More Christ Less Me
“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 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[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 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.” Philippians 3:8-11
Intro: Surprised to see an empty seat at the Super Bowl stadium,
a diehard fan remarked about it to a woman sitting nearby.
“It was my husband’s,” the woman explained, “But he died.”
“I’m very sorry,” said the man.
“Yet I’m really surprised that another relative, or friend,
didn’t jump at the chance to take the seat reserved for him.”
“Beats me,” she said. “They all insisted on going to the funeral.”
A husband and wife were attending a county fair where, for fifty dollars a person,
a man was giving rides in an helicopter.
The couple wanted to go up but they thought fifty dollars a person was too expensive
so they tried to negotiate a lower price.
“We’ll pay you fifty dollars for both of us,” they said to the pilot.
“After all, it takes the same amount of time and fuel for both of us as it does one of us.
The pilot refused to lower his fare, but he made a counter offer.
He suggested, “Pay me the full fifty dollars each, and I’ll take you up.
If you don’t say one word during the flight, I’ll give you all your money back.”
The couple agreed and got into the plane.
Up they went and the pilot proceeded to perform every trick he knew,
looping and whirling and flying upside down and lots more.
Finally, when the plane had landed,
the pilot said to the husband, “Congratulations! Here’s your money back; you didn’t say a single word.”
To which the man replied, "Nope, but you almost got me when my wife fell out.”
It seems these people have their priorities were a little skewed.
Philippians is one of thirteen books of the New Testament the Apostle Paul is given credit for writing.
Paul wrote letter to the churches, many of which he helped start.
He would travel and write letters to teach them how to continue to grow as believers
That is what Philippians is.
It is a letter to the church at Philippi.
Chapters one and two are letter thanking the church for helping him while he was in prison.
They are letters of encouragement.
Then the tone of the letter changes in chapter three.
The encouragement and rejoicing unexpectedly changes to a stern warning.
A problem was threatening the church at Philippi.
A problem which had the potential to shake the foundation of unity and joy of the church.
We are not told exactly what the problem was.
But Paul does give us the answer…,
the solution is that the church needs to have a goal of Christian growth
that is center more around Christ and His Kingdom
and less on the ambitions and wants of the individuals who are in the church at Philippi.
In other words Paul says, he has discovered the answer is “More Christ Less Me.”
Paul has considered everything he has accomplished in his life.
And he says, it is all worthless. It is all garbage when compared with the greatness of knowing Christ.
This is a very deep statement.
A persons relationship with Jesus Christ is more important than anything else.
To know Christ is the ultimate goal.
Everything we do must be to lead people to a place where they think about what they value the most in life and then show them that what you value the most is trash compared to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
Paul said, I gave up everything to be a Christian.
Paul was a brought to the temple on the eighth day after his birth
and presented to the Priest according to the Law.
From his born a pure-blooded Jew.
He was from the tribe of Benjamin.
Some notable Bible descendants from the tribe of Benjamin are:
1. King Saul
2. Jonathan, son of Saul
3. Mordecai
4. Esther
5. Saul of Tarsus/Apostle Paul
If there ever was a real Jew Paul was one.
He was a Pharisee of Pharisees.
Being a Pharisee demanded the strictest obedience to the Old Testament Law.
In fact he obeyed the Old Testament law to a fault…, so that he harshly persecuted Christians
Right up until he got saved and realized that Christ is the only thing that matters.
Paul had all kinds of credentials to boast of and talk about.
John the Baptist was Jesus’ cousin
So if anybody had bragging rights it was John the Baptist.
He hung out with Jesus when he was a kid.
John the Baptist himself had a pretty big following.
The scripture tell us he even had disciples of his own.
People who were following him.
People who were learning from him and there is this one story
Where his disciples come to him.
They are out in the wilderness and his disciples come to him and say,
You know all the people who were following us…, you know John the Baptist.
Well now many of them are following Jesus.
There are these big crowds of people talking about him.
They not talking about us anymore.
They are talking about Jesus.
This is where John the Baptist would have had every opportunity to become defensive.
But instead what he said was, that He must become greater while I become less.
John says, are you talking about Jesus. Let’s talk.
I want to talk less about me
I want to talk more about him.
I am not worthy to untie his shoes.
What lesson can we learn when John says, let’s focus on “More Christ Less Me.”
