Scripture Introduction
Those of us born prior to 1970 will appreciate the article, Math Tests through the Decades in Reader’s Digest:
• 1960s test: “A logger cuts and sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is four-fifths of that amount. What is his profit?”
• 1970s new-math test: “A logger exchanges a set (L) of lumber for a set (M) of money. The cardinality of Set M is 100. The Set C of production costs contains 20 fewer points. What is the cardinality of Set P of profits?”
• 1980s “dumbed down” version: “A logger cuts and sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost is $80, his profit is $20. Find and circle the number 20.”
• 1990s politically correct version: “An unenlightened logger cuts down a beautiful stand of 100 trees in order to make a $20 profit. Write an essay explaining how you feel about this as a way to make money.”
Whether those accurately measured our understanding of profit, today’s text certainly does. It’s all about the bottom line – net gain or loss, and Paul sets his sights on profit worthy of investing his life. May God give us the grace to do the same as we read and consider Philippians 3.3-11.
[Read Philippians 3.3-11. Pray]
Introduction
Jim Elliott was martyred in 1956 while taking the gospel to the Waodani people of Ecuador. Many of you know what he wrote in his journal six years earlier: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” Elliott framed his life goal in terms of net profit: what do I give, and what do I gain, and is the trade to my advantage?
The Bible often challenges us to evaluate choices in this way. In Jeremiah 2.11-12, for example, God expresses shock that his “people changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
“How foolish!” says the Lord, “that you forsake delights for what does not satisfy!”
Jesus also assumed we would be wise enough to choose great gain. Luke 6.35: “Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great….”
Jesus expects us to choose the reward!
Matthew 13.44-47: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. [Looking at the bottom line, the wise man gives up something of small value for great gain.] Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” [To gain Christ and his kingdom is of such great worth that to give up all else leaves you the winner.]
To pay for the war effort, The Confederate States of America began releasing paper money in April, 1861. At first, Southerners accepted the currency as valuable. As the Civil War progressed, however, confidence in the Confederacy waned, the Confederate Congress issued more money, and the redemption dates on the notes were extended further into the future. Inevitably, the $1.7 billion in face value depreciated and prices soared. By the end a cake of soap sold for as much as $50 and an ordinary suit of clothes for as much as $2,700.
If you could have traded your Confederate Dollars for gold before 1864, you would have been wise to do so. By the end of 1865 it was worthless. Some who expected the South to rise again held the currency and lost everything, because at the end war Confederate money was burned as waste paper. Some Christians are like that – tightly holding waste paper with hands we should open to the riches of God.
God asks us to make a balance sheet, look at the bottom line, and chose the greatest gain. Paul does that very thing, and we can learn from him how to do so ourselves.
Two things have to happen. First, we need to know how value is measured, so that we release the waste paper and receive the riches. Spiritual and heavenly gains differ from what we at first expect. If we know how to calculate profit, then we make good choices. Second, we need to what are the pearls and treasures in the kingdom of God so we can decide if the profit is sufficient to move us to sell all else to obtain them.
1. We Measure Gain Using “God Accepted Accounting Principles” (Php 3.3-7)
The Federal Government requires businesses use Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for reporting financial data, including balance sheets. Paul uses something similar, also known by the acronym GAAP: God Accepted Accounting Principles, the way to value assets and debits in the Kingdom.
Paul charts assets (or gains) on one side of a balance sheet and debits (or loses) on the other. On the asset side, he writes every reason for confidence in the flesh, every gain he could take credit for. Four come from natural privileges:
• He was “circumcised on the eighth day”—regarding religious ritual, he had every advantage.
• He was “of the people of Israel,” not a convert, but a Jew from birth! He race was superior to all others.
• He was “of the tribe of Benjamin,” the most favored descendant of Israel—his people were the best.
• He was a “Hebrew of Hebrews,” of pure and perfect lineage.
In addition to these natural gains, Paul also performed for God, he earned some assets. He was born with a (spiritual( silver spoon in his mouth, but he did not waste his heritage. He worked harder to remain morally upright!
• “As to the law, [he was] a Pharisee.…” Members of this sect obeyed “above and beyond,” so everyone noticed their conformity to the law.
