circumstances

TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS – Philippians 3:1-11

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Circumstances and people can rob us of joy, can’t they? But so can things. And it is this thief that Paul deals with in chapter three. It’s easy for us to get wrapped up in things, isn’t it? And not only the things we can see and touch, but also things like reputation, fame and achievement. Jesus warns us in Luke 12:15 that our lives do not consist in the abundance of things we possess. Quantity is no guarantee of quality. Many people who have the things money can buy have lost the things money cannot buy.

The key word in our passage of scripture for today, Philippians 3:1-11, is the word “count”. It means “to evaluate”, to “examine carefully”. Many people today are slaves of “things” because they’ve never sat down and seriously considered the values that control their decisions and actions, and this has robbed them of real joy. In the case of the apostle Paul, the “things” he was living for before he knew Christ seemed to be very noble: a righteous life, obedience to the Law of Moses, and the defense of the religion of his ancestors – the Jewish religion. But none of these satisfied him or made him feel acceptable to God. Paul had high enough morals to keep him out of trouble, but he didn’t have enough righteousness to get him into heaven! It was not bad things that kept Paul away from Jesus – it was good things! Paul had to lose his “religion” to find salvation. In this passage of Scripture we’re studying today, Paul explains that there are only two kinds of righteousness: righteousness based on works and righteousness based on faith, and only faith righteousness is acceptable to God.

I. RIGHTEOUSNESS BASED ON WORKS (verses 1-6)

In verse 1 Paul says, “Finally my brethren”. It doesn’t mean that Paul is about to end his letter, because he keeps on going. The word “finally” means “for the rest” or “for what remains”. Paul is changing his topic. He has warned the believers at Philippi before, but now he warns them again. “Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision”. We have to go back to the beginning of the church to find out what Paul means. From the beginning, the gospel came “to the Jew first”. The first seven chapters of the book of Acts deal only with Jewish believers or Gentiles who had become Jewish converts. In Acts 8 the message went to the Samaritans, but this did not cause too much of a problem since the Samaritans were at least partly Jewish. But when Peter went to the Gentiles in Acts 10, this caused an uproar. Peter said that it was God who had directed him to preach to the Gentiles, and the problem seemed to be solved, but not for long. These strict Jewish believers told the apostle Paul that it was necessary for the Gentiles to obey the Jewish rules before they could be saved. They followed Paul wherever he went and tried to steal his converts and his churches. Paul uses three terms to describe them. He calls them “dogs” because they were following on Paul’s heels, viciously “barking” their false teachings. Secondly, Paul called them “evil workers” because these men taught that the sinner must be saved by doing the good works of the Law of Moses. Thirdly, Paul called them “the false circumcision” because they taught that circumcision was necessary for people to be saved. In contrast to these false Christians, Paul says in verse 3 that the true Christian is one who is directed by the Holy Spirit, boasts only in Jesus Christ, and puts no confidence in his sinful flesh.

In verses 4-6 Paul uses himself as an example. He was born into a pure Hebrew family, and was circumcised on the eighth day as required by Jewish law. He was descended from the tribe of Benjamin, the favorite and most faithful of all the tribes. Paul spoke the Hebrew language, and was a Pharisee, the strictest and most devout leaders of the Jewish nation. He was also a persecutor of the church, and was morally blameless. Paul had everything going for him.

II. RIGHTEOUSNESS BASED ON FAITH (verses 7-11)

But when Paul met Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road in Acts 9, Paul believed and became a child of God. After this happened, Paul lost some things, but he gained much more than he lost. He recounts this here in verses 7-11. What did Paul lose? Verse 7 says that he lost his reputation as a Jewish scholar and religious leader. He also lost his religious achievements and his Jewish friends.

But what did Paul gain? Verse 8 tells us that Paul gained a personal, intimate knowledge of Jesus Christ. Verse 9 tells us that Paul gained the righteousness of Christ. When Paul trusted in Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord, God put Christ’s righteousness into Paul’s account, and Paul’s sins were placed in Christ’s account. His sins were paid for in full by the blood of Christ on the cross. In verses 10 and 11, Paul experienced the fellowship of Christ in His suffering, death, and resurrection. This was Paul’s desire, his goal, and a source of strength and joy.

Paul gained far more than he lost. The things he had lost were like garbage in comparison to gaining Christ. No wonder Paul had joy! His life did not depend on the cheap “things” of the world but on the eternal values found in Christ.

When God asks us to surrender something of temporal worth, He does so for the purpose of replacing it with a prize of eternal value. Are you willing to trust Him and obey Him? Is the Lord calling you to sacrifice something you treasure in order to give you something of lasting worth? People who live for “things” are never really happy because they must constantly protect their earthly treasures and worry about whether they will lose their value.

Can you say, along with the apostle Paul, that to have Christ, and know His resurrection power in your life, is your greatest joy? And can we agree that the things we left behind have become so unimportant that we consider them “but garbage”? Consider and reflect on these words written by the missionary Jim Elliot before he was killed because of his faith in Jesus Christ: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose”.

