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Today is part 3 in our series. It was originally going to be 4 parts, but I downsized… In part 1 we talked about having faith in worldly possessions is like using a wet paper sack…the bottom is going to fall out. In part 2 we talked about having confidence in ourselves, or in the flesh, and how it’s like upgrading to a plastic sack…it can only carry so much before the bottom gives out or it overloads. And finally, today, we are going to talk about the Halliburton.
The word Halliburton may not be familiar to everyone, or you may know it as an oilfield company. Halliburton Company is an American multinational corporation. One of the world's largest oil field service companies, it has operations in more than 70 countries.] It owns hundreds of subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, brands, and divisions worldwide and employs approximately 55,000 people. The company has dual headquarters located in Houston and in Dubai, and it remains incorporated in the United States. That is not the Halliburton I’m referring to, but they both come from the same guy.
Erle P. Halliburton, the American founder of Halliburton suitcase, had commissioned the aluminium case in 1938 from aircraft engineers because other luggage could not endure the rough travel through Texas oil fields. In addition to being more durable than a leather or cloth case due to its rigidity, the aluminium case seals tightly against dust and water. The aluminium cases have appeared in over 200 Hollywood movies and television show
Erle, a former Navy man, after his honorable discharge in 1915, headed for the oilfields where he invented a new method of oil well cementing. According to one of the inscriptions on the pictured monument, Halliburton's method "isolates the various down-hole zones, guards against collapse of the casing and permits control of the well during its producing life." He also invented the Halliburton suitcase. My stepdad, who also was a former Navy man, used one when he traveled for work that I remember well, so when I hear Halliburton, it’s the suitcases I think of.
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Our author today Paul I bet could’ve used a Halliburton suitcase in all his travels, but when he wrote today’s scripture as a thank you letter to the church in Philippi, he wasn’t traveling. He wrote Philippians from his imprisonment in Rome because he wanted to both thank them for their gift they sent, which likely wasn’t a suitcase, and to further encourage them in their faith. And we pick his letter again in verse
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
But whatever were gains to me…I can think back on many things that I once considered gains to me. I remember being a teenager and being out of my mind excited when I got my first car. It was a dark blue ’82 Cutlass Supreme with a 350 four-barrel engine, mag wheels, and even a bra on the front. Man was I excited when I got that car. Of course, then I had to pay for the gas, not to mention the oil, and believe me, that think burned oil. Turned out, it wasn’t all I had cracked it up to be and eventually I had to upgrade to Toyota pickup that I envisioned all my dreams coming true in. Then after just 2 short months, it was stolen. Then I got a ’79 Plymouth Volare Duster…and the cycle of disappointment continued. And that was just vehicles…how many of you live in the same house you started in…? How many of you wear the same clothes you started with…ok, maybe some of the guys do… I can think of looking forward to so many trips, orders, purchases, new jobs, you name it thinking that if I can just last until then, my life is going to be so much better. But whatever were gains to me…honestly, a person can get choked up thinking about it. When I think about the time that is wasted on what always turns out to be foolish ventures, we can’t help but feel sorry about it. Sorry because all that focus on those earthly desires brought nothing but momentary happiness, but worse, took our focus off God. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
Paul did incredible things and accomplished a lot. They weren’t all good things either. In the previous verses he names a few, and here he is telling us he considers it all a loss for the sake of Christ. What have you spent a lot of your time focusing on…? What have you spent a lot of your money on…? It’s humbling when we think back on what we have used our time for…what we have used our money and etc for. It’s humbling, and I get choked up, when I think what I could’ve accomplished for the sake of Christ if I had put that same time, money, and resources towards both my own relationship with God, and helping others grow in theirs.
