Legend holds that near the end of the 19th Century, a Swedish Chemist and Industrialist named Alfred awoke one morning to read his own obituary in the local paper. It read: “This great scientist, the inventor of dynamite, died yesterday. His innovation made it possible to efficiently kill more people in war than ever before. As a result of his genius, he died a very rich man.”
Actually, it was Alfred’s older brother who had died. A newspaper reporter bungled the epitaph, but the false account had a profound effect on him. He decided had lived for the wrong kind of thing: the means to kill people efficiently and for amassing a fortune in the process. So, he initiated an award for scientists and writers who foster peace. You and I know it as the Nobel Prize, named for its founder Alfred Nobel. Five years after his death in 1901, it became an annual event.
Nobel said: “Every man ought to have the chance to correct his epitaph and write a new one.”
I. INTRODUCTION
1. Paul’s life is a textbook example of a man given the chance to rewrite his epitaph. While several opinions exist concerning his motive in writing his epistle to the Philippians, most scholars agree that whatever his purpose, he used the occasion to give instruction to the young believers within the church, using his own life as an example of God’s grace and power to change one’s life. OYBT Phil 3.
II. BACKGROUND (vv. 1-6)
1. Paul uses part of his letter (3:1-4:1) to address a specific problem within the church; some legalistic Jewish believers (a.k.a. Judaizers) were misleading their Gentile counterparts by implying that Christ alone was not sufficient for salvation.
A. They maintained that their status as God’s chosen people (i.e. Jews) was of great significance, establishing a form of class distinction between Jewish and Gentile believers. They arrogantly maintained that one had to become a Jew in order to become a Christian.
B. Paul warns his fellow believers to “watch out for those dogs, those mutilators of the flesh” (the Jews held to the practice of circumcision, which the Gentiles did not). “It is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh” (3:2-3).
2. The Judaizers retaliate (as you might expect). They try to discredit Paul and his message, claiming that his conversion was a sign of weakness (abandoning Jewish tradition), and his imprisonment a sign of failure.
3. Interestingly, Paul responds by associating himself completely with Christ, ignoring for the moment that he is, in fact, a Jew. He adds however, that if ethnicity had power to save, he, of all people, should be most confident; his Jewish upbringing, after all, was unmistakably striking.
A. He then rehearses his impressive pedigree by reciting seven evidences of collateral in his past - four through birth, three through devotion. (vv. 4-6)
(1) Evidence through his birth: [1] circumcised on the eighth day (the appropriate time), [2] of the people of Israel (God’s chosen), [3] of the tribe of Benjamin (a small, but highly esteemed tribe), and [4] a Hebrew of Hebrews (steeped educationally and traditionally in Jewish culture, though born in a Hellenistic environment).
(2) Evidence through his devotion, asserting himself [1] a Pharisee (strict adherent to Jewish law) [2] filled with zeal (to the point of persecuting the early church) and [3] legalistically righteous (as defined by the Jews).
III. CONTEXT (vv. 7-8)
1. Paul takes an interesting turn in verse 7. Having made it clear that he was not a failure in Judaism, Paul announces that in light of Christ, he considers all his previous accomplishments worthless – a total loss. This is significant!
A. F.F. Bruce, in his wonderful commentary on Philippians, suggests that Paul did not simply find something better than what he had before, but rather that since coming to know Christ, these sources of pride moved from the “credit” side of the ledger to the “debit” side. The two experiences are diametrically opposed to one another.
B. This is not a matter of “good” vs. “better”, but a matter of absolute perfection versus complete evil (depravity, as Bro Henry Heagy discussed Tuesday night).
2. Were verse 8 not included in the text, Paul’s testimony may have been discounted as unique to him; merely a personal conviction. We learn in verse eight, however, that knowing Christ transcends (goes beyond) personal experience.
A. Postmodern theology teaches that the way to heaven is “whatever works for you”. There are millions of people on their way to hell this morning because they believe this false doctrine; that includes many churchgoers who call themselves Christians.
3. Paul was no stranger to loss. His claim is not cliché. Abandoned by friends and intellectual peers, and without the security of home, he became a constant traveler with no fixed abode. The suffering he endured after his conversion is both remarkable and extensive (cf. 2 Co. 11:23-29). Christ was rewriting Paul’s epitaph.