• “As to zeal, [he was] a persecutor of the church….” He was fanatical about his religion.
• And “as to righteousness under the law, [he was] blameless.” Paul was no antinomian libertine, needing the “crutch” of Christianity to make up for his inability or unwillingness to obey.
If we were to translate Paul’s list into common confidences today we might say, “I was raised in a Christian home, heard the gospel preached, went forward and prayed to receive Christ, baptized in the church, kissed dating goodbye, studied my way out of Arminianism into Reformed theology, care about all ten commandments and sing only approved songs.” Whatever gains you might have, write them down, like the Apostle, on the asset side of your balance sheet.
Then, as a faithful Jew, following the suffering Jesus would be a loss, so he wrote that on the right side:
Paul then presents his accounting to God for grading. Jesus takes a red pen, and with one deft stoke, switches the headings. Isaac Watts learned his theology here: “When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.”
At this point we may wonder if these gains are truly worthless. Is there no value to circumcision or outwardly moral behavior? Is baptism a loss, or memorizing the catechism? But observe well that Paul does not call them losses, he counts them as losses. That is a critical distinction.
Romans 3.1-2: What advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
Paul never argues that Jewish traditions and practices are worthless. They were beneficial in helping him understand God. Nevertheless, he counts them as loss. Instead of thinking of them as making him acceptable to God, instead of trusting in these advantages, he considers how they tempt him to turn from the grace of Jesus. Every good work can be twisted by my sin nature to take me away from faith in Christ.
Circumcision has value unless you think God is pleased because you practiced the right ritual. If that is your faith, then you lose all. Better to count it a loss and gain Christ!
Or consider baptism, which is an outward sign of our acceptance with God. But when we imagine that baptism secures God’s acceptance, the sign becomes a mark of damnation. Count it a loss, and gain Christ!
Or the privilege of memorizing the catechism, which we taught our children from an early age. What advantage has the PK who knows the correct answers? Much in every way. They are entrusted with the truth of the Word and the Gospel. But the flesh would turn knowledge into self-righteousness and drive us away from God. Should we throw away the catechism? By no means! It beautifully explains the basics of the faith. Those who know it have much gain. But unless we recognize it as fuel for pride and count it a loss, we seek to establish our own righteousness rather than submit to the righteousness of Christ.
Fear clings to good works, worried that if those are lost (no matter how weak they are), the empty hand will offend God. Faith releases every confidence in the flesh, counting it as rubbish, waste paper to be burned. Faith then presents empty hands to God to receive the surpassing worth of Jesus. This is the God Accepted Accounting Principle.
2. We Receive Gain From Christ When We Lose Our “Gains” (Philippians 3.8-11)
For those with faith to come to God empty-handed by counting their own good works as rubbish for the sake of Christ, what is on the other side of the balance sheet? What does it mean to gain Christ? What are the treasures of the kingdom, the pearl of great value? Paul gives at least five:
2.1. We Gain Knowledge of Christ (Philippians 3.8-10a)
Jesus is the good shepherd who leads your soul to quiet waters and lush meadows. Jesus is the truth we can be sure of while all would deceive. Jesus comforts us in a world of sorrow, lights the dark paths, and feeds souls which hunger and thirst for righteousness. Jesus cleanses consciences which stagger under the load of guilt. In Christ we adoption, redemption, forgiveness, and the guarantee of inheritance.
Knowing Christ means more than knowing about Christ. God promises an experiential knowledge which changes us as it brings us into spiritual union with Jesus.
Graham Kendrick well sings: “All I once held dear, built my life upon; all this world reveres, and wars to own. All I once thought gain, I have counted loss. Spent and worthless now, compared to this: Knowing you, Jesus, knowing you. There is no greater thing; You’re my all, you’re the best, You’re my joy, my righteousness, and I love you Lord.”
Knowing Christ is great gain!
2.2. We Gain Assurance of Salvation (Philippians 3.8b-9)
When I count on my own good works to make me acceptable to God, then I fall short. “We cannot, by our best works, merit forgiveness for sin or eternal life at the hand of God…. This is because, insofar as they are good, these deeds proceed from the Spirit; and, insofar as they are done by us, they are defiled and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection that they cannot endure the severity of God’s judgment” (Westminster Confession 16.5).
