesus has done for you. Your Confidence is in Christ who carries the punishment of all your sins to the cross and carries you across the finish line to Receive the Prize of Eternal Life that is Waiting For You. Confidence in anything else is garbage. Let us thank the Lord Jesus for taking out the garbage of our life, setting us free from the guilt of our past, and freeing us to
Press On Toward the Goal
This brings us back to Lent once again, but with a different attitude. We gladly Press On Toward The Goal to Receive the Prize of Eternal Life That Is Waiting For us because growing and maturing in faith in this life never comes to an end. Yes, the Prize is Won! Jesus did that for us at the cross. It is yours through faith right now. But, we don’t hold it in our hands just yet. It’s a little like buying a home. You sign the papers and the funds are transferred. The home is yours. But, until the door is unlocked and you walk into the home is when it hits you. I’m here. It’s mine. The season of Lent let’s us walk with Jesus to watch him sign the papers, submit his perfect/powerful blood as payment, and obtain the keys of heaven. Today you possess heaven through faith in Jesus Christ. But, we still live in this sinful world and haven’t yet taken physical hold of the Prize of Eternal Life that is Waiting for us. Therefore we Press On Toward The Goal.
So, can you place yourself next to St Paul as he wrote this letter? “12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus also took hold of me.” Yes, we’re waiting, but while we’re waiting it’s all too easy to get distracted. There are temptations to coast through life by not taking God’s Commandments seriously, or to pick and choose which ones appeal to us, and which ones don’t—
- “I don’t want to murder anybody, but a dirty mouth from time to time is okay.
- I wouldn’t cheat on my spouse, but watching disgusting TV won’t hurt me?
- I won’t forget John 3:16, but reading and hearing God’s Word with an eager attitude to learn more about God’s plan of salvation for me isn’t a big deal, right?”
And now we’re back to Lent. Suffering with Christ isn’t easy. Giving up the spiritual training for our faith-muscles isn’t a good idea. Failing to nourish my soul through a healthy portion of Word and Sacrament is dangerous. How conscientious are you about feeding your body a healthy diet? Press on Toward the Goal for your soul’s sake by feeding your soul a healthy spiritual diet with at least with equal effort. And when you get tired remember who is holding whom— “but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus also took hold of me.”
It’s still Lent. We’re not there yet. Actually, after we finally gather to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead we are still going to living in this world because life goes on. So,“13 Brothers (and sisters), I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it yet, but there is one thing I do: Forgetting the things that are behind and straining toward the things that are ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” We are God’s people, gathered in God’s house for spiritual nourishment in Word and Sacrament. It is good for us to be here to encourage each other to Press On Toward The Goal Confident in the Lord Jesus Christ until we all reach The Prize of Eternal Life This Waiting For You. Amen.
