Philippians 3:1-11
Knowing The Power of the Resurrection
Scripture Readings:-
Romans 6:1-14.
Philippians 3:1-11.
Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ,
I want you to recall for a moment the transformations which took place in the lives of various people who witnessed the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Think about Mary Magdalene. Before the resurrection she is at the tomb with spices, ready to finish the burial process. She is grief-stricken. Someone has stolen the body of Jesus and deprived her of the last opportunity to say “goodbye”. Then Jesus comes. At His command she races off the first messenger of resurrection hope.
Think about the disciples hiding behind locked doors in fear of the authorities. They look more like cowards then the apostolic foundations of the church. Then Jesus stands among them and soon they become fearless as they face opposition from the Jewish leaders.
Transformation. Resurrection transformation. But that was then - when people witnessed the resurrection of Jesus with their eyes. Can such a transformation continue to take place today? Even though our Lord has ascended? Even when faith cannot be confirmed by sight? Can such a transformation take place?
Indeed it can
In fact it must.
Every true believer must make this transformation – a transformation which is based on the power of the resurrection. That power is the same power which is behind Philippians 3:1-11. Now, if you had been listening carefully, you would have picked up the fact that this passage is full of passion. Paul is fired-up as he deals with matters that are at the heart of the Gospel. Paul is laying down the gauntlet. Let’s see if you really realise what it means to know Christ as the foundation of your life.
To see how Paul brings across this fired-up passion we need to remember a significant historical difference between ourselves and the members of the church in Philippi. Today we have God’s Word collected; all the books bound together. And we can read them at our leisure at home. But originally there was only one letter – a letter from the hand of Paul which was meant to be read out to the whole congregation. Philippians 1:1 opens this letter, “To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi”. This is not a confidential document to be put into the archives of the church. It is to be heard and absorbed by all members.
Now I I suspect that, if the leadership of our church was to receive a letter like this today - and if it were asked to be read out in church - the leadership would probably have a lengthy discussion to decide whether it should be read out in church or not. Why would the passage cause so much difficulty? Because it contains language which is so harsh; so confrontational, so strong. Paul uses words that cut like a knife as he seeks to open the heart of the Gospel.
He starts by condemning a religious group called the Judaizers. In simple terms Judaizers were people who accepted Christ as Saviour but who also insisted that circumcision was still necessary to be a real member of God’s family. Many in the early church would classify them as being part of the Christian family – and a fanatical part at that. To such people Paul applies a few choice descriptive words in Phil.3:2. He says, “watch out for those dogs”. In our culture such a word is usually applied to those who are worthless and vulgar. But the Jews would pick up a distinctly religious jibe. To be a dog was to be equated with a Gentile – the Gentile dogs. They were the people outside the covenant community. They were in a constant state of ritual uncleanness. Far from being part of the Christian family, Paul is saying that these Judaizers are unwelcome foreigners in the Christian family.
Paul goes on in the same verse, “Watch out … for those men who do evil”. The phrase cannot be limited to those who merely do bad things – were such the case it could be applied to every member of the church. The original behind this phrase literally refers to “those who continue to do bad works”. The Judaizers were proud of the fact that they were upholding the works of the law – and it was their mission to make sure all Christians did the same instead of following Paul’s dubious teaching about grace. Paul is having a bit of a sarcastic prod at the Judaizers. ”Sure they work, but their works are taking them into spiritual darkness – they are working their way into hell”.
To add insult to injury Paul goes on and says, “watch out … for those mutilators of the flesh”. Such words are an attack on one of the greatest source of pride for a Jew – his circumcision. It meant you were part of the inner circle. It was a mark which gave you guaranteed access to the temple. It was a sure sign of your share among God’s people. And Paul takes that whole picture and turns it around. This is not circumcision, it is mutilation. The fact that you are missing the right part of your body is not proof that you are a member of the covenant community. It has no more significance then any other pagan body-mutilating practice. In body you are a Jew. In spirit you are a Gentile.
Now imagine yourself as part of the congregation who were hearing these words for the first time. You would be thinking, “If the fanatical Judaizers haven’t got it right – then what hope do we have?”. And by forcing that question to be raised Paul is forcing people to ask a more basic question, “Do you really understand what it means to gain Christ?”. “Do you really understand the power of the resurrection?”.
Let’s stop there and ask ourselves that very question. Do you really understand what it means to gain Christ? Do you know what the power of the resurrection looks like in your life? Yes I know we are people who have, by the grace of God, been brought into God’s family. And I know many of us have a faith grounded in the person and work of Christ – indeed many of us have a mature faith. But, as this word to the Philippians shows, there are times when God’s people must stop - and reflect - and consider. Have false foundations been put in place since the time of their conversion?
In the Bible we have a description of an event which will happen on the last day. We read about it in Matthew 7:22-23. At that time men and women will come to Jesus the judge and say:-
“‘Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in Your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’. And the Lord will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers’”.
They are people who thought they had it all together. They are people who were rigorously serving God. They are people who stood on a false foundation.
The truth is clear – no matter how advanced we are in our faith-maturity we always need to be on the look-out for the grace-plus trap.
• “I have a strong religious heritage, I defended doctrine in Your name Lord”.
• “I learnt the confessions of our church off by heart and I have professed my faith”.