The Reformers had a slogan: “God freely gives that which he requires.” He requires a righteousness that we do not have nor can we earn. But when I lay my deadly doing down and stand in Christ alone, I receive, by faith, the righteousness of Christ! By the daily practice of counting my “confidences” as rubbish, the Spirit assures me that Christ is enough!
2.3. We Gain Power (Philippians 3.10a)
Christ’s resurrection proved his authority over all spiritual and physical realms. Now that same power which raised him from the dead dwells in us who are his by faith. The power of Christ is ours for victory over sin, for strength to withstand temptation, for courage in the face of trouble, for boldness in counseling his word, and for confidence to evangelize.
Charles Wesley wrote of this in O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing: “He breaks the power of canceled sin, he sets the prisoner free….” The guilt and judgment of sin is cancelled at the cross, but it still reigns in our mortal bodies. We are not powerless, however! When faith refuses to plead the works of the flesh for victory over sin, but rests in the completed work of Christ, then God freely gives that which he requires for sanctification. “Glory to God, who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us!”
2.4. We Gain Intimacy of Suffering (Philippians 3.10b)
John MacArthur: “The deepest moments of spiritual fellowship with the living Christ are at times of intense suffering; suffering drives believers to him. They find in him a merciful High Priest, a faithful friends who feels their pain, and a sympathetic companion who faced all the trails and temptations that they face.”
We experience something similar (though at a lesser level) when we share the grief of a friend who is struggling or suffering. The process bonds and deepens the relationship.
Of course, calling it a gain to share in the sufferings of Christ surely tests whether our profession is pretense or persevering. Only those who truly value knowing Christ can count sharing in his sufferings a great gain.
Mo Leverett: “One of the greatest sins of the evangelical church is that we believe we can be a follower of Christ without suffering for his name.”
2.5. We Gain Future Glory (Philippians 3.11)
When people are asked why God should accept them into his heaven, the most common answers are sincerity and good works. About recent survey of 7,000 kids from a variety of Protestant youth groups asked whether they agreed with the following statements: “The way to be accepted by God is to try sincerely to live a good life.” More than 60 percent agreed. “God is satisfied if a person lives the best life he can.” Almost 70 percent agreed. (Reported by Paul Brand & Philip Yancey, Fearfully & Wonderfully Made, 108.)
Neither of those was enough for Paul. He realized that he could not attain the resurrection by good effort. The means he must use was the struggle of faith to count all gain as loss. Note well that acceptance at the judgment seat is not by good works, but by the faith that waits for Christ:
Hebrews 9.27-28: “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”
Are we eagerly waiting for him? Is Christ our all in all, our joy and hope, our life and passion? Or is your profession of faith a mere intellectual assent, without zeal, without a desire to share in his sufferings, to experience his power sanctifying your thoughts and motives and imaginations and sinful passions? If it is, will you humble yourself by rejecting all claims to God’s favor based on your rubbish that you might be found in him?
3. Conclusion
In the 1730’s in England, a young man named George Whitefield desperately wanted to be right before God. As a student at Oxford, he was part of the Holy Club, along with John and Charles Wesley. The members of that club rose early every day for lengthy devotions. They disciplined themselves so as not to waste a minute of the day. They wrote a diary every night in which they examined and condemned themselves for any fault during that day. They fasted each Wednesday and Friday and set aside Saturday as a Sabbath to prepare for the Lord’s Day. They took communion each Sunday. They tried to persuade others to attend church and to refrain from evil. They visited the prisons and gave money to help the inmates and to provide for the education of their children.
Whitefield nearly ruined his health by going out in cold weather and lying prostrate before God for hours, crying out for deliverance from sin and Satan. For seven weeks he was sick in bed, confessing his sins and spending hours praying and reading his Greek New Testament. Yet, by his own admission, he was not saved, because he was trusting in all these things to save him.
Finally, “in a sense of utter desperation, in rejection of all self-trust, he cast his soul on the mercy of God through Jesus Christ, and a ray of faith, granted him from above, assured him he would not be cast out” (Arnold Dallimore, George Whitefield). The burden of his sins was lifted, he was filled with joy, and he went on to become the great evangelist used of God in the First Great Awakening.