IV. COMMENTARY (vv. 9-11)
1. After rehearsing a most impressive résumé and then destroying its validity, Paul moves on to reveal his true passion as we unfold the text of the morning; [1] that he may gain Christ and [2] that he may know Christ and the power of his resurrection. These are important distinctions; let me explain.
A. To gain Christ and be found in him refers to his experience of salvation; Paul’s avoidance of God’s wrath on sinners.
B. To know Christ and the power of his resurrection is to possess a personal knowledge that is threefold; [1] being loved by him, [2] loving him in return, and [3] loving, for his sake, all those for whom he died.
2. Paul wants intimacy with Christ. An intimacy that directs his every thought and action. One that gives him knowledge of Christ that he could never experience with salvation alone.
A. Think about it; Many Christians gain Christ but never know him! How sad it is to spend an entire life remembering the day of your salvation and never know the access to intimacy that salvation allows!
B. The redhead and I celebrated 40 years of marriage last October. We had a nice wedding. Friends and family came to celebrate with us, and it was a happy day. I have to be honest, though; if the value of our marriage relied solely on my memories of that day, it would not be very solid.
C. The value of our marriage did not end at the wedding—it began there. The real joy is in the access to intimacy our wedding provided. [1] To know one another greater as years go by; [2] to experience every aspect of life by each other’s side; [3] to learn together, to love together, to laugh and cry together. The joy of married life is growing our knowledge of each other – beyond understanding of those around us.
D. Paul says, “I want that kind of intimacy with Christ”—“I want that knowledge of him”. The worth of this knowledge is so vast, its value so rich that it compensates for the loss of everything else. Now there is a life worth living, and an epitaph worth writing.
V. CONCLUSION
1. If this intimacy with Christ, this inexpressible passion for knowing him is so overwhelming, why do so many believers never achieve it? (3 reasons)
A. We are too busy for intimacy: We fill our lives with distractions, each one adding to another, claiming the value of each one.
B. We are afraid of intimacy: Perhaps as I grow closer to God, he may ask me to do something out of my “comfort zone”. What if he wants me to teach Sunday school, serve in a ministry within the church or even enter the mission field? No thanks, I’m safer where I am – don’t want to get too close!
C. We don’t know how to pursue intimacy: OK, I’m a Christian, now what? How can I achieve the passionate intimacy that Paul describes?
VI. APPLICATION: FINDING YOUR PASSION IN CHRIST
1. Ask for a more intimate relationship: Come to God in prayer and ask him to reveal himself to you in a more intimate way (as Moses did; i.e. “show me your glory”). Commit yourself to him completely in this request.
2. Claim salvation as your access to intimacy: Nothing else is required. Jesus paid it all for you at Calvary in full anticipation of intimacy with you. (consider the disciples).
3. Commit yourself to the study of Scripture: Without this step, we cannot learn God’s character; without continuous knowledge of his character, we cannot be intimate with him.
4. Laugh and cry together: Share your life with Christ – every event! You will find a joy in this I cannot describe.
5. Get serious about worship: Don’t be a spectator. Sing heartily, pray fervently, give praise and testimony publicly, interact with God’s word during the sermon; take notes and ask yourself “how does God want me to respond to this message?”
6. Involve others in your journey: Get into a small group (or start one) where you can share your newfound intimacy in Christ with others. You may be surprised how powerful this is!
Eliza Edmunds Hewitt lived all her life in Philadelphia. After graduation from school, she began to teach until a serious spinal problem ended her career. She partially recovered but remained an invalid most of her life.
During the dark days of her life, she developed a very intimate relationship with Christ. Because of her great desire to share with others just how wonderful he was to her, she would often express her feelings in poetry. Many of her poems were put to music, such as “There is Sunshine in My Soul Today” and “When We All Get to Heaven”.
One of my favorite poems of Ms. Hewitt flowed from her pen one day while reading the very text of our message this morning. From Philippians 3:10 Eliza Edmunds Hewitt gave us the great hymn of the church, MORE ABOUT JESUS.
More about Jesus would I know,
More of His grace to others show,
More of His saving fullness see,
More of His love, who died for me.
You see even though Ms. Hewitt knew the Lord in salvation, she wanted to know the Lord more. She wanted a closer walk, with the One who loved her enough to save her soul from hell.