We talked about, and have experienced the fullness, the fulfillment we get when we’re able to connect ourselves with God. We know the feeling we get when we show the love of Jesus Christ to others. We know the wisdom, and peace in our lives when we follow the Holy Spirit. Paul goes on in verse 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 Paul changed his life dramatically when he came to follow God. As he grew in his relationship, he began to realize the worth. Are you ever more at peace…do you ever find more fulfillment in your life then when you are spending your time connecting and getting to know God…and do you ever feel better than when you are using your time, abilities, or resources to show the love of Jesus Christ to others…? When you do those things…when you spend time connecting with God through reading the Bible or praying…when you are not just talking about your faith…not just talking about your love for Jesus, but actively showing it to others…you come to realize that nothing is more important in the world. Paul was imprisoned for what he was doing. He had much in the form of earthly, and he lost them all but only to gain it all in the form of Christ in his life. And the things he lost…the things he lost…he considered them garbage in comparison to what he gained.
Now, you might say that he had to write that because he did so from prison. It isn’t a case of had though…it’s more like could. Paul could say that because of his environment. And what was his environment…? Was he busy running here and there…? Was he busy chasing that next purchase…or planning that trip…or cleaning his huge house…or landscaping his yard…or using his many possessions…? No, he was free from all of that and when he was free from all of that…from all those distractions, then he was able to focus on his relationship with God and that of God’s great commission. Do you find yourself so busy with life that you don’t “Stop and smell the roses” as the saying goes…? We sometimes ‘can’t see the forest through the trees’ due to everything we bring into our lives. Do you find yourself so busy, or so involved, in everything that you aren’t able to hear that still small voice…? I almost get sick to my stomach when I realize I’ve missed an opportunity to touch someone’s life that God put in front of me. Missed because I was so self-involved at the time, or in my own head, or busy with my own stuff. And we find that the less clutter we have in our lives, the more we can see what God is putting in front of us every single day.
Erle Halliburton’s method "isolates the various down-hole zones, guards against collapse of the casing and permits control of the well during its producing life." That’s exactly what God does for us. God isn’t a wet paper sack. God isn’t a plastic bag. God is a Halliburton. He guards against collapse…he permits control of our wells during our life. If you put your faith in worldly possessions, you’re using a wet paper sack. If you’re relying solely on your own abilities, you’re using a plastic bag. If you want the confidence of using a Halliburton, put your faith in God.
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 a Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. When we do that, we can feel safe, and strong. When I think of that, wow, what a relief! No longer do I have to waste all this time and resources on foolish ventures. No longer do we have to waste our time in the never-ending cycle of the next big thing to make us happy, and I can use those resources to help others. When we put our faith in God…when we believe all that he can do for us…talk about motivation... Are you ready…?
Paul goes on, 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, When I read that I get anxious. I want to know Christ! I want to jump out of bed in the morning to increase my relationship with the true source of the fulfillment we’re all seeking. It’s gets us excited to share the love of Jesus Christ with others. To look for opportunities to show what being a Christian is to others. Now, we can also get nervous wondering if we’re up for it. Paul says, to know the power of his resurrection, with the power of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit running through us…that is Holy. That is a feeling of Holiness and that is our goal.
Paul finishes here saying, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. We can read these scriptures, learn about them, and be incredibly inspired. What are you inspired to do right now…? We can read these scriptures and feel like we’ve had that morning cup of coffee…inspired to change the world…but then the afternoon comes…the challenges come…our own humanness comes, and we feel inferior…weak. All that inspiration has drifted… Know that when that happens, it’s because we are relying solely on that coffee. We relied on the wet paper sack, the worldly possession…we are relying on the plastic bag, our own abilities. If you want the power…the energy…the fulfillment…the happiness that you’ve looked for in all the other places…change to the Halliburton. Put your faith in Christ. Focus your time and resources on your relationship with God. Then share that with others. Then and only then will we have what we’ve been searching for.
Closing
So many have wasted a lot of time, money, and focus on earthly things. God created us to need him. He created life so all we really need is Him. Rejoice in the Lord, and know, God is all we need.