• “I am a faithful morning and evening attendee at church”.
• “I have fostered an attitude of constant prayer”.
• “I attend Bible Study each week and am devoted to working in this church”.
“I - I did it”. We may think we are immune but it’s an easy trap to fall into. To move from the power of the resurrection to the power of self. And it is a trap which has many dangers attached to it – especially the danger which makes us think we have arrived in our Christian walk. The Christian who succeeds is not the one who has it all together. The Christian who succeeds is the one who can say we are nothing but jars of clay. That’s a real irony isn’t it. But it is true. We need to admit our true status. We are jars of clay – old cracked pots – being used by God to show the all surpassing power of the Gospel is from Him and not from us.
Isn’t that what Paul is doing with the members of the Philippian church. Indeed he is. That is why, in verse 4, we see him pull out a file. A file that has been gathering dust since the time of his conversion at Damascus. And he throws the file on the table, and as the cloud of dust settles, he says “Here have a look at this”. Have a look at my record of achievements. It’s a pretty impressive record.
• “circumcised on the eight day” – his parents were obviously very devout.
• “of the people of Israel” – not a convert, or the son of a convert. No second-class Judaism here.
• “of the tribe of Benjamin” – he is not a member of one of the 10 apostate tribes; but a tribe which stayed faithful to God.
• “a Hebrew of Hebrews” – he did not follow the Greek ways.
• “a Pharisee” – knowing the law forwards and backwards.
• “persecuting the church” – well that is a bit of glitch, now it is different; his zeal is for the Lord not against the Lord.
“I had it all together”, says Paul. And just when the congregation is starting to get the feeling some of their personal achievements might help them over the line Paul throws in a most mortifying, and almost offensive phrase. Let me tell you what it sounds like in the Greek:-
di hon ta panta exêmiôthên kai hêgoumai skubala hina Christon kepoêsô.
Well, what is so offensive about that? The NIV translates it this way in verse 8:-
“I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ”.
It’s kind of a cover-up. A more literal translation of the phrase would be “I consider it all a pile of human excrement, so that I may gain Christ”.
{Depending on the circumstances you are in you may or may not want to add the following sentence:-
All his previous works are just a pile of ****!}
Now remember, this letter would have been read out to the congregation. You can image the reaction of the congregation when this was read couldn’t you.
• The younger people would be sitting up take real notice now. Paul wanted us to hear the “s” word in church.
• The older people would be thinking, “Was that really necessary”.
• The elders would be hoping to be able to contain the flack.
And Paul has fully succeeded in showing us the reality of what it means to live as people of grace. It is to come to a point in our life when we understand that our attempts to impress God with our human achievements are not worth anything more then just flushing down the toilet.
Even when we know we need to be like this we still have a habit of trying to salvage some credit for ourselves don’t we. All too often we fall into the trap of coming to God with all our good achievements. And God patiently watches as we display our efforts – kind of like show and tell at kindergarten.
• Here Lord, let me recite the confession off by heart. And we give that to the Lord and He treats it as it deserves – He flushes it.
• So we try another track and hold up our church attendance sheet. And the Lord casts an eye over it and, without raising an eyebrow, flushes it as well.
• And we keep coming again and again – and patiently the Lord deals with it – until there is nothing left for us to show.
We come to a point where we say. “I have nothing left”. Our souls are exposed. We have been spiritually stripped naked. We come with empty hands: “Lord help us …”.
Every false hope, every self-assured achievement, every misdirected ambition has been stripped away. All we have left is a hope. A hope based on something totally external from ourselves and our ability to control. The hope which transformed Mary and the disciples. The hope which has transformed every believer who has discovered the truth of the resurrection. The hope which is expressed by Paul in verses 10-11:-
“I want to know Christ and the power of the resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His suffering, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain the resurrection from the dead”.
What is the power of the resurrection? It means realising the truth expressed in Romans 6:1-14. It means realising that you must step into the background so that Jesus can step into the lime-light.
• Jesus steps forward to take your sin – the sin that can keep you eternally separated from God – and He buries it forever.
• Jesus steps forward to take your guilt – guilt which can stop you from looking to the future with hope – and He forgives it forever.
• Jesus steps forward to take your shame – the shame which you carry because you know you have hurt God – and He turns it into confidence forever.
• Jesus steps forward to take your failures – failures which keep coming up like large potholes in the road – and He covers them out of sight forever.
That is the power of the resurrection. It grabs hold of all false foundations and smashes them. It brings total renewal in a hopeless situation. It clothes a naked soul. It moulds us into the image of Christ. It transforms us from those who are holding out empty hands into those whose hands are overflowing with the wonders of God’s grace. And through it all real comfort is ours.
Through strong language Paul lays down the gauntlet. Do we realise what it means to know Christ as the foundation of your life? It means knowing the reality of the power of the resurrection and nothing else.
• That is the message given to us in language that is strong and full of emotion.
• That is the message we are instructed to pass onto others so that all false foundations are put aside.
• That is the only message which enables us to know that the transformation we need is a transformation of real assurance.
May God, in His grace, enable to be nothing more and nothing less. People who have had all our false foundations kicked away. People who truly know the transforming power of the resurrection. People whose tears and confusion about an empty grave have given way to cries of hope as we see a risen Saviour.
Amen.