Today’s sermon is that a lot of the things we go after more, more, more, should really be less, less, less.
Less control, less my way, less accumulations, less pleasing everybody else.
And more and more, more Jesus.
Paul went to the best schools, he was on the track for success, he was set up for greatness.
And then Paul meets Jesus.
And suddenly the way Paul looks at all those things are different.
Paul said if someone has confidence in the flesh I have more.
If you think you have reason for self confidence in your own efforts
Paul said, I have even more.
Paul said, I am a Hebrew of the Hebrews.
I am a Jew of the Jews.
I have always kept the law.
I have never messed up.
Look at my trophies, Look at my awards, Look at how perfect I am, I never make a mistake, I am faultless.
Yet for all the things I can boast of they are garbage compared to knowing Jesus.
Once translation says, “But whatever I used to count as my greatest accomplishments,
I’ve written them off
as a loss because of the Anointed One.
8 And more so, I now realize that all I gained and thought was important was nothing but yesterday’s garbage compared to knowing the Anointed Jesus my Lord.”
Paul is not saying we shouldn’t do good things.
But Paul is saying that maybe some of the things we think we are doing for Jesus
We may be doing to make our ownselves feel good.
So that we can check them off our list.
So that we can say look at what I have done.
Look at who I am and what I have accomplished.
But Paul says nothing compares to sharing who Jesus is and what Jesus has done.
That’s the most important thing. Talking about who Jesus is and what Jesus has done.
Everything else is really garbage…, compared…, to Jesus.
Have you ever stopped to think about just how much trash you really have in your life.
The garbage runs once a week on my street.
On Thursday mornings…, early about 5:00 a.m. in the morning.
So I have to be sure and set the garbage out on Wednesday night before I go to bed
Because if I miss it then the next week there is so much trash it just piles up.
I don’t have anywhere to put it.
It just overflows and really makes a mess and stinks.
I remember telling my two boys they would have chores
And one of the chores was to take out the trash.
I would say, Brandon it is your turn to take out the garbage
And he would say, Ok. I am on the phone, I will do it in a minute.
But the next day, the garbage would still be there and he forgot.
We would have a second pile of garbage sitting beside the garbage can because it would not hold it all
And some stray dog or animal would come by looking for food.
And the next thing you know there is garbage by the door and all over the yard, the wind comes along and blows it down the street.
I would say, Ok. Let’s go, we have to pick up the trash.
It would have been so much easier to have just taken out the trash in the first place than having to go out and pick it from the yard and street.
But we do the same thing in our life.
Instead of getting rid of our trash and garbage we let it pile up in our life.
The next thing you know you are talking more about trash than you are about Jesus.
You have so much garbage spread out that you are more focused on the garbage
than you are focused on spreading the Gospel the Good News,
that Jesus died on the cross to forgive your sins
That he was put in a borrowed tomb
Because he wasn’t going to need it for very long.
Three days later Jesus rose from the grave
And Because we believe in a risen Jesus
Our sins are forgiven and we on our way to heaven.
Heaven is a beautiful place
Heaven is a beautiful thing to talk about
But instead we are more focused on me, me, me, my, my, my
Unless you play the way I want to play I will take my toys and go home.
What if we talked More Christ Less Me.
The bible is very clear in 2 Timothy 3:2 in the last days men will become “lovers of themselves.”
We expect this of unbelievers, but when Paul said that he was talking about people inside the church.
Paul goes on to warn about people in the church who will be unloving, unforgiving,
they will slander others
They will be cruel, they will betray their friends, they will be reckless, they will puffed up with pride.
Pride is one of the seven deadliest sins.
Pride masks the truth.
It keeps us from dealing with the true condition of our heart.
You never change when you think everything is fine.
Pride hardens your heart and dims your eyes of understanding.
Pride will cause you to think you are the victim.
You are the one mistreated.
You are one misjudged.
Because you believe you are the one that is innocent and falsely accused
you go so far as to withhold back forgiveness of others.
In my life I have apologized to a lot of people who never apologized back to me
even though they were just as wrong as I was.
But that doesn’t stop me from apologizing.
Because it is More Christ Less Me.
Paul had all this stuff he could brag on
but he says, I am going to become less so that Jesus can become more.
