"Paul: A High Impact Person, Moving From Success to Significance"
Philippians 3:4-4:1
INTRODUCTION:
Remember when you were young, pretending to be someone you admired? I always did this when I played sports. Neighborhood kids would get together, and after we would choose sides, we would then get to pick "who we would be." Guys, remember doing this?
When we played baseball, I was Lou Brock. When I played basketball, I was Dr. J. When we played football, I was anybody from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Kids still do this. There is even a TV commercial w/ MJ that has a jingle that says, "Like Mike, I want to be like Mike."
I suppose aspiring musicians do this, with musicians they admire.
I asked my wife if she ever did this, and she said she and her friends were they Charlie’s Angels and they would all want to be Farra Faucet.
The reason we did this is because we wanted to be like them. We wanted to play like they played. We wanted to look like they look.
We knew as kids something we often forget as adults -- we learn by modeling others. We can be a better "whatever it is" by modeling someone we admire.
That’s what we are going to try to do today as we start our new sermon series focusing on characters in the Bible. This series is called "High-Impact People."
Doing character studies from the Bible is interesting because the Bible is full of scoundrels. God has largely worked through people who were to one degree or another, cowards, drunks, murders, adulterers, thieves, idolaters, racists, cheaters, liars, etc.
But we all can learn from these people because they were all thoroughly changed when they encountered God. And from the example of their lives, we can see how God can change and use us to be "High-Impact People" for Him.
This morning we will be looking at the Apostle Paul. Paul was a man who was an extremely successful and powerful person. He was a driven person with a type A personality. He had climbed to the top of societies ladder and was highly spoken of, but when he let Jesus take a hold of his life, he threw it all away and as a result, changed the world.
Before investigating the secret to Paul’s significance, it its important to know who Paul was & why it can matter to us today.
I. WHO WAS PAUL, AND WHY SHOULD WE CARE?
Please turn to the back of your bulletins to see the outline of today’s message. There are pencils in the pews if you need them to fill in the blanks.
He was a CONTEMPORARY of Jesus.
Paul was alive at the same time of Jesus. It appears he was a few years younger than Jesus. He was probably about my age, when Jesus was killed (a real young looking about to be 30 year old). Because Paul and Jesus were living in Jerusalem at the same time, Paul most have known about Jesus, but there is no evidence that they ever met while Jesus was on earth.
He was an ENEMY of Jesus.
After Jesus rose from the dead, he was on Earth another 40 days appearing to over 500 people. Before Jesus went into heaven, he promised to give his Spirit to all who believed in Him. A few days latter (on a day called Pentecost) His Spirit was given to 120 believers. That was the day Christianity was born. Jesus’ followers hit the streets with a bold new style, and 3,000 joined up on the first day alone.
Paul hated these people who followed Jesus. He believed they were heretics. In fact, the first time the Bible mentions Paul (in Acts 7) he is overseeing the first murder of a Christian, named Stephen.
Paul became a fierce bounty hunter of Christians, going throughout the land having Christians arrested and killed. Though there were already thousands of Christians, the church was still in its infancy, and Paul was determined to take advantage of his opportunity to strangle the church while it was still in its cradle.
He was the most feared man among Christians.
He was a CONVERT of Jesus.
Acts 9 tells us that on the way to a town called Damascus to capture Christians, a light from heaven flashed around Paul. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Saul was Paul’s Hebrew name). "Who are you Lord?" "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting."
Go into the city and you will be told what to do.
Blind for 3 days. Ananias came, filled with HS, could see, was baptized.
It seems we have to be in a crisis, before we really let God take control of our lives. We have to be down in the pit before we will look up to him.
Reports from the Christians "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy."
This is more shocking than having Rush Limbaugh become a liberal democrat, or having Sadaam Husein apply for American Citizenship.
He was an IMITATOR of Jesus.
His conversion was fully authentic.
It was Paul who wrote the phrase "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." (Gal 2:20).
This former self-righteous, racist, bounty hunter and hater of Jesus became a changed man. He was so changed that he was able to write 1 Cor 13. Called the "The love chapter" heard at weddings, (love is patient, kind...) and possibly the most read scripture in the world.
America’s most popular novelist, John Grisham, says that authors write what they know about. He knows about law and the south. So he writes a story about law set in Memphis. (I don’t know what this says about Stephen King).
Paul was able to write this way about love, because he knew about this kind of love. When he wrote 1 Cor. 13, he was describing Jesus, but he could have inserted his own name every time the word love appeared. ( Paul is...)
That tells us a little about who Paul is, but now we need to see how his life affects us today.
God worked through him MORE than any other Christian.
Paul has been the most effective Christian Missionary of all time. In fact, if you are not of a Jewish descent and you are a Christian, there is a good chance that you are a direct spiritual descendant of Paul and his evangelistic work
In a nutshell, if Paul hadn’t become a Christian, you (and maybe none of us) might be Christians today.
He is author of half the letters in the NT. What he wrote influenced all other great writers. Can you imagine saying something so significant (even one sentence) that God would want it to be in the Bible? Paul got 13 of his letters in it.
His work has done more to change the world than, Billy Graham, James Dobson, and Alan Ahlgrim combined.
He is one of the most INFLUENTIAL people in all of history.
There is a book you can find in Waldens or any major bookstore called A Ranking of the 100 Most Influential People in History. It is an interesting book, though I don’t agree with its order.
Mohammed is listed as the most influential. Sir Isaac Newton is 2nd. Jesus 3rd.