PAUL’S CHAINS – Philippians 1:12-14

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INTRODUCTION:

The apostle Paul wanted to go to Rome as a preacher, but instead, he went as a prisoner!  In verse 12 of Philippians, chapter 1, he sums it up as “my circumstances”.  He could have written a long letter about that experience alone.  The things that happened to him are written in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, chapters 21-28.  It began when Paul was arrested in the temple in Jerusalem.  The Jews thought that he had desecrated the temple by bringing Gentiles into it, and the Romans thought that Paul was an Egyptian renegade who was on their “most wanted list”.  Paul remained in prison in Caesarea for two years.  When he finally appealed to Caesar, as a Roman citizen, he was sent to Rome.  On the way, the ship was wrecked in a storm.  Paul’s courage and faith during that storm makes it one of the most dramatic stories in the Bible (Acts 27).

HIS CHAINS (verse 12)

To many, all of these circumstances may have looked like a failure, but not for this man with a “single mind” to share Christ and the Gospel message.  In verse 12, Paul says, “My circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel”.  The words, “greater progress” mean “pioneer advance”.  It is a Greek military term referring to the army engineers who went ahead of the soldiers to remove obstacles and open the way into new territory.  Paul discovered that his circumstances really opened up new areas of ministry.  If you’ve ever done any sailing, you may have heard this saying:  “We cannot control the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”  Many of us have heard of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the famous British preacher, but few know the story about his wife, Suzannah.  Early in their married life, Mrs. Spurgeon became an invalid.  It looked as though her only ministry would be that of encouraging her husband and praying for his work.  But God gave her a burden to share her husband’s books with pastors who couldn’t afford to purchase them.  This burden soon led to the founding of the “Book Fund”.  As a work of faith, the “Book Fund” provided thousands of pastors with tools for their ministry.  All of this was supervised by Mrs. Spurgeon from her home.

THEIR EFFECT ON PAUL (verse 13)

In verse 13, Paul tells us that the chains attached to his wrists gave him contact with non-Christians.  He was chained to a Roman soldier 24 hours a day!  The shifts changed every six hours, which meant that Paul could witness to at least four soldiers each day.  Paul was proclaiming the Gospel to the praetorian guard; something he could not have done as a free man.  Historians tell us that there were about 9000 men who were part of the praetorian guard.  These elite soldiers were the bodyguards for Caesar and his palace.  It’s very possible that these guards looked forward to the opportunity to guard the apostle Paul.  Being chained to a prisoner for six hours at a time must have been a very boring task, but it wouldn’t be if they were chained to the apostle Paul, because he was filled with joy, and he had something interesting to listen to and discuss.   Eventually, one by one, many of these guards probably became Christians.

Sometimes God has put “chains”, so to speak, on His people, in order to enable them to accomplish something that could never happen any other way.  Suzannah Wesley was the mother of 19 children, and this was before the days of labor-saving devices such a washing machines and disposable diapers.  How could she find the time to share the Gospel?  Well, from her large family came John and Charles Wesley, whose combined ministries shook Great Britain.

Fanny Crosby was blinded at six weeks of age, but even as a youngster she determined not to be confined by the chains of darkness.  In time she became a mighty force for God through her hymns and gospel songs.  She wrote over 8000 hymns during her lifetime!

The secret is this:  when you have a single mind, you look at circumstances as God-given opportunities for the furtherance of the Gospel, and you rejoice at what God is going to do, instead of complaining about what God did not do.

III.  THEIR EFFECT ON OTHERS (vs.  14)

Paul’s chains not only gave him contact with the lost, but they also gave courage to the saved.  Many of the Christians in Rome received new courage when they saw Paul’s faith and determination.  Discouragement has a way of spreading, but so does encouragement.  Because of Paul’s joyful attitude, many Christians began to witness boldly for Christ.

Something within a person responds to bravery in others.  When I was in Air Force boot camp in San Antonio, Texas, I visited the Alamo.  My first response was, “It sure is small!” It was in that little mission church that a small group of men, 180 to be exact, faced a big decision when a large army of Mexican soldiers set up camp nearby.  Colonel Travis drew a line in the dust with his sword, challenging the men to step across if they were willing to fight to the death.  Every man but one responded to the challenge.  Even Colonel Jim Bowie, who lay dying on a cot, shouted to his comrades, “carry me across the line!”

Every man was killed, including Jim Bowie, who fought off the enemy the best he could from his deathbed.  The only survivors were two women and two children.  Was this a waste of lives?  Not at all!  This heroic action stirred up all the Texans to fight.  “Remember the Alamo” was the Texans’ battle cry, and six weeks later Texas won its independence.

Most Americans “remember the Alamo”.  But do we Christians remember the Christians who suffered and even died because of their faith in Jesus Christ, and their willingness to proclaim it?  Our commitment to our Savior and Lord needs to be strong enough to be contagious.  Enthusiasm for Christ is contagious.  Has anyone caught it from you?  We’ll never find peace and real joy unless we learn to live above our circumstances.

What are your “chains”?  If you are confined by illness, or limited in any way by circumstances beyond your control, start looking for, and asking God for, a ministry.  God may have put you just where you are at in order that you might say with the Apostle Paul, “My circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the Gospel”.

We need to get above our circumstances.  That’s where God is waiting to help and strengthen us, so that He can use us, in His way, by His power, and for His glory.  Read on in Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, and share in Paul’s unwavering joy!