John the Baptist had all this stuff he could boast about
but he says, I am going to become less so that Jesus can become more.
What would it look like to increase the presence and influence of Jesus in our life?
What would it look like for the influence and presence and power of Jesus to increase?
Are we ready to live for something more than ourselves?
So, the Apostle Paul says, count your greatest accomplishments loss when compared to Jesus.
What does that mean?
A few years ago, I was at a meeting when a man ran up to me and just grabbed me and hugged me.
At first I was startled.
Then I realized the man was crying.
Through his tears and sobbing I could make out that he had given his life to Christ at a service I was preaching.
He said, I was hoping you would be here today.
He reminded me of almost ten year earlier when he was only a teenager
he came to the altar and made a decision to follow Jesus.
Now he was pastoring a church and going to school.
He continued to talk as we were standing there holding hands.
I prayed for him.
While I was praying I could hear him repeating over and over again.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, thank you Jesus.
One of the ways we make Christ More and Me Less is just saying it out loud.
We talk about the things that are the most important to us.
Don’t tell me you are afraid to talk about Jesus that it might offend someone.
People will talk about their politics and your favorite sports team and the juicy gossip.
But then make the excuse I am afraid to talk about Jesus.
Stop using you are afraid as an excuse.
You will talk about things that are a priority in your life.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness
2 Corinthians 5:9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please God.
Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Colossians 1:10 Live so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him,
bearing fruit in every good work
“Seek first the kingdom of God” and our priorities will fall in place.
“Seek first the kingdom of God” and our priorities will fall in place.
Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.”
Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your might.
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other,
or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
Luke 10:38-42 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village.
Martha and Mary
Martha welcomed him into her house.
Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching and then anointed his feet with oil.
Sometimes in life we have something of significance happen that reminds us of where our priorities should be.
We get shaken by a car accident,
a loved one passing away,
or maybe a health issue like cancer
and we quickly refocus and realize where our priorities should be.
Put God first
More Christ Less Me
Some of you may be thinking, I don’t like this sermon.
Well, guess what it gets worse.
Because Jesus goes on to say that in life when things happen that really matter, when things really count,
Paul goes on to say I want to be found belonging to Jesus.
What does that mean?
Less pleasing self and more pleasing Christ
Less pleasing others and more pleasing Christ.
That is when you will discover more satisfaction in yourself and who you are is when you are pleasing God.
If you are a pleaser and you don’t have to raise your hands, just know in your heart
There is one thing I can tell you about you.
You will always be exhausted.
You know why?
Because you will always be trying to please other people.
You will try to please your mother-in-law and always try to be measuring up
You will try to please people who are around you by telling them how great you are
and how you fit into their little clique.
How you measure up to their level and should be one of their gang.
You are trying to make sure this person knows you are great
And this person knows you are great.
You are trying to make sure this person knows you are great
You try to make sure your dad thinks you are great
And your boss thinks you are outstanding
And your kids think you are the best parents ever
All over the place you are pleasing and pleasing and pleasing.
But the pleasing game runs out
it always does and it leaves you exhausted.
That is when we will find out
that our satisfaction only comes from finding out who we are in connection with Jesus.
Paul says, when it counts I want to found belonging to Jesus.
The sad thing is this is so simple to learn when you are child
It is so easy to teach our children
But if you don’t learn this when you are young it is very difficult to learn this when you are older
And you have been taught for years that all that matters is how many trophies you have
How popular you are
How much money you make
How big your house is
How many things you can boast about.
So we teach our kids and learn ourselves to cling onto all these things that Paul says is garbage.
What I am trying to say if you will hear it is Jesus Christ is trying to reprioritize some of the things in your life that you think are so important when they are not.
All you have really got to do to see Jesus move in your life is make him the priority in your life
Priorities, priorities, priorities!
I wonder what you hear and how you react to those three words, or was it one word?
Are you thinking busy schedule
Do you have a ’to-do list’?
Are you thinking I am going to put God on my to do list.
Like God is just one more think you have to do.
Maybe you did not think my jokes were too funny at the beginning of the sermon
But ask yourself this question about your faith in Christ
Do you have your priorities a little skewed?
More Christ Less Me
Holy Spirit flow into my life with Your power and eradicate every fiber of selfishness that would try to snare me and cause me to love myself more than I love You or others. Amen.