In the book the author begins the section on Jesus trying to explain why Jesus isn’t ranked first. Part of the explanation is a misunderstanding of who Jesus is and what he did. From the authors writing, you can tell he doesn’t believe Jesus really is the Son of God. Rather he emphasizes Jesus ethical influence. But another reason he puts Jesus 3rd is because Paul was so helpful to Jesus’ cause that the credit must be shared between Paul and Jesus and not just one leader like Mohammed who founded Islam.
As a result, Paul is listed as the 6th most influential person in all of history.
Don’t you think it is impressive that a man, who is not a Christian and has no Christian agenda to push, lists Paul as the 6th most influential person in the history of the world?
There have probably been around 10 billion people alive on the Earth and Paul comes in 6th! That’s pretty good. (The top 1% is 100 million people).
And as far as changing hearts - God’s perspective - Jesus 1st, Paul 2nd.
What was the secret to his significance? How can our lives become more significant? In the 3rd chapter of Philippians he reveals what his goal in life is and as a result the secret to his significance.
II. PAUL’S AMBITION
Please turn to Philipians 3:4. It is on page 832 in pew Bible.
When Paul wrote this letter to the Christians in Philippi, he was probably in his 60’s, in a Roman prison, expecting to be killed. (And according to tradition, Paul eventually was beheaded in Rome, during the anti-Christian persecution of Nero).
Let’s read Philipians 3:4-11 (read)
Paul is saying that if it were possible to be good enough to go to heaven, Paul would be the top dog. But when he was encountered by Christ, he realized the things he was embracing --his education, career, reputation, good behavior --the things he was counting on the give him happiness in this life and eternal life later -- looked like, smelled like and were sewage compared to knowing and embracing Christ.
Paul’s first ambition was...
To KNOW Christ. (Phil 3:4-11)
Twice he says it explicitly, once in v 8 and again in v 10.
The word ’know" doesn’t mean intellectual knowledge. It doesn’t mean to know about Christ. Rather it means knowing Christ personally and experientially.
It is the same word that is used when the bible says, "Adam knew Eve" (KJ). Or what do you think the Bible means when it says, "Adam knew Eve?" (And she conceived and gave birth to Cain).
Adam, do you know Eve. Yeah, I know her.
We know what they mean by the word “know."
Christianity is not about religion, or a book, or a place, or a set of tasks, rather it is about a relationship.
Specifically it is about a relationship with someone who makes you better than you are. For example, I married Julie not just because I loved her (that was not enough), but also because I liked who I was when I was with her.
Likewise, in our relationship with Christ, he makes us better people because of who he is and you will like who you are and who you are becoming when you are with him.
Now I would like for you to look with me at verses 12-16
To GROW in Christ. (Phil 3:12-16)
Paul’s second ambition was to grow in Christ.
Paul gives some great advice. First he forgets about what is behind. I don’t know whether he was speaking of his accomplishments or sins. Either way it is good advice.
Could you imagine if you went to heaven and God had a videotape of all your sins? Part of your judgment was to have you and everyone else watch this tape.
Paul says forget this. Let go of your past. Because not only has Jesus forgiven your sins, he has erased the tape. Now you need to stop hitting the rewind button. The tape has been erased.
Secondly, Paul says he strains toward what lies ahead. The Christian life is like a journey. Like going up an escalator that is going down. You can’t stop and coast. The world is pushing you down and you’ll lose ground. Strain toward the top. You can make progress.
Remember this saying... The race is not to the swift, but to those who keep running.
This same passage lends itself to Paul’s third ambition.
To SERVE Christ. (Phil 3:12-16)
Christ has not only taken a hold of us to encourage us to grow and become like him, he also wants us to serve like he served.
God has given every Christian a gift in order to serve. This gift may be either a
"Natural talent enhanced by the HS or a special gift given by the HS to benefit others and glorify God."
As many of you know, the people on staff at this church aren’t the only ministers of this church. If there is a distinction to be made between the staff and you, it is that you have been called to be ministers, and the staff has been called to be equipping ministers.
The staff is kind of like the coach and cheerleaders of a team, and you are the players. When you know what position you like and are good at, we’ll help coach you and cheer you on.
Paul’s last ambition can be found in vs. 17-4:1
To SHARE Christ. (Phil 3:17-4:1)
You share Christ by imitating Christ. A story is told – by Fredrick Beuchner I believe – called “The Happy Hypocrite." It is a story about a man who was born with an awful facial deformity. He grew up alone and lonely. When reaching adulthood, he decided to move from his town to begin a new life. On his way he discovered a beautiful mask that fit his making him look handsome. At first the mask was uncomfortable and he was afraid that people would find out who he really was, but he continued to wear the mask everyday.
In his new hometown, he made many friends and fell in love. But one day a wicked woman from his old home came to his town and discovered this man’s true identity. In front of his friends and fiancé, she forced him to remove his mask. When he removed the mask, it revealed a handsome face. His face had conformed to the mask.
Becoming like Christ is analogous to this. Go ahead and put on Christ. At first it may feel unnatural or uncomfortable, and maybe you may think, “who am I trying to fool?” But everyday just keep putting on Christ and everyday you will grow to look more like him.
Try on Christ, and what first came as awkward, will become natural.
The world is desperately seeking someone to follow. That they will follow someone is certain, but will he be someone who knows the way of Christ, or will he be one leading them only on into greater darkness?